This fall, Robb Akridge’s Opulus Beauty Labs will be launching stripped-down, “peak potency” skin-care formulas in the form of Opoules that users warm and blend in an Activator appliance, providing fresh, single-dose treatments. The system bears similarities to Swiss startup Réduit’s Hairpods and applicator device, as well as L’Oreal’s AI-powered Perso, slated to debut in 2021.

L’Oreal USA beat a suit in May in New York regarding liquid cosmetics packaging, which plaintiffs alleged cheated consumers out of product they expected to be accessible, only to face a newly proposed class action, filed in California on 5 June, over an alleged Clarisonic waterproofing defect.

“It's unfortunate, but it's the Darwinian side of this industry,” L’Oreal CEO Jean-Paul Agon said on 16 April while discussing newer players’ prospects for survival through the COVID-19 crisis and L’Oreal’s own first-quarter results – down 4.8% like-for-like, but ahead of the market.