Latest news with #KikoMilano
Business of Fashion
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business of Fashion
How Kiko Milano Built Pricing Power
Across the income spectrum, one thing unites all shoppers: everybody likes to feel that they got value for money. While macroeconomic shifts will increase wealth in concentrated pockets, the next five years could also see wealth decline in lower- and middle-income households. Wealthy customers will have more brands vying for their spend, while lower-income customers will want to make every penny count. Perceptions of value will become deciding factors for shoppers. Kiko Milano, founded in 1997 in Italy, has long walked the tightrope between high quality cosmetics and accessible pricing. Since 2022, it has begun an elevation strategy, reducing promotions, changing its distribution strategy and introducing more premium products; as well as its $4.50 lip liners, it also offers a $28 serum-primer hybrid and a $32 eyeshadow palette. The brand can now also be found in premium department stores like El Corte Inglés in Spain and Galeries Lafayette in France. So far, the strategy is working: sales grew 14 percent in 2024 to €900 million (approximately $1 billion), while LVMH-backed investment firm L Catterton took a majority stake in the business the same year. Chief executive Simone Dominici says further premiumisation can help grow the brand's global appeal — and its margins — but that maintaining accessible pricing will enable Kiko Milano to add new customers across the wealth spectrum. Using hero franchises, social listening and strategic relationship-building with suppliers and customers is key to winning over discerning shoppers in the brand's more than 1,250 stores. Through collaborations with tastemakers like the model Sara Sampaio and the hairstylist Rossano Ferretti, the brand is working hard to establish a premium presence, whilst also fending off competition from other masstige players. The Business of Beauty: Is your core customer shopping for affordable beauty only? Simone Dominici: They mix and match. We define ourselves as an entry prestige brand now. In our stores, we see Prada bags and Louis Vuitton bags. The customer might have a lipstick from Chanel that they match with their eyeshadow from Kiko; the common denominator is the quality. Because we want to be entry prestige, it doesn't mean we need to have a lower prestige level than a true prestige brand. We need to have the same quality but more democratic price, otherwise, the equation doesn't work. ADVERTISEMENT The Business of Beauty: People sometimes say that affordable beauty is not as good quality as prestige. How do you challenge that? SD: When I started here three years ago, low price was confused for low quality, and 80 percent of our sales were done on promotion. When you discount your product too much [it loses appeal], and that is what some drugstores and some chains do; that's why I don't want to have my product in drugstores. Instead, we're entering department stores and speciality retailers, among the more important ones. We replaced promotions with services, and invested heavily in them. We offer a 10-minute makeover in store for free, and we don't force you to buy. It's just for pleasure and to inspire your confidence. It's about exploring, experimenting, touching and playing with our products. When you convince people about the quality, then they become a loyal customer. The Business of Beauty: The beauty space is being overtaken by dupe brands. How do you make a strong identity for yourself when other brands in your price bracket are doing dupes? SD: There was a season in which consumers were loving dupes, but we never had a temptation to go for it. We're an innovative brand, and one of the reasons why we are strong in innovation is because we are sitting very close to the producers that produce half of the global cosmetics used in the world. So our marketing and R&D departments engage with these companies every day, and so we differentiate our innovation with our concept, packaging, design and quality, and the experience in our stores is luxurious and very unique. The environment where you buy the products also creates part of the positioning. The Business of Beauty: What role do hero products play in your overall strategy? SD: When we shifted from being a mass brand to becoming more premium, we immediately reviewed our portfolio. To become an iconic brand, my belief was we need to have strong franchises. The brand needed an iconic product that people chase, search for and have confidence in. Then we created a few iconic franchises, one of which is the 3D Hydra lip gloss. On one hand, the goal is to recruit new customers, but also, it's to create inspiration to create different looks. Now we have more than 35 shades, so you can create different looks, combine with a lip liner, and so on. You enter through a product, and then you explore the assortment and you fall in love with the opportunities to create looks. That ends up having a higher average ticket because you have more pieces per unit. Through the iconic franchise, you expand your community footprint, then store exploration, and then you expand the portfolio. To become an iconic brand, my belief was we need to have strong franchises. The brand needed an iconic product that people chase, search for and have confidence in. The Business of Beauty: What does the rest of your premiumisation strategy look like? SD: Other than creating franchises and switching from promotions to services, it's also elevating the pricing. This