Publications

Educators

04 May 2010
News

The History of Beauty

Keywords: Prof. Geoffrey Jones; beauty products; grooming; Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores; Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores

Spring 2017
Article

Globalizing Latin American Beauty

This article discusses the growth over time of the beauty industry in Latin America and its bias towards celebrating whiter rather than darker skin. Although alleged Latin American fascination with beauty is regularly ascribed to culture, Latin sensuousness, and... View Details

Keywords: Latin America; Race And Ethnicity; Globalization; Race; Ethnicity; Prejudice and Bias; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Latin America

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19 Apr 2010
Research & Ideas

The History of Beauty

global beauty powerhouse over the last two decades; and Shu Uemura, the Japanese makeup artist who created an exquisite, and now global, brand. A... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Beauty & Cosmetics

29 Jan 2019
News

Beautiful Builders

2010
Book

Beauty Imagined: A History of the Global Beauty Industry

The global beauty business permeates our lives, influencing how we perceive ourselves and what it is to be beautiful. The brands and firms that have shaped this industry, such as Avon, Coty, Estée Lauder, L'Oréal, and Shiseido, have imagined beauty for us. This book... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Markets and Industries; Brands and Branding; Industry Growth; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

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06 Mar 2015
News

Bluemercury Grows Up

Keywords: entrepreneurship; beauty and makeup; retail industry; Retail Trade

Beauty Imagined: A History of the Global Beauty Industry

The global beauty business permeates our lives, influencing how we perceive ourselves and what it is to be beautiful. The brands and firms which have shaped this industry, such as Estée Lauder, Chanel, L'Oréal, and Shiseido, have imagined beauty for us.... View Details

September 2020
Teaching Note

First Aid Beauty

By: Karen G. Mills and Annie Dang

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 319-082. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Term Sheets; Decision Choices And Conditions; Preferred Shares; Common Stock; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

01 Mar 2004
News

Safari Beauty

The natural beauty that we saw on the safari portion of the trip — both plant and animal — were truly spectacular. In the Ngorongoro crater, Serengeti, and Lake Manyara... View Details

Keywords: Hospitality; Personal Services

July 2023
Article

Deep Responsibility and Irresponsibility in the Beauty Industry

This article employs the concept of deep responsibility to assess the social responsibility of the beauty industry over time. It shows that many of today’s problems with the industry have deep historical roots. Products have too many ingredients that are potential... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

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2023
Working Paper

Deep Responsibility and Irresponsibility in the Beauty Industry

This working paper employs the concept of deep responsibility to assess the social responsibility of the beauty industry over time. It shows that many of today’s problems with the industry have deep historical roots. Products have carried too many health hazards.... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Corporate Accountability; Ethics; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

SSRN

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April 2005 (Revised February 2006)
Case

L'Oreal and the Globalization of American Beauty

By: Geoffrey G. Jones, David Kiron, Vincent Dessain and Anders Sjoman

Examines L'Oreal's acquisition of leading U.S. cosmetics brands, including Maybelline, Redken, and Kiehl's, and their subsequent renewal and globalization. Reviews the history of L'Oreal, now the world's largest cosmetics company, from its origins in France in 1907.... View Details

Keywords: Management; Corporate Strategy; Problems and Challenges; Brands and Branding; Business History; Globalization; Acquisition; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; France; United States

Educators

Person Page

Reviews for Beauty Imagined

By: Geoffrey G. Jones

“This illuminating account of the history of the beauty business, as well as its current challenges in the face of globalization, offers unique insights on the drivers of success and failure in an industry in which branding and marketing are at the heart of... View Details

22 Sep 2022
News

The Beauty Guide

of the business. That move served her well. She ended up leading Neutrogena, eventually becoming the president of US Beauty at Johnson & Johnson. Today, she is the global brand president of Clinique and... View Details

Keywords: Maureen Harmon

01 Dec 2000
News

Bottom-Line Beauty

discussed the technology purchasing decisions she made when equipping her company, a "clicks-and-bricks" retailer of high-end, hard-to-find beauty products. The Washington, D.C.-based firm now has two boutiques in the nation's capital, as... View Details

Keywords: Health and Personal Care Stores; Health and Personal Care Stores

January 2025
Case

Olive Young: Formulating Beauty Innovation

By: Rebecca Karp and Shu Lin

Sun-jung Lee, CEO of Olive Young, South Korea's largest beauty and health retailer, saw significant potential in the U.S. market and considered three pathways: replicating Korea's omnichannel model, adopting a digital-native approach with curated products, or relying... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Market Entry and Exit; Business Strategy; Distribution Channels; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; South Korea; East Asia; United States

Educators