This weekly curation from TheIndustry.beauty editors features key news and interviews, including a conversation with Space NK CEO Emma Simpson-Scott about reimagining beauty retail.
At TheIndustry.beauty Innovators Awards 2026, British beauty giant Space NK won the Physical Retail Award. The prize recognised its Oxford Circus flagship in London. This win marked a new chapter for the retailer with a refreshed retail concept.
Space NK’s New Approach
The flagship brings together a carefully curated mix of emerging brands, exclusive launches, and much-loved beauty favourites, giving customers the opportunity to discover the best of beauty in a highly considered and immersive environment.
Emma Simpson-Scott stepped into the CEO role after serving as Chief Marketing Officer. She discusses the thinking behind the Oxford Street flagship. She also explains how it reflects Space NK’s evolving approach to the in-store experience.
Simpson-Scott also shares her perspective on the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of beauty and how Space NK is adapting its strategy to meet changing consumer expectations while continuing to innovate and grow.
Sarah Creal Beauty Joins Space NK
Sarah Creal Beauty is a skincare and make-up brand founded by industry veteran Sarah Creal. It has joined a wave of brands targeting women over 40 in the UK. The brand argues that the beauty industry has long underserved this demographic.
Sales have exploded, increasing to $10 million in the brand’s first year. It sets itself apart by targeting women over 40. A growing number of brands are also looking to test products for more mature skin.
Brands like Trinny London, Studio10, Laura Geller Beauty, and Merit put the 40+ woman at the centre of their marketing campaigns. They explore the tension that creating a whole separate product category based on age creates.
Beauty Advent Calendars
Beauty advent calendars are becoming bigger, better, and more exciting with every season, with brands and retailers pulling out all the stops to capture early festive demand, offering higher-value assortments and collectable packaging.
This year’s launches span everything from expansive beauty edits and cult-favourite collections to specialist fragrance and wellbeing calendars, with names like Liberty, Marks & Spencer, ASOS, John Lewis, and Selfridges already spotlighted.
The guide will continue to be updated with the key beauty advent calendars to know for the 2026 festive season, as more brands announce their offerings.
L’Oréal Study Exposes Global Divide
A new study by L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty, conducted with the International League of Dermatological Societies, found that only 27 of 158 surveyed countries have enough dermatologists. The global average is 2.66 dermatologists per 100,000 people.
The study highlights a significant issue in access to dermatology care. Globally, 79% of dermatologists work in urban areas. This rises to 91% in low-income countries. This makes it difficult for people outside major cities to access professional help.
This puts the wider skincare conversation into perspective, as millions of people struggle to get professional help for their skin, despite the abundance of skincare products and services available in urban areas.
