Publications

August 2002
Teaching Note

Sa Sa Cosmetics, TN

By: David E. Bell

Teaching Note for (9-502-085). View Details

Keywords: Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

01 Mar 2011
First Look

First Look: March 1

direct-selling cosmetics company involved in emerging markets exhibits significant foreign exchange risk exposure and profitability swings in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Students must review the company's use of derivative... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

06 Apr 2010
First Look

First Look: April 6

Kanebo, a large Japanese cosmetics company whose management engaged in a massive accounting fraud. ChuoAoyama was PwC's Japanese affiliate and one of Japan's "Big Four" audit firms. In May 2006, the Japanese Financial Services... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

June 2020
Teaching Note

Shiseido Acquires Drunk Elephant

By: Jill Avery

On October 7, 2019, the Shiseido Group announced that it would acquire clean skincare brand Drunk Elephant for $845 million, a valuation of 8.5 times sales. Did Shiseido pay too much or too little for this brand asset? How much was the Drunk Elephant brand worth and... View Details

May 2020
Teaching Note

Shiseido: Reinvesting in Brand

By: Jill Avery

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 519-026. Shiseido was in the midst of a six year corporate turnaround, trying to reverse the effects of decades of under-investment in R&D and marketing that had led to a vicious cycle of declining customer support and brand value. Would... View Details

Keywords: Brand Management; Marketing ROI; Brand Portfolio Strategy; Growth Strategy; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Growth and Development Strategy; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Japan; Asia

May 1981 (Revised December 1992)
Case

Chesebrough-Pond's, Inc.: Vaseline Petroleum Jelly

By: John A. Quelch

The product manager for Vaseline Petroleum Jelly has to prepare the 1978 brand budget and determine expenditure levels for advertising, trade promotion, and consumer promotion. View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Budgets and Budgeting; Product Marketing; Brands and Branding; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

September 1990 (Revised June 1994)
Supplement

Procter & Gamble Japan (D)

By: Michael Y. Yoshino

1990 update of the P&G Japanese business. View Details

Keywords: Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Japan

September 1990 (Revised November 1991)
Supplement

Procter & Gamble Japan (C)

By: Michael Y. Yoshino

Updates the (A) case. The issues facing P&G were two-fold. 1) General manager, Japan--how to keep both the business and organization growing; 2) President, international--what role should the Japanese operation play in the P&G worldwide business? View Details

Keywords: Business Offices; Business Growth and Maturation; Globalization; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizations; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Japan

Research Summary

Overview

By: Geoffrey G. Jones

Professor Jones researches the history and impact of global firms. In recent years he has prublished extensively on the ecological and social responsibility of business leaders. He has a strong interest in the business history of emerging markets. He founded and... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Ethics; Globalization; Government and Politics; History; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Africa; Asia; Europe; Latin America; Middle East; North and Central America; Oceania

March 2021 (Revised January 2022)
Case

Revlon: Surviving Covid-19

By: Kristin Mugford and Sarah Gulick

In October 2020, Revlon faced a crossroads. While it had been struggling with high levels of debt before COVID-19, the pandemic had caused it to go further into debt. Unlike other financial crises, many consumers had stopped buying skincare or cosmetics, and sales of... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Leveraged Buyouts; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Financial Liquidity; Bonds; Corporate Finance; Borrowing and Debt; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States

April 2008
Teaching Note

Dove: Evolution of a Brand (TN)

By: John A. Deighton

Teaching Note for [508-047]. View Details

Keywords: Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

October 1974 (Revised June 1981)
Case

Clairol, Inc.: Appliance Division

By: Benson P. Shapiro

Keywords: Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

Find at Harvard

2012
Working Paper

Entrepreneurship in the Natural Food and Beauty Categories Before 2000: Global Visions and Local Expressions

By: Geoffrey Jones

This working paper examines the creation of the global natural food and beauty categories before 2000. This is shown to have been a lengthy process of new category creation involving the exercise of entrepreneurial imagination. Pioneering entrepreneurs faced little... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Consumer Goods; Entrepreneurs; Environment; Food; Globalization; Business History; Agribusiness; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Asia; Europe; Latin America; Middle East; North and Central America

Read Now

14 May 2008
Research & Ideas

Getting Down to the Business of Creativity

panel displays were ¥140 billion in 2006 (approximately $1.2 billion), with the market expected to double in size by 2009. The company is also expanding into cosmetics and dietary supplements. As it happens, the technology that prevents... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail; Apparel & Accessories; Fashion; Entertainment & Recreation

24 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

Want People to Save More? Send a Text

experience planted a seed for Pomeranz's future research: how to promote financial savings among "microentrepreneurs" such as food cart owners, street vendors, and cosmetics saleswomen, whose income is low and often fluctuates.... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard

July 1981 (Revised December 1984)
Case

American Distilling Co. (B)

By: William E. Fruhan Jr.

Keywords: Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

Find at Harvard

December 2018 (Revised October 2020)
Case

Shiseido: Reinvesting in Brand

By: Jill Avery and Nobuo Sato

Shiseido was in the midst of a six year corporate turnaround, trying to reverse the effects of decades of under-investment in R&D and marketing which had led to a cycle of declining customer support and brand value. Would the CEO’s VISION 2020 plan, centered on four... View Details

March 2004 (Revised November 2012)
Teaching Note

P&G Japan: The SK-II Globalization Project (TN)

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Traces changes in P&G's international strategy and structure, culminating in Organization 2005, a reorganization that places strategic emphasis on product innovation rather than geographic expansion and shifts power from local subsidiary to global business management.... View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Trade; Globalization; Global Strategy; Innovation Strategy; Business or Company Management; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Hong Kong; Japan; Taiwan; Europe