is mainly thanks to product mix, so we've introduced new products with a higher value perception. We did this partly through collaborations, which we've done with Disney, Bridgerton, and then celebrities like Sara Sampaio and Emma Roberts. We had our haircare range designed with [hairstylist] Rossano Ferretti. We don't want to become a multi-brand retailer — these are all still Kiko-branded products — but this allows us to increase the average price. Another way to increase average price is by growing in categories with a higher average price, like skincare. ADVERTISEMENT The Business of Beauty: With those collaborations that retail for a little bit more, presumably that's beneficial for your margins as well. SD: Correct. That's why our gross margin has expanded and then we create room to open more stores, and room to increase our marketing investment, especially on digital and social media influencers. The Business of Beauty: In what other ways have you been able to make incremental savings and boost your margins? SD: We work very closely with our manufacturers, and we have an understanding of the formulaic products that maximise efficiency. Then when we launch a collection, we buy two million pieces. Our operational team, our supply chain, is capable of negotiating better pricing with our suppliers. It's like if you are in tech and you live in Silicon Valley, your network is helping you to be more innovative. The Business of Beauty: A lot of beauty brands use social media virality to get people excited. How do you generate that with your customers? SD: Of course, it's always good to go viral and have good user-generated content, but we couple [social media] with more traditional media like TV in countries where it's relevant to build penetration. We have 17.5 million people within our social media network. If you listen to them, you start learning a lot. Plus, we have over 7,500 beauty advisors in our stores. These people are connected with the customers every day, and most of them are real beauty lovers. They can give you a lot of insight into a community. We have an app that all of us share called Kiko Community. The Business of Beauty: There's a lot of pressure to continually deliver newness; tell me how you handle that. SD: There's social listening, and talking to suppliers, talking to customers through our loyalty program … it's an ecosystem. Our marketing team works with suppliers to download these ideas into concrete projects that can last between 12 and 18 months. It's a medium- to long-term innovation process. You start today thinking of the concept. What you think of today will probably be ready by the end of 2026 … the ingredients, the formulation, the regulation, the compatibility with the packaging, it takes time. True innovation doesn't come in a month, unfortunately. ADVERTISEMENT The Business of Beauty: But we see that customers are quite fickle, especially in cosmetics. How do you create repeat customers? SD: Even when we are selling through department stores or marketplaces like Amazon, the majority of our sales are DTC so we have a direct relationship with our customers. We have almost 7 million active loyal customers, meaning they buy with us more than once in a year. On average, they buy with us 1.9 times a year. So in the last 12 months, these 7 million have bought twice. Our communication to them is more and more newsletter you receive is not the same one that another one receives; it's based on your lifestyle and your past behaviours. The more you are personalising the approach, the more the customers feel heard and the more they come back. We also have a unified commerce platform through which our inventory, our customer database and our transaction data are shared. The Business of Beauty: In 2025, we see a cooling in beauty market growth. How are you feeling about the near term? SD: In the last three years, we doubled the percent, which is three times the market average. But still there is a lot of room for us because our market share is neglectable in some very large markets, like the US. This is where L Catterton is helping. It won't be easy, but there is room for high-quality products in this entry prestige market at a democratic price. We signed a deal with Reliance, one of the largest operators in India, at the beginning of the year, and we're expanding our presence in the market. We opened in Indonesia in January, which is home to 200 million people. We opened in Pakistan in 2024, and we're in Brazil, Chile and just opened in Mexico. We're entering Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria. In 2025, there will be 2 billion customers that we have never reached before. Our positioning is also well placed. On one side, we inspire the low middle class when they elevate their standard of living, and they want to have more refined products. At the same time, there will be some macroeconomic difficulties. When you slow down the middle class, they are starting to look at value with much more attention. The Business of Beauty: What do you think the beauty consumer of tomorrow wants? SD: I think they are more equipped than previous generations to spot inauthenticity. I think dupes will become less popular and there will be more demand for authenticity. Value will be an important element, because the economic conditions might not be so relaxed in the future. This interview has been edited and condensed. This article first appeared in The State of Fashion: Beauty Volume 2, an in-depth report on the global beauty industry, co-published by BoF and McKinsey & Company.
