FDA Weighs Loosening Peptide Restrictions, Hims & Hers Positioned to Gain
An FDA advisory committee is evaluating whether to loosen restrictions on seven peptides, a move that could open up a multi-billion-dollar market for compounding pharmacies. Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has pushed to shift these substances from unregulated sources into regulated channels. Hims & Hers, which acquired a peptide manufacturing facility in California last year, has welcomed the development and is building a clinically guided peptides offering, including ongoing blood testing. Analysts estimate the US peptide market could be worth between $2.2 billion and $3.3 billion if the FDA grants broader approval.
Estée Lauder Companies Reports Fiscal 2026 Results, Sales Growth Accelerates to 5 per cent in Q4
The Estée Lauder Companies reported a return to sales growth in fiscal 2026, with net sales rising five per cent to $15.0 billion for the full year and organic net sales up three per cent. Fourth-quarter organic sales growth accelerated to five per cent, marking the company’s fourth consecutive quarter of growth. Every geographic region and product category posted gains, led by Fragrance (up 10 per cent organically) and Skin Care (up four per cent), while Makeup returned to near-flat performance after prior declines. Adjusted operating margin expanded 320 basis points to 11.2 per cent, driven by the company’s Profit Recovery and Growth Plan. For fiscal 2027, the company is affirming organic sales growth guidance of three per cent to five per cent and raising its adjusted operating margin outlook to 12.7–13.5 per cent.
AREUM NEXUS and OLA Corporation Strengthen Korea–India Beauty Trade Ties
Areum Nexus Private Limited and Korean partner OLA Corporation have launched an integrated platform to help Korean beauty brands enter and operate in the Indian market, combining regulatory coordination, import operations, distribution, and marketing support under one structure. The initiative was marked by three export agreements for Korean beauty brands, worth a combined USD 600,000, signed at the Korea–India Business Forum. The event also saw a tripartite MoU between OLA Corporation, FOY e-retail, and Naturals Salon, India’s 900-plus location salon network. Korean skincare brands Molvany and ReturnU are set to enter India via the platform in Q3 2026, in partnership with FOY e-retail.
Hudson Williams Is Officially the New Face of Skin1004
Cementing the ‘Korean men’s glass skin’ archetype, Hudson Williams has been named Skin1004’s new ambassador, embodying the ‘angel’ reference in the Korean brand’s name. Narrating his journey, he shares that it was his aunt who first introduced him to the brand, and he’s stayed loyal to the same routine ever since. Now, as the face of the brand, this collaboration has taken over the internet.
China’s Beauty Brands Turn to AI to Close the Innovation Gap
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping product development across China’s beauty industry, compressing timelines that once took years into months. Beauty company Yatsen used AI to launch a PDRN-based serum in just six months, narrowing over 50 ingredient candidates to three in a single week, a cycle that traditionally takes more than two years. Domestic brands are using AI to scan millions of social media posts for emerging trends and discover new ingredients through biotech partnerships, closing the innovation gap with global rivals as growth slows in the world’s second-largest beauty market. While mainland companies now account for 57 per cent of China’s cosmetics sales, they still trail foreign brands in the premium segment. “Western brands currently bring more AI horsepower to discovery and validation,” said Adam Knight, co-founder of Yaso, “Chinese brands bring more speed from lab to shelf.”
South Korea Passes First-Ever Law to Boost K-Beauty Growth
South Korea’s National Assembly has passed the Cosmetics Industry Promotion Act, the country’s first legal framework dedicated to growing its beauty industry. The law gives the Ministry of Health and Welfare authority over the full cosmetics supply chain, from R&D and raw materials to exports, and introduces an “innovative cosmetics company” certification offering priority access to grants and state-backed investment. It takes effect one year after publication. South Korea’s cosmetics exports hit a record USD 11.4 billion in 2025, with the government aiming to push K-beauty toward becoming the world’s number one industry through stronger AI-driven innovation and export support.