the increased demand for online beauty retail. The Iconic’s chief category officer, Gayle Burchell told Inside Retail that launching a dedicated beauty offering “has always been on the cards”. “It’s a category our customers have been asking for, so instead of hitting the pause button for launch because of Covid-19, we put our foot firmly on the accelerator and fast-tracked its live date to meet the changed needs of our shoppers,” she said. The Iconic Beauty launched earlier this month with a host of local and international brands, including Napoleon Perdis, Aesop, L’Occitane and Foreo, and more to follow in the coming weeks and months. “This launch marks the first time we’ve offered a dedicated destination onsite to house over 80 brands (and growing) and curate a diverse assortment in a dedicated navigation bar,” Burchell said. Shop by sustainability As with The Iconic’s fashion selection, the retailer is allowing beauty shoppers to filter their search based on sustainability values. The Considered Edit, which launched in 2019, highlights products that are animal friendly, use sustainable materials, support community engagement or are based on eco-production and fair production. Burchell said it was “a natural fit” to expand the Considered filter across the Beauty and Wellness assortment and in the future, it will be developed further to meet the needs of beauty shoppers. “When launching our Beauty offering, we knew that sustainability would remain a key priority for our customers, and given the intimacy and individuality of beauty products, it is understandable that customers want to know what they’re putting on (or near) their face and body. “At present, our team is working hard to finalise an additional category to Considered for products free from a range of harmful ingredients. This is due for completion in early 2021, and we’re excited to help enable our customers to shop even more consciously with this next milestone in our sustainability journey.” Beauty and wellness Products on the new beauty portal span skincare, makeup, haircare, body, grooming and fragrance, complementing the retailer’s recently launched Wellness offering, which includes supplements, aromatherapy, personal care and sexual wellness. Burchell said the initial response to Wellness has been extremely positive, with consumers seeking out pampering products and calming oils during a stressful time. “We have seen at-home self care ‘tools’ that help our customers emulate the salon experience become one of our best selling product ranges. With our customers spending more time at home, items such as LED Light Therapy Mask from Peppy Co, which is an ultimate at-home skincare hack, have become favourites,” she said. “Aromatherapy and diffuser oils, such as those from ECO. Modern Essentials, have also been a customer go-to, with shoppers no doubt looking for ways to enhance their at-home environments.” Private label Many of the major beauty retailers including Mecca and Sephora have their own private label ranges amongst a large selection of well known brands. Given The Iconic’s success with its in-house fashion and footwear brands such as Atmos&Here and Spurr, a private label beauty range could hold a lot of promise. While there are no owned beauty products as part of the offer yet, Burchell wouldn’t say whether or not The Iconic would consider launching its own beauty range in the future. “Our priority right now for The Iconic Beauty is to continue partnering with Australia and New Zealand’s most loved local and international brands on-site, so watch this space,” she said. Global approach to beauty Beauty is a key area of focus for The Iconic’s parent company Global Fashion Group. A spokesperson told Inside Retail that the group is “leveraging its existing technology, fulfilment and customer service infrastructure to expand into adjacent product categories including beauty”. Global Fashion Group’s e-commerce brand Lamoda, the largest Russian online store of clothes, shoes, accessories and beauty merchandise, reported that over the lockdown period, demand for beauty products such as cosmetics and perfumes doubled, with skincare items particularly popular. “The average increase in orders of beauty products among residents of 60 different regions in Russia was 88 per cent,” the spokesperson said.