Metro
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Here's what we're loving from Kiko's new limited-edition beauty collections
Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more Attention, sun seekers. Kiko Milano, known and loved for both their staple and limited-edition makeup must-haves, are back on our radar with their current summer collections – the Juicy Fizz Collection and Sun care Collection, and if ever a beauty collection gave total summer vibes, it's these. Famously only around for a short period of time, Kiko's limited-edition skincare and makeup collections tend to have beautiful packaging and enviable formulas, with the only catch being that you need to pick them up stat. I'm still obsessed with a bronzer I bought years ago from their Lost in Amalfi collection. It's lasted me forever, looks stunning on the skin and smells like a guy I used to date (in a good way). A real corker. This new Juicy Fizz range is also inspired by Italian summers, warm evenings and juicy, fizzy spritzes, while the SPF staples are perfect for holidays and staycations alike. Designed to emulate the delight of an aperitivo cocktail bursting with colour and flavour, the Juicy Fizz collection is enriched with aromas of Italian citrus fruits and designed to enhance your glow. Think: gels, creams and water-based textures that are easy to apply between beach and bar, designed to last as long as your evening does. And guys, these pieces are stunning. More Trending While the sun care products feature sleek blue and white, minimal packaging, the Juicy Fizz pieces ooze summer fun, boasting bright orange and gold-toned packaging that'll look stunning on display. From SPF50 formulas and pH reactive lipsticks to dry oils and baked blushes, these summer collections are well worth picking up while you can. Want to know what we're buying? Explore our top picks from the limited-edition collections below. But be quick – as they're sure to sell out fast. This hyaluronic acid-infused, blue-light tested, ultra-lightweight SPF doubles as your everyday makeup base to create a smooth, hydrated complexion – perfect for everyday wear. shop £18.99 Achieve a gorgeously sun-kissed glow with the Lumi Bronzer, a silky, ultra-fine bronzer that leaves the perfect, natural glowy look that's perfect for summer. Available in three shades. shop £21.99 Perfect for the hair and body, this After Sun Nourishing Dry Oil has been formulated with a blend of precious natural oils that envelop the body in softness and enhance the look of skin, making it silky and smooth to the touch all year round. shop £19.99 Ideal for quick makeup looks, the Long Lasting Eyeshadow Stick has been formulated with Argan oil to perfectly adhere to the eyelids, while thecreamy, super-comfortable texture is easy to apply and blend. Available in eight shades. shop £9.99 This ultra-hydrating Gleam & Care Lipstick has been formulated with jojoba oil and shea butter for a smooth and creamy finish, offering intense colour payoff and SPF 30 protection for an all-bases-covered look. Available in six shades. shop £15.99 Inspired by the warm shades of Italy's glowing golden hour, this baked blush is enriched with a special blend of oils, waxes and shea butter, combining the coverage of a powder with the creaminess of a balm. The result is a gorgeously flushed, shimmering finish. Available in three shades. shop £18.99 This protecting lip gloss delivers the soft shine of a lip gloss with deep hydration and SPF 30-rated protection for soft, radiant and beautiful-looking lips. Available in two shades. shop £12.99 This lightweight, SPF 50 fluid skin tint works to hydrate the skin and even out the complexion, leaving a satin finish and perfected look that covers imperfections and signs of ageing. Available in six shades. shop £17.99 This stunning Gleam Shot Solid pH Lip Oil melts into the skin and delivers a unique-to-you, pH-tailored shade of pink on the lips while deeply hydrating them, too. shop £15.99 Ideal for quick and easy top-ups throughout the day, this Sun Protection Invisible Stick SPF 50 boasts a transparent formula that delivers SPF 50 protection while deeply hydrating the skin – perfect for the face and body. shop £16.99 This is giving total Aperol Spritz vibes and we're obsessed… Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Share your views in the comments below MORE: Frizzy? Damaged? Dull? Living Proof's new haircare range targets your exact hair woes MORE: Get over £150 of beauty products for just £45 with this LOOKFANTASTIC summer edit MORE: From spicy margs to dirty martinis – Abercrombie's new graphic tees are a summer vibe and start at just £22
