BW Confidential’s newsletter on the latest retail & tech trends in beauty
RETAIL INSIGHTS
K-pop. K-beauty brands continue to make a splash in the US. Two of them – Tirtir and Rejuran Cosmetics – recently opened pop-up stores there focused on ingredients in their products, which attracted attention. The Tirtir pop-up in SoHo, New York City, set out to promote its new six-piece matcha-based skincare line. Called the 2026 Tirtir Matcha House, the pop-up’s design was inspired by matcha grown on South Korea’s Jeju island and was meant to reflect the ingredient’s refreshing qualities. The new line contains what the brand calls Matcha PDRN, an ingredient derived from Jeju matcha. Tirtir says on-site reservations sold out within two hours and that over the three days, the pop-up attracted 2,282 visitors.
Meanwhile, Rejuran Cosmetics opened a pop-up in Los Angeles to mark its launch at Sephora US. The pop-up included experiences focused on the brand’s patented c-PDRN ingredient, including a quiz to receive product recommendations for their skin, a spin-to-win activity to receive exclusive gifts, and – following a Sephora purchase – redeem prizes including full-size products and branded merchandise through a gumball machine. Rejuran says the pop-up attracted over 5,000 visitors and that hero skus, including the Turnover Ampoule and Dual Effect Ampoule, saw consistent sell-through throughout the event.
Investing in stores. France-based department store Galeries Lafayette is to pause expansion in the Middle East due to the geopolitical climate and restructure in China, but will continue rolling out stores in India. The company will also invest €260m in its stores in the next four years.
The retailer is currently in the final stage of revamping the beauty department at its Paris Haussmann store. The first floor is focused on haute parfumerie, the ground floor presents niche make-up and fragrance with couture-inspired elements, while the basement sells skincare from drugstore, premium, and prestige brands, as well as K-beauty and beauty tech brands, while providing wellness experiences (a gym and treatment rooms).
In addition, Galeries Lafayette says it has shifted toward a “global store” model, thereby reducing its dependency on any single nationality. French customers now represent 40% of sales at its Paris Haussmann store (up from 33% in 2019), Chinese customers represent 22% (down from 33% in 2019) and the retailer says it has seen strong growth from American and Middle Eastern customers, despite the geopolitical context (+14% in March 2026).
Galeries Lafayette’s revenue in 2025 was €3.1bn. Its Haussmann flagship store in Paris saw €2bn in revenue, up 4% compared with 2024). Galeries Lafayette saw 23% growth in digital revenue in 2025 and aims to double this figure by 2030.
Gaining loyalty. UK-based retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has revamped its Sparks loyalty program, with a focus on personalization and savings, rather than points and complex pricing. Central to the launch is a new digital Sparks wallet where customers earn money to spend across any part of M&S, including beauty, at any time. The retailer says it will use AI to enable more personalized offers and rewards, with the level of personalization improving as customers continue to use the service.
Primark expands. Retailer Primark has opened its second store in Dubai at City Centre Mirdif in partnership with Alshaya Group. The opening comes shortly after the launch of its first store in the UAE at Dubai Mall. The City Centre Mirdif store spans more than 35,000ft2 (376,736ft2), will employ more than 300 staff and sells the retailer’s full range of fashion, beauty and homeware, including exclusive collaborations. The retailer plans to open a third Dubai store at Mall of the Emirates later this spring and will enter new countries in the Middle East this year, including Bahrain (City Centre Bahrain) and Qatar (Doha Festival City), bringing Primark’s international footprint to 21 markets globally.
Primark has also launched its first app in the UK, following its introduction in Ireland and Italy last summer. The app allows customers to digitally browse the assortment, save items for their next visit and receive notifications on new launches and exclusive updates, including on trends. The retailer says it has been investing in digital following the success of its social media platforms. Primark has more than 25 million followers globally.
