Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Why Women With Cancer Are Suing Big Beauty Brands

Scores of British women are taking leading cosmetic companies to court in the United States, claiming that they contracted mesothelioma through the presence of talcum powder in their beauty products.

Set of cosmetics for contouring makeup on color background — Almost all of the big brands use talc in their cosmetics, and they reject any suggestion that they may be tainted. (Shutterstock)

The Guardian

10 June 2024

BoF PROFESSIONAL

Mention asbestos and disease, and most people’s thoughts turn to old, unstable floor tiles or insulation in homes or offices, or jobs in shipbuilding or construction – the kind of heavy industries that employ men in hi-vis jackets and hard hats. One place we don’t tend to think of it is in the beauty industry; rarely do we consider nude eye-shadow palettes or peachy pink blushers as health hazards.

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Talc Supplier to J&J, Avon, Estée Lauder Files For Bankruptcy After Lawsuits

A talc supplier filed for bankruptcy after a South Carolina jury ordered it to pay more than $29 million to a woman who said tainted talc in cosmetic products caused her cancer.

J&J Weighs Third Bankruptcy Try to Settle Baby Powder Suits

Johnson & Johnson is weighing a third attempt to use bankruptcy for an $8.9 billion settlement of tens of thousands of lawsuits that allege tainted talc in the company’s baby powder caused cancer, the health-care giant told investors Tuesday.

The Many Faces of Clean Beauty

In an increasingly crowded space, makeup brands that prioritise natural ingredients are finding new ways to get their message across.

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Beauty

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How Dwayne Johnson Made a Skincare Brand Men Actually Buy

The ‘everyman’ skincare market is moving towards premiumisation, as brands like Johnson’s Papatui ditch traditional one-note marketing for a more considered approach.

Opinion: Harry Styles Is Selling Sex — Even If Wall Street Won’t

The successful restock of a vibrator and lube from Styles' beauty and wellness brand Pleasing shows how celebrities are sustaining the sexual wellness category, writes Bloomberg's Jessica Karl.

The Business of Beauty Global Awards: An Update on 2025’s Winners

Following their Global Award wins, founders from Akt London, Yse Beauty and Ruka share how the recognition changed their business trajectories.

Is Harper Beckham Beauty’s Next It Founder?

This week, Priya Rao examines Gen Alpha’s next big brand, Hiku.

Why H&M’s Sustainability Report Is So Unusual

The Swedish fast-fashion retailer is one of a shrinking number of companies that’s still drawing attention to its emissions goals. Plus, a Shanghai Fashion Week preview.

The Industry That Eats Its Young

Small fashion labels have always been shortchanged by their wholesale partners. A wave of high-profile bankruptcies has turned a structural injustice into an existential crisis. There is a better way to do business, writes Imran Amed.

The Zara-Fication of John Galliano

Fashion’s enfant terrible is trading exclusivity for the mass market. Is it the ultimate fashion coup, or the final surrender of prestige?

The Impact of War on Fashion’s Supply Chain

Textile hubs are already feeling the cascading risks of the conflict in Iran as Washington ramps up forced labour probes to revive tariffs, while decarbonisation in fashion’s factories might finally have a standard to go off of.

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Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

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