This week, I checked in with P&G executives to learn about the five-year beta test behind this month’s Gemz waterless hair-care launch. The waterless hair-care opportunity is promising for Gen-Z shoppers and avid travelers. Additionally, Shideido America and Walmart announce layoffs, U.S. retail sales rebound in June, and new executive appointments at ELC, Kenvue, Santa Maria Novella and Function of Beauty.
Why P&G quietly sold its waterless shampoo brand, Gemz, for five years before its official launch this month
The waterless hair-care category is on an innovation tear.
In 2021, veteran beauty execs Jayme Jenkins and Jessica Stevenson — whose CVs include P&G, L’Oréal and Revlon — launched the hair-care brand Everist with shampoo and conditioner concentrates said to last three times longer than traditional offerings. In 2023, former Target exec Stephanie Farsht launched Small Wonder, a line of powder-to-lather shampoo and conditioner made from encapsulated cleansers distributed through custom packaging that stays dry in the shower. And in 2024, leading solid shampoo company Ethique relaunched its shampoo and conditioner bars in new ergonomic shapes and vibrant colors under the leadership of former Briogio exec turned Ethique CEO Erica Cocilova.
Last week, P&G officially launched its answer to the waterless hair-care trend: a system of single-serve woven shampoo and conditioner tiles called Gemz. The line sells exclusively through Target.
“Feeling it is like touching a cotton knit, but it dissolves as easily and as quickly as cotton candy,” John Scarchilli, senior R&D director of P&G hair care, told Glossy. “Gemz, on average, have about 30 times the surface area of an average dry shampoo bar. If you were to pull apart the fiber [it’s made from] and stretch it out, it is over five miles long.”
The technology is part of P&G’s fiber innovation that already includes Olay’s Cleanings Melts — single-serve face wash doses that P&G launched through a summer Olympics sponsorship last year — and Tide Evo laundry tiles.
The P&G team designed the shampoo and conditioner tiles to come in single-serve packaging that can be opened with wet hands in the shower. The tile dissolves in the palm of a user’s hand in three seconds, Scarchilli told Glossy.
Gemz officially launched at Target on July 13 with five shampoos and conditioners designed to be mixed and matched for specific results. Shampoos include Perfect Air Dry, Touchably Soft, Up All Day Volume, Curly Days and Hydration Lock. Conditioners include Quick Blow Dry, Profound Moisture, Rainy Day Anti Frizz, Stress Less Repair and Light as Air. A five-pack retails for $8, while an 11-count variety pack sells for $15.
“There are real performance benefits to these, as well, in a couple of ways, enabled by the absence of certain ingredients that are required in liquids,” said P&G’s Scarchilli. This includes a lack of preservatives to prevent bacteria growth, stabilizers to prevent separation, thickeners and more, all of which can create buildup and heaviness in the hair. Consumers surveyed by P&G report going an extra day between washes when using Gemz.
Between the playful copy and vibrant colors, the line is coded for Gen Z, but Marilyn Vennemeyer, brand manager of Gemz, told Glossy that the company is casting a wide net for customers. “Gen Z is really inspirational to us [in how they are] redefining categories, expectations or willingness to try something new,” she said.
However, through a five-year beta test of the product, the team learned that regular travelers and those that want to control their results — such as wanting a sleek look one day and a voluminous look another — are two of the largest focuses.
In 2018, the P&G team quietly soft-launched Gemz to a small number of consumers to test the concept. For five years, the team sold around 25,000 Gemz before quietly shuttering the online store in 2023 to prepare for a national launch.
“We were creating products and listening to real consumers in their experience while refining all of the formulations and getting to the right collection of shampoos and conditioners,” said Vennemeyer. Scaling up manufacturing, which is done at P&G’s Iowa City hair-care plant, took two years.
According to 2024 data from Mintel market research company, interest in waterless beauty products is growing in some markets. For example, a 2024 study found that 72% of Spanish Gen-Z adults look for ways to reduce water in their hair-care routines, and 37% of French consumers are using shampoo less compared to last year. However, most experts agree that waterless shampoo has failed to meet its breakthrough moment of widespread use.
That is despite the fact that water conservation is a top concern for Gen Z, according to a 2024 report from Gallup. Across both political parties, a majority of voting-age Gen Zers worry about water pollution with nine in 10 reporting that that protecting water is important. Within this, 57% worry about the availability of clean drinking water.
Gen Z is also a focus for Ethique, CEO Cocilova told Glossy earlier this year. Ethique launched in New Zealand in 2012 and is known for its solid shampoo and conditioner bars. In 2023, the brand tapped Cocilova to reinvigorate the brand. Her CV includes Briogeo and Unilever.
In 2023, she oversaw a rebranding of the packaging and a redesign of the bars: The packaging got brighter and bigger, and the bars morphed into crescent moons and rounded triangles, which fit neatly in a hand and against the shape of the head. The brand ushered in new retailers, including Ulta Beauty, as well as new attention online and a boost to sales.