Real-life retail. French fashion and fragrance brand Marc-Antoine Barrois opened a store in New York last week and launched a campaign with an anti-social media message to promote the boutique. The campaign, created by advertising agency Fred & Farid, looks to encourage people to choose IRL (in real life) as the ultimate luxury experience. A series of minimalist messages feature in social media posts and targeted guerrilla installations across New York aim to encourage people to stop scrolling so as to attract shoppers to the brand’s new store. Marc-Antoine Barrois, Founder and President, says that while social media has taught brands to chase after an audience, the campaign instead aims to create a just enough friction to gain consumers’ attention of consumers.
India appeal. More brands are moving deeper into India. Charlotte Tilbury (Puig) opened its first flagship store in India, operated by Indian beauty retailer Nykaa. The store features a boudoir space, which offers make-up services inspired by local trends, traditions and celebrations. Reflecting India’s bridal beauty culture, the store also introduces the brand’s first Bridal Looks Wall in India, displaying its bridal offering. The store also features a Pillow Talk photowall and artistry services and masterclasses led by the brand’s make-up artists. For the first time in India, customers will also have access to Charlotte Tilbury’s fragrance collection – the store sells the brand’s full assortment of make-up, skincare and fragrance.
Charlotte Tilbury entered India in 2020 in partnership with Nykaa, launching first on Nykaa’s digital platform, before expanding to Nykaa Luxe stores across the country. Nykaa will oversee operations for the brand’s stores in India, including retail, staffing and training, merchandising, supply chain, marketing and brand management.
Meanwhile, skincare brand SK-II (P&G) has launched in India in partnership with Asia-based distributor LUXASIA. SK-II will be sold in beauty retailer Nykaa at its stores across key cities in India, including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Hyderabad, as well as exclusively online on Nykaa.com. The brand will also be sold at Galeries Lafayette in Mumbai.
TECH BYTES
AI tools. France-based beauty retailer Oh My Cream has launched Beauty AI, a tool that assesses individual skin needs and recommends tailored routines that can adapt over time. Developed in collaboration with French startup Dialog, Beauty AI can be used 24/7 and draws on the expertise of Oh My Cream’s teams as well as skin diagnostics, guides, articles, quizzes and ingredient analyses. The tool works based on a questionnaire and photo analysis. Oh My Cream says the launch comes in response to consumer demand for increased personalization.
Influencers’ influence. Almost 30% of consumers trust beauty/make-up influencers for product recommendations, according to data and news company Pymnts. Meanwhile, 11.8% say the recommendations of beauty/make-up influencers most often results in them making a purchase. Beauty and make-up content was the second most likely product category to prompt impulse purchases, with 25% of consumers who made such purchases in the past year saying they would consider buying based on a first-time encounter.
Each year, 56% of US consumers make at least one purchase based on an influencer’s recommendation, while 12% do so more than six times annually. Some 80% of Gen Z make at least one such purchase per year based on influencer recommendations compared with 72% of millennials. The share declines to 58% for Generation X and 28% for baby boomers.
Among those who have made influencer-recommended purchases, 95% typically conduct additional research beforehand. Nearly half read customer reviews, with one in four identifying reviews as their primary source of information. Other commonly cited methods include consulting online forums and manufacturer websites, as well as comparing prices across platforms.
Tech cuts. Tech companies continue to cut jobs. According to Reuters, Meta will cut roughly 10% of the company’s global workforce, or about 8,000 employees, in an initial round of layoffs, with additional layoffs expected in the second half of the year. The cuts come as CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been investing heavily in artificial intelligence (AI) as part of a broader effort to reorganize the company around the technology.
Meanwhile, Snapchat is to cut around 1,000 jobs, including 16% of full-time employees. In a note to employees, CEO Evan Spiegel said the company is aiming to become more efficient and is targeting over $500m in annual cost savings by the second half of the year. Spiegel cited advances in AI as a factor, saying AI tools allow smaller teams to work more efficiently by automating repetitive tasks and increasing productivity, reducing the need for a larger workforce.
SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ: Trending in beauty
Key beauty trends on social media
Interest in firming cream is growing in both the US and the UK, according to Spate’s Popularity Index. In the US, interest in firming cream has risen +206.6% compared to last year and holds Medium Popularity, meaning it’s already well known, but is continuing to grow across platforms. TikTok leads with 68.7% Popularity Share and +172.4% growth, while the product receives 3.3K average monthly searches on Google, three million average weekly views on TikTok and 5.2K weekly posts on Instagram. Top search queries include “firming” (16.6K average monthly searches), “sculpting” (8.2K) and “review” (4.1K). Top brands include City Beauty (8.2K average monthly searches), Clarins (4.9K) and Philosophy (4.8K). The hashtag #koreanskincare (723.7K) dominates the conversation, demonstrating how K-beauty can drive interest. Hashtags like #glowup (399.9K) and concerns like #cellulite (307.3K), #stretchmarks (275.4K) and #wrinkles (271K) reveal that US consumers see firming as important for the entire body, not just the face. Top branded hashtags include #maelys (228.4K), #gopure (184.1K) and #nuorganic (156.7K). Torriden also appears in top-performing content without a dominant hashtag, reinforcing the influence of K-beauty brands.
In the UK, meanwhile, interest in firming cream has grown even faster, increasing +389.3% compared to last year, while also maintaining Medium Popularity. TikTok leads with 56.3% Popularity Share and +356.7% growth. The product receives 1.6K average monthly searches on Google, 326K average weekly views on TikTok and 856 weekly Instagram posts. While “firming” (13.3K average monthly searches) remains the most searched benefit, terms like “extra” (8.8K), fueled by Clarins Extra-Firming Day Cream, suggest preference for specific product lines. There is also distinction between “day” (1.8K) and “night” (1.4K) creams, indicating a more structured routine compared to the US. Top brands include Clarins (8.8K average monthly searches) and Palmers (2K). While US consumers see firming as a full-body concern, hashtags like #neckfirming (24.5K) demonstrate that UK consumers are interested in targeting specific areas. Other hashtags include #skincaretips (7.6K). The leading branded hashtag, #soldejaneiro (7.1K), reveals the appeal of a combination of bodycare and fragrance, as well as a willingness to spend.
The fastest-growing skincare products recently are cryo masks and collagen eye patches, according to Spate. A cryo mask aims to provide a cooling effect on the skin. Interest has surged +692.2% compared to last year and across platforms. Despite this, it remains Low Popularity, meaning it is still relatively unknown. TikTok leads with 84.8% Popularity Share and growth of more than 1,000% year-over-year. The product receives 590 average monthly searches on Google and 40.3K average weekly views on TikTok. K-beauty brands are dominating the conversation on Search, particularly Dr. Jart+ (2.8K average monthly searches). On TikTok, related hashtags such as #koreanskincare (36.9K average weekly views) reveal interest in K-beauty formulations and trendy ingredients like #pdrn (32.5K). Hashtags like #coolingmask (31.7K) reinforces demand for soothing formats, while #redness (31.9K) indicates an interest in calming benefits. Top branded hashtags include #drjart (34.3K average weekly views) and #somebymi (33.5K), emphasizing Korean beauty’s influence.
Interest in collagen eye patches has jumped +650.4% compared to last year and remains Low Popularity. TikTok leads with 57.6% Popularity Share and +665% growth, while the product receives 2.5K average monthly searches on Google and 847.7K average weekly views on TikTok. Search terms like “hydrogel” (600 average monthly searches) reveals consumers’ preferred textures. Other search terms include “review” (320). Top brands once again include K-beauty labels such as Abib (480 average monthly searches) and Cosrx (320). The product’s strong connection to Korean skincare in also reflected on TikTok with hashtags like #koreanskincare (646.5K average weekly views). Functional hashtags including #wrinkles (906.7K), #finelines (604.1K) and #darkcircles (304.6K) indicate that collagen eye patches are seen as targeted solutions for visible signs of aging and fatigue. Top branded hashtags include #cosrx (17K average weekly views), #mediheal (10.6K) and #medicube (9K), all popular K-beauty brands.