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Travel + Leisure
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Travel + Leisure
The Simple Way Emma Roberts Prepares for Travel Mishaps—and Her Very Relatable In-flight Routine
Though Emma Roberts is a busy actress ( American Horror Story, " Madame Web"), producer (Hulu's hit series Tell Me Lies ), and mother to 4-year-old son, Rhodes, you will often find her with her head in a book, especially when she is traveling. She says books are what get her through those pesky flight delays we all experience. 'I always prepare for them with books and good stuff downloaded to watch,' she told Travel + Leisure recently. She has a slew of other clever travel hacks up her sleeve, including skincare tips, the best travel uniform ever, and what she always has in her carry-on. Emma while away on a tropical vacation. In order to survive a trip, whether it is for business or leisure, the actress always travels with Kiko Milano under-eye patches and Lumify Eye Drops. She says her go-to plane activity is reading with a glass of Champagne, which often leads to a nap, for which she dons her Drowsy Sleep Mask. With her in-flight routine down to a science, it's no surprise Roberts has also perfected her travel uniform. Her go-to is Aritzia sweatpants with a black hoodie and the Visvim backpack in black. 'It is the best travel bag I have ever owned!' she told T+L. And what will you find inside her bag? 'Always bring fuzzy, warm socks in your carry-on!' She also always packs a deck of cards in her carry-on to play solitaire, 'or perhaps gin if someone else knows how!' Window or aisle seat? Window always! When do you arrive at the airport? So early, sometimes my friends meet me later. Best tips for jet lag? Stay awake. Who from Tell Me Lies would you travel with? Let's all plan a trip! Bucket list trip? I would love to do a train trip through Ireland with my son! He is obsessed with trains, so I think it would be magical to do that with him. Also, a safari in Africa is what my mom and I always talk about! Roberts is an avid reader, so she started an online book club called Belletrist Book Club with her good friend Karah Preiss back in 2017. The club teamed up with Penguin Random House and Apple Vacations in March to create a program called Pages in Paradise. Dubbed the 'ultimate beach read program,' its aim is to provide book lovers with the ultimate vacation at nine Dreams Resorts and Spas across Latin America and the Caribbean with a curated library and book-centric events. As someone whose trip is very impacted by the books she brings, the collaboration is a passion project for Roberts. 'Honestly, the idea came from a very real personal struggle—I've always found it tricky to pack the right book for a vacation. I'll think I'm in the mood for historical fiction, but then I get to the beach and suddenly all I want is a good memoir or a timeless classic. Pages in Paradise is really a dream come true in that sense—it's a curated library filled with authors Karah and I love, designed for people to discover the perfect book that matches their vacation vibe,' she told T+L. She admits that this also helps save room in her carry-on. 'And selfishly, it saves me from packing five books, just in case, because I'm definitely someone who can tear through multiple reads on a beach day! No more overthinking or overweight suitcases!' One of her vacation reads by the pool. As for what Roberts will read on her next trip, she says, 'I love a novel for the summer, and in the fall I tend to gravitate more towards memoirs! I haven't figured out why. Right now, I'm starting 'The Quick and the Dead' by Joy Williams.'