“We talk about our consumers in two different camps,” Cocilova said. One group is staunchly committed to the environment and is willing to try new, eco-minded replacements for their needs. “But then you have a whole camp of people who want to buy the right thing for them but also like to feel good on the backend [about something like water conservation].” Getting samples into the hands of the latter group is her focus for Ethique.
Ethique is currently undergoing a ‘’test and learn” in hundreds of Ulta Stores and could be in every location by the end of the year. Cocilova is accomplishing this through seeding with Rent The Runway and across college campuses. She told Glossy that Gen-Z college students are a large focus for the company since the bars align with their values and on-campus storage limitations.
“We’re seeing a lot of love from our college girlies,” Cocilova said. “Once someone [on campus] knows about something and they use it, and they see their hair, it’s an automatic flywheel [of sales].”
Executive moves:
- Ludivine Pont is the new CEO of fragrance house Santa Maria Novella. Pont most recently served as CMO of Balenciaga. Santa Maria Novella is one of the oldest fragrance houses, launched in 1221, and is currently backed by private equity.
- Thibaut Mongon has stepped down from his role as CEO of Kenvue, parent company to Neutrogena, Aveeno and Band-Aid. He took on the role in December. His CV includes CEO of Circana and two decades at P&G. Board member Kirk Perry will serve as interim CEO of Kenvue.
- Aude Gandon is the new chief digital and marketing officer of the Estée Lauder Companies, effective August 1. She most recently served as global chief marketing officer at Nestlé. “Her global perspective and proven track record of leading large-scale marketing, digital and media transformations make her the ideal leader for this critical role as we shape the future of prestige beauty,” ELC president and CEO Stéphane de La Faverie said in a statement.
- British makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench is the new global brand ambassador of Lashify. The artist, who also has a makeup line sold at Sephora called Isamaya Beauty, will lead the lash company’s creative direction in the new role. As reported by Glossy, she has previously collaborated with the brand.
- Monica Belsito is the new CEO of Function of Beauty. Belsito’s CV includes CMO roles at packaged food company Sabre and feminine hygiene company Lola. She replaces Alexandra Papazian, who was in the role for nearly four years.
News to know:
- Shideido America — owner of Drunk Elephant, Dr Dennis Gross Skincare and Nars — will significantly reduce its U.S. workforce, the company announced on Wednesday. The conglomerate’s net sales declined by 8.5% in its first quarter.
- Walmart is eliminating around 1,500 store-support roles as part of a streamlining of its internal team structure. In a company memo obtained on Wednesday by Bloomberg, the company will eliminate the market coordinator job, which supports some managers and several training roles at the retailer’s training centers, known as Walmart Academy.
- Beauty brand Ami Colé will shutter after four years in business. Founder Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye, who gained popularity for the line’s inclusive shade range, penned an article in The Cut explaining her decision to close up shop.
- Spanish conglomerate Puig, owner of brands like Byredo, Charlotte Tilbury and Dr. Barbara Sturm, reported a 3.9% increase in sales during its Q2 2025 to reach $1.275 billion in sales. Fragrance sales rose 6.7%, makeup sales grew 10.5%, and skin-care sales jumped 10.2%
- Fragrance house Interparfums SA, maker of scents for Coach, Jimmy Choo and Kate Spade, has unveiled its first in-house fragrance line. Called Solférino Paris, the line will launch with 10 genderless fragrances and a standalone boutique in Paris.
- Celebrity hairstylist Chris McMillian — known for Jennifer Aniston’s “the Rachel” haircut and Leslie Bibb’s “White Lotus” bob — is launching an eponymous product line at Sephora. The line will debut with seven products priced between $22-$38. McMillian also owns The Chris McMillian Salon in Beverly Hills.
- R&B star Usher is the new face of Ralph Lauren Fragrances’ latest release: New York Eau de Parfum. It is the fashion brand’s first time working with a music star. “Ralph Lauren Fragrances is entering a new chapter that is more daring and outspoken than ever,” Charles Finaz de Villaine, Ralph Lauren Fragrances global president, said in a statement.
Stat of the week:
Despite consumer concerns over tariffs, month-over-month retail sales increased by 0.6% in June, following a 0.9% decline in May, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Experts believe the stats bode well for the economy: Spending was up by 0.6% in bars and restaurants, a strong showing in a category often considered a weathervane for the economy.
In the headlines:
Billy Porter launches Black Mona Lisa Beauty. Becca Cosmetics’ unexpected comeback: Why the brand is relevant four years after its closure. Why employees are so secretive about using AI at work — and why they shouldn’t be. How Tanger’s outlet malls are evolving beyond the discount model. How the creator economy is shaping up in the back half of 2025.
Listen in:
Brand protection attorney Elizabeth Milian joins the Glossy Beauty Podcast to unpack recent beauty industry lawsuits around product dupes.
Need a Glossy recap?
What beauty’s latest ‘dupe lawsuits’ tell us about its changing relationship with inspiration and IP. When it comes to winning at brick-and-mortar, store associates are the VIPs. Inside Sephora’s big bets on women’s sports. Body-care brand Sidia is taking its skin-care ingredients to body mists. Maëlys plans to replicate the success of its Booty Mask with its latest launch. How Scentbird scented a movie for its latest marketing activation.
