Right, so there are a few snippets of news other than how the beauty industry is helping out during the Covid 19 situation, so I’ll bullet point the helpers before getting to the other bits and pieces. Needless to say, things have more or less ground to a halt but there are a few beauty happenings that aren’t virus related. It’s not a comprehensive list but just the ones I’m aware of and a truly heartening example of how brands can really ramp up and get going when the chips are down and brands, big and small, are making contributions in the best way they can.

  • Starting with MAC Cosmetics – their Viva Glam charity is donating $10 million to 250 charities helping those affected by Corona.
  • Victoria Beckham is donating 20% of all beauty and fashion sales to charity.
  • Mary Kay is swapping their production lines to the production of sanitizer with the initial runs going free to front line workers.
  • CHANEL is busy making surgical masks and gowns.
  • Natura (owns The Body Shop) is shifting their production to much needed personal hygiene products.
  • Unilever is working with the UK Government to produce a global hand washing campaign as well as protecting salaries for 3 months.
  • Manchester based The Hut Group (Illamasqua, Mio Skincare, LookFantastic, Espa, Glossybox) is donating £10 million to support vulnerable communities and workers affected by Covid 19 as well as giving out £1 million worth of hand sanitizer to people in need. As they own a couple of Manchester based hotels, these are being given over to medical staff and police officers who can’t live at home.
  • Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation is giving $79m to Doctors Without Borders, New York Community Trust’s coronavirus unit, the Red Cross and China Women’s Development Foundation.
  • Gucci is providing over one million surgical masks and 55,000 surgical gowns.
  • Prada is financing three ICU units in Italy as well as producing surgical masks and gowns.
  • Johnson & Johnson have committed an immediate $50 million for USA front line workers with a further $250 million over the next decade.
  • Burberry’s Yorkshire factory is producing masks and gowns and the brand is funding vaccine research as well as donating to charities that feed people in need.
  • Coty has turned over their factories to produce sanitizer for front line and emergency services.
  • Armani has donated $1.4 million to Italian hospitals and medical services.

Other News:

In 2019, L’Oreal announced their intention to buy the fragrance division of Clarins – the Clarins Fragrance Group. This has now taken place so Mugler and Azzaro now belong to L’Oreal, as well as Thierry Mugler fashion which I didn’t know that Clarins owned in the first place!

The Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa has closed its doors for the final time and filed for bankruptcy. Who knew it had been re-branded as Mynd Spa & Salon last year in an attempt to entice the millenial generation? Not me, that’s for sure.

LVMH were one of the quickest corporations to respond to Corona issues – which served them well on the stock market, earning back $11bn as stock prices grew after the US government announced their stimulus package. According to Bloomberg, it’s the biggest trading-driven gain in the history of their Billionaire’s index (featuring LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault). However, despite this, the company is down $32.5 billion in total.

Sources & Resources: Harper’s Bazaar, Johnson & Johnson, CosmeticsBusiness, Bloomberg, Globalcosmeticsnews,

Transparency Disclosure

All products are sent to me as samples from brands and agencies unless otherwise stated. Affiliate links may be used. Posts are not affiliate driven.