​Burberry has become the first luxury brand to feel the backlash in China over its stance on accusations of abuses of Uighur Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

US cosmetics brand Fresh, owned by luxury group LVMH, is keen to make Europe one of its key markets, and is staging a soft launch in nine European countries via the e-shop of perfumery chain Sephora, also owned by LVMH.

​UK prestige beauty customers have been going back to basics in the past year and this meant 2020’s skincare sales at the upper end of the market fell 23%, according to a new report from The NPD Group.

Gambian lawmakers on Monday rejected a government proposal to lift a ban on skin-lightening products, which are widely used across Africa.

Previously only available direct-to-consumer, the zero-waste, cruelty-free beauty brand has chosen to make its retail debut with the U.S.’s largest cosmetics seller.

​Burberry is continuing to focus on tech in the all-important Asia market and has just announced a new digital project. It has worked with Elle Digital Japan to create an “interactive virtual replica of its Ginza store”.

There are some mixed signals coming out of the latest consumer research suggesting that the retail bounce-back could be delayed until late summer. But fashion and beauty should still get a boost from next month.

As part of an expanded partnership with the multiplatform shopping ecosystem, the iconic American cosmetics brand made its livestream premiere with QVC on Tuesday, March 16.

Department store chain Nordstrom said on Wednesday that it is getting into livestream shopping, with the launch of a new interactive shopping platform formalizing its commitment to digital customer experiences. 

Following the successful launches of her cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty in 2016 and her skincare label Fenty Skin in 2020, Rihanna could be looking to launch a line of haircare products, Fenty Hair. 

In a tough week announcing more store closures and poor trading figures, John Lewis Partnership was at least able to deliver some positive news for consumers.

Bolingbrook, Illinois-based cosmetics retailer Ulta Beauty, Inc. announced a 16.8 percent decline in fiscal 2020 net sales on Thursday, on news that CEO Mary Dillon will be stepping down in June. 

NYC-based cosmetics conglomerate Revlon, Inc. announced a 21.3 percent revenue decline in 2020, as store closures related to the Covid-19 pandemic cut into the company’s sales.

The headline news may have been about John Lewis's pre-tax loss of £517m in the year to January. But more newsworthy was that it said “we do not expect to reopen all our John Lewis shops at the end of lockdown”.

Amorepacific has joined the global RE100 initiative becoming the first Korean beauty company to aim to source 100 percent renewable energy to power all of its production sites and offices by the year 2030.

There are 34 days (and counting) to go until non-essential retail reopens in England and optimism mounts. And London's Covent Garden surely isn't alone in its enthusiasm to return to business.