FMCG Supply Chain

Maude Expands Into Ulta & Target

Sexual wellness brand Maude is entering 600+ Target Beauty Studios and nearly 400 Ulta Beauty stores in its biggest retail expansion yet.

The move includes intimate care, body oils, lubricants and wellness-focused products.

Beauty and wellness are increasingly converging, with retailers creating space for intimate care as part of everyday self-care.

For brands, mainstream retail is opening new opportunities to make emerging wellness categories more accessible.

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Nearly Half of Skincare Brands Lack Verifiable Claims

A new M11 Labs analysis of 633 skincare brands found that 47% had no independently verifiable evidence behind at least one high-impact product claim.

Only 1 in 20 evidence links examined could actually confirm the claim it was being used to support.
In a market crowded with “clinically proven,” “natural” and “visible results” claims, proof is becoming a competitive advantage.

For beauty brands, transparent evidence isn't just about compliance — it can be a foundation for consumer trust.

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Can an “Electronic Nose” Help Predict What Cats Like?

New research suggests electronic nose technology could help pet food manufacturers analyze aroma profiles and screen products before costly animal preference trials.

The 18-sensor system identified brand-specific aroma patterns with 99.2%–100% accuracy in the study, while its results broadly aligned with feline preference testing.

Technology could make pet food R&D faster, more objective and more efficient — but researchers say further validation is needed before it can predict acceptance of new products.

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&D

There is an interesting shift happening inside FMCG.
For decades, the biggest advantage of a consumer company was distribution.
Get into more stores.
Reach more consumers.
Build more scale.
But now some of India's biggest FMCG companies are spending serious money buying brands that already built their audiences online.
HUL acquired 90.5% of Minimalist for ₹2,706 crore.
ITC has built its nutrition and health-focused portfolio through brands including Yoga Bar and 24 Mantra, alongside Mother Sparsh and Prasuma & Meatigo.
Marico has been particularly active, adding brands across functional wellness, premium snacking and beauty, including Cosmix, 4700BC and Vietnam's Skinetiq.
So why buy?
Because the acquisition isn't necessarily about buying a product.
It can be about buying consumer trust, category credibility, digital discovery, founder expertise and speed.
A legacy FMCG company may have the manufacturing capability.
It may have the distribution.
It may have the capital.
It may have the relationships with retailers.
But building a brand that consumers actively seek out on their phones can be a completely different capability.
And that's where the model gets interesting:
Digital-native brand + legacy FMCG infrastructure.
The small brand gets access to scale.
The large company gets access to a consumer relationship and a category it might have taken years to build organically.
But there's a catch.
Scaling a brand and preserving what made it special are two different jobs.
The acquisition creates the opportunity.
What happens afterwards determines whether the deal actually works.
And this is perhaps the most interesting shift in FMCG right now:
The competitive advantage is moving from simply knowing how to scale brands to knowing which brands are worth scaling.
What do you think FMCG giants are really buying when they acquire a digital-first brand?
The brand?
The consumer?
The category?
Or simply time?

A-Frame Brands Turns to Private Label

Known for building celebrity-backed brands with John Legend, Naomi Osaka, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, A-Frame Brands is shifting its focus toward private-label development for retailers.

The move offers a more capital-efficient model while helping retailers create differentiated products and fill emerging category gaps.

Private label is evolving beyond value pricing. Retailers are increasingly using it as a tool for innovation, differentiation and faster response to consumer trends.

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The 30th China International Pet Show

China’s pet industry comes together in Guangzhou for one of the region’s major pet trade events.

📅 Nov 12–15, 2026
📍 Guangzhou, China

A key meeting point for pet brands, manufacturers, suppliers and industry professionals to explore new products, market trends and business opportunities.

Industry takeaway: China’s expanding pet market continues to create opportunities across pet food, nutrition, products, services and technology.
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Emma Simpson-Scott Takes the Helm at Space NK

Space NK has appointed Emma Simpson-Scott as CEO, succeeding Andy Lightfoot after his decade with the premium beauty retailer.

The leadership change comes as Space NK enters a new phase under Ulta Beauty.

Beauty retail is increasingly about more than products — curation, customer experience, omnichannel convenience and strong brand partnerships are becoming key growth drivers.
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55% of Pet Owners Are Asking AI About Pet Nutrition

AI is becoming part of the pet-care journey — but it hasn't replaced human expertise.

A new survey of 2,000 pet owners found that 55% ask AI about pet nutrition, while 43% use AI tools for pet health or nutrition information. Nearly 6 in 10 have changed how they care for their pets based on AI recommendations.

But here's the interesting part:

71% still trust veterinarians most for health and nutrition advice.
Only 27% trust AI as much as human experts.
30% say AI has made them more worried about their pet's health.

For pet food brands, this creates a clear opportunity:

Don't compete with expert advice. Build AI around it.

The next generation of pet-food marketing could combine AI-powered personalization + credible science + human expertise to help pet parents make more confident decisions.

AI may win the search. Trust will win the customer.

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