Scotsman
20-06-2025
- Scotsman
Edinburgh shopkeepers left dreading busy times of year as shoplifting on the rise
Edinburgh city centre shopkeepers have been reacting to news that reported shoplifting incidents have more than doubled in the past two years. Sign up to the daily Crime UK newsletter. All the latest crime news and trials from across the UK. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The latest data from Police Scotland shows that theft by shoplifting grew in Edinburgh from 3,461 incidents in 2022 to 7,592 incidents in 2024, a rise of 119 per cent. The most affected area is the city centre, which saw 2,199 shoplifting crimes in 2024. Majid Mohamed, who has groups of shoplifters visiting his mobile phone accessories and repair shop on Princes Street, said the problem gets particularly bad during busy tourist seasons. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said: 'It depends on the time of year really how bad shoplifting is, it's particularly bad at Christmas and New Year and of course The Fringe, the busy times for the city. 'They come in to the shop in groups of two or three, sometimes with masks. They mostly go for earbuds and small items, which don't cost too much, but it all adds up. 'We have CCTV but when they are in groups they provide cover for each other. Sometimes items are stolen without us even noticing until too late. And even though we have the cameras the thieves don't seem to care, it's a 'what are you going to do' kind of attitude, pretty intimidating.' The store manager at cosmetics shop Kiko Milano on Princes Street praised her staff for knowing what to look out for regarding shoplifters. | National World Dawn Alexander, store manager at cosmetics shop Kiko Milano on Princes Street, said shoplifting has been a problem in recent years but praised her staff for knowing how to deal with it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She said: 'It was bad when I started here two years ago, but the team I have here now know what to look out for. It's not as bad as what it was, but I put that down to my staff having good knowledge of regular shoplifters and the signs to look out for. 'There are organised gangs of shoplifters really. You can see them coming together in the morning, meeting outside Waverley Market. They are quite brazen, you need to be very strict with them. Our staff know most of their faces now so can watch out for them. They are normally carrying big bags, so are not that hard to spot. I have seen them running past after stealing large amounts from JD Sports. 'When you are phoning the police to report the incidents you are basically wasting your time, as we don't have cameras to record the thefts. We think we're going to get cameras though, to help stop this problem. The community officer is lovely and very helpful though.' She added: 'The whole thing is a bit scary though but I guess it's just another part of the job now, keeping an eye out for shoplifters.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Police Scotland figures show that Leith Walk was the next most affected Edinburgh area for shoplifting last year with 794 incidents, while Portobello and Craigmillar had 626 incidents last year. Another Princes Street shopkeeper, who did not want to be named, said: 'We've noticed a rise in shoplifting incidents, but not huge, in fact all in all it's probably about the same, I just think more people are reporting these crimes now. 'There are a lot of young people kicking about causing a nuisance, but a lot more is being done now to tackle the issue, with the Business Improvement District (BID) people helping retailers here with security.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Princes Street shop assistant said: 'Shoplifting is quite prevalent, it's almost daily now. And there's lots you don't even notice at the time. It's bad for business. It's actually surprising to me who is doing the shoplifting, it's all sorts. A lot of people we've caught shoplifting you would never have guessed. 'We had a woman in a wheelchair who stole lots of items, we've had parents with kids in buggies, who steal items and hide them in the buggy. And also just groups of teenagers. 'We feel now like we have to really keep an eye on everyone who comes in here, just in case, be extra vigilant.' Another shopkeeper at a Princes Street unit added: 'We have definitely noticed a surge in shoplifting in recent years. I have worked here for a year and a half and I noticed a big difference until recently. It was getting silly how many incidents there was. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'However, recently it appears to be quietening down in general. Although, there are still groups going round with large bags stealing items. We have even had parents with push chairs stealing items.' Police Scotland have been approached for comment.
