EPISODE · Aug 24, 2026 · 5 MIN
Estée Lauder Defends 10,000 Cuts
from Beauty in Five
Estée Lauder CEO defends strategy after 10,000 job cuts. The CEO rejected speculation about the company's talent base following mass layoffs, per Marketing Week, a claim recruiters and rivals across the sector will be watching. (Marketing Week) IT Cosmetics to close its only China online store. L'Oréal-owned IT Cosmetics will shut its Tmall Global flagship on September 2, 2026, per Global Cosmetics News, leaving the brand without an official online purchase route in China. (Global Cosmetics News) WWD identifies three throughlines in beauty's H1 results. Reporting-season themes include K-beauty's growing importance in the Americas, continued hair-care growth and China's return, per WWD, inputs operators can carry into second-half planning. (WWD) WWD: AI answer engines are reshaping beauty discovery. Generative engine optimization is changing the consumer path to purchase and brands need to shift gears fast, per WWD Beauty, with implications for search budgets, product copy and retailer feeds. (WWD Beauty) Also moving today: Coty returns to sales growth as Coty.Curated strategy moves into execution (Global Cosmetics News) DSM-Firmenich agrees to $33 million settlement following alleged price fixing (Cosmetics Business) Fenty Beauty Reinvents Foundation: Rihanna Unveils Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Formula (WWD Beauty) Saudi Arabia’s Beauty Market Booms With Young, Trend-savvy Consumers (WWD Beauty) Dolce Glow Raises Star-studded $11 Million Series A Funding (WWD Beauty) Get Beauty in Five in your inbox every weekday: https://beautyinfive.com
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What this episode covers
Estée Lauder's CEO defended the Beauty Reimagined turnaround on an analyst call covered by Marketing Week, as net sales rose 5% to $15 billion and a recovery programme cut roughly 10,000 roles. L'Oréal-owned IT Cosmetics will close its Tmall Global flagship on September 2, per Global Cosmetics News, leaving it without an official online channel in China, while WWD's review of first-half results across nine countries finds guidance splitting and LG Household and Health Care's North American sales outpacing China for the first time since 2001. Also: Coty's Q4 beat, a $33 million DSM-Firmenich price-fixing settlement, Fenty's Fluid Flex reformulation, Ulta's Saudi entry, and Dolce Glow's $11 million Series A.
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Estée Lauder Defends 10,000 Cuts
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