Daily Mirror
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Kiko Milano fans can bag new Hydra Glow for £5 with beauty box
The KIKO Milano edit from Lookfantastic delivers a selection of seven different full size products from the renowned brand, including a new glow inducing moisturiser For anyone needing a sign to stock up on their Kiko Milano make-up and skincare stash, beauty retailer Lookfantastic has just launched its latest beauty edit and it's packed with cosmetic treats from the renowned beauty brand. The Kiko Milano Edit is worth of £90 and contains seven full sized products, which is an iconic treat for those who love Kiko Milano products and a relatively rare feat for a beauty box - which usually has a mix of deluxe, travel and full size items. Costing £35, £55 less than its worth, the box is packed with goodies to give its users a beachy look that delivers a sunkissed glow as if returned from Ibiza. This is thanks to products inside including the likes of KIKO Milano's buildable Unlimited Blush and the Silky Glow Baked Bronzer, which creates sunkissed dimension. The Lookfantastic haul rivals that of SEPHORA FAVORITES Golden Glow Set which helps deliver that 'just back from holiday' look. Costing £59.99, the set's value is £117 and contains the likes of Haus Labs, Make Up By Mario and more. Elsewhere, for a brand specific indulgence, Space NK's Sol de Janeiro The Sol Tote + Body Essentials edit is on sale for £36 down from £45 and comes with some of Sol de Janeiro's most viral products, alongside a branded tote bag. Lookfantastic announced this exciting new edit on social media on Thursday night - just before the box went on sale for early access members on June 13. General sale for the box is on Monday, June 16. Sharing a video of the contents of the box, the brand wrote in the caption: "The Kiko Edit is coming and sooner than you think... We've carefully curated our favourites all into one box." Naturally, fans of both Lookfantastic and KIKO Milano shared their excitement in the comments section of the post, with one person writing: "The Box looks amazing." Another added: "This is so exciting. Finally, I can try different selection from @kikomilano." A third person shared: "Oh how gorg." For keen followers of the brand, the box include KIKO Milano's newest product, the Hydra Pro Glow, which is a 'multi-tasking moisturiser' powered by hyaluronic acid and Italian rose extract and promises to deliver 48 hours of radiant hydration. Plus with SPF10 it gives some sun protection which is always welcome. Beauty buffs have been loving the formula citing that, as the name suggests, it really does give a 'real glow'. One person shared: " I am in love with this product, it leaves a soft and glossy skin," while a second echoed: "I love this product. I use it under foundation and it adds a youthful glow to make up. I can really see the difference when I use it." The only thing some people found disappointing was its scent. One four star reviewer wrote on the KIKO Milano website: "Looks nice on the skin even without makeup and leaves a shimmer. Unfortunately an unpleasant smell for me personally." Costing £22 on its own (£13 less than the entire box), it's the most expensive item in the haul. For those who want to test out some new products from the brand without quite such a hit to the old bank account, it's an ingenius way to save money whilst also indulging in a few treats. At the cost of £35, each product works out to cost just £5. What's inside the box? KIKO Milano Hydra Pro Glow 50ml (Full Size) Worth Over £22 KIKO Milano Silky Glow Baked Bronzer - 01 Warm Sienna (Full Size) Worth Over £18 KIKO Milano 3D Hydra Lipgloss 6.5ml - 17 Pearly Mauve (Full Size) Worth Over £11 KIKO Milano Unlimited Blush - 10 Warm Mauve (Full Size) Worth Over £11 KIKO Milano Lip Volume 6.5ml - Tutu Rose (Full Size) Worth Over £9 KIKO Milano Long Lasting Eyeshadow Stick - 03 Golden Beige (Full Size) Worth Over £9 KIKO Milano Creamy Colour Comfort Lip Liner - 05 Pinkish Brown (Full Size) Worth Over £7
