This week, I checked in on the newly formed Evermark portfolio, home to the likes of Suave and Pond’s. Additionally, Pat McGrath Labs files for bankruptcy, and E.l.f. gets into fragrance.
What’s next for the new owner of Suave, Pond’s and St. Ives
On Wednesday, Suave Brands Company and Elida Beauty, both owned by the private equity group Yellow Wood Partners, announced they had merged to form a new player in the beauty industry. Named Evermark, the newly formed company is poised to earn $1.9 billion in annual sales. Suave, which underwent a relaunch in 2025, is the largest brand in the portfolio with around $700 million in sales.
But on the former Elida side, there are a handful of heritage skin-care brands due for a polishing up under the new structure. That includes the likes of St. Ives, Pond’s and Noxzema.
“There are a lot of consumers out there who remember [these brands]. But in some cases, we’ve been quieter in the marketplace. We haven’t done a ton of innovation,” said Kara Langan, chief marketing officer of face and skin-care brands at Evermark. “This is now an opportunity to bring them back into the market with more strength.”
The new company comprises three divisions, Langan said: a North American unit overseeing eight brands, a division overseeing hair-care brands Tigi and Bed Head in North America and the U.K., and a unit overseeing brands in Europe and the rest of the world. Former Suave Brands CEO Daniel Alter was named the CEO of the new Evermark. Langan declined to state if the merger would lead to reductions in staff.
But the new resources of the larger group will give its brands access to more product innovation and consumer research, Langan said. The next chapter for the former Elida brands, which were sold by Unilever to Yellow Woods Partners in 2023 for an undisclosed sum, will be about going back to their roots.
“It’s always most important to go back to: What is the strength? Where did these brands start from? How do we build from what is great about them today?” she said.
For St. Ives, the skin-care brand founded in 1980, that means exfoliation. St. Ives faced a lawsuit in 2016 that alleged its famed Apricot Scrub caused irritation. A federal court dismissed the suit in 2018, but, legal claims aside, gritty physical exfoliants like the Apricot Scrub fell out of favor in subsequent years as consumers gravitated toward chemical exfoliants.
“If you look at a brand like St. Ives, we have such strong recognition with consumers around exfoliation,” said Langan. “That’s the place where we’re going to play. Now, the world of exfoliation has changed over the years. So we have to make sure that we’re delivering it in a way that consumers understand and value.”
For Pond’s and Noxzema, those attributes include moisturization and acne care, respectively. In October, Noxzema launched blemish patches. The acne patch category, which is expected to reach nearly $1 billion by 2033, has been dominated by playful startups like Starface.
But growing a brand means having more than just good products. Starface grew in popularity not just for its products’ efficacy, but also for its social-media-friendly, colorful shapes and designs. In that arena, Evermark has plenty of grounds to gain; St. Ives’ official TikTok channel has not posted since 2024.
“One of the biggest opportunities across all of [the brands] is to modernize our marketing model and be more social-first, in order to get the word out there,” said Langan.
Executive moves:
- Shah Nagree joined Ilia Beauty as chief operations officer. Nagree was previously svp of operations at Olaplex and also served as head of global operations and logistics at Amyris. Karl Trepanier departed the brand as chief operating officer in October.
- Tara Loftis joined Byoma as global president and chief brand officer. Loftis mostly recently served as global brand president for Galderma’s dermatological portfolio and has also held positions at LVMH’s brand incubator, Kendo, and Too Faced. At Byoma, she will oversee the brand’s campaign initiatives to reach Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha consumers.
News to know:
- Pat McGrath Labs filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The auction of the brand’s assets, originally scheduled for Tuesday, has been canceled. The namesake makeup brand of the legendary makeup artist will remain operational while it restructures its debt. Founded in 2015, the brand received a $1 billion valuation in 2018 following a $60 million minority investment from Eurazeo Brands.
- H&M and E.l.f. Beauty debuted a fragrance trio inspired by three of E.l.f.’s best-selling products. The fragrances will be available at select H&M stores and online on Thursday, with each eau de parfum retailing for $29.99. The launch marks E.l.f.’s first foray into fragrance and H&M’s first beauty collaboration.
- AS Beauty shuttered both Cover FX and Mally Beauty. Both brands announced their closures on Instagram, citing tariffs and a shifting beauty market as reasons for closing operations. AS, which also owns beauty brands such as Laura Geller and Julep, acquired Mally Beauty in 2021 and Cover FX in 2022.
Stat of the week:
According to Adobe’s quarterly AI traffic report, high-income states account for 52% of all U.S. AI search traffic. Mid-income states comprise 28%, while low-income states make up 20% of all traffic.
In the headlines:
China beauty predictions for 2026, as told by experts. Nails Inc’s Thea Green: “I look at the founder more than the business idea.” 2016’s hottest beauty brands: where are they now? The year of manufacturing the body. And booty. And boobs.
Listen in:
On the latest Glossy podcast, Ulta Beauty’s vp of wellness, Laura Beres, talks the company’s new wellness boutique pilot.
Need a Glossy recap?
The Nue Co. brings its functional fragrances to Ulta Beauty. How will the 2016 trend impact the makeup looks of 2026? Ulta Strategies: Inside Ulta’s wellness boutique pilot program launching next week in select markets. Nude by Nature enters Walmart with Nicole Richie as global ambassador. The Australian Open wants to be ‘the Super Bowl’ for experiential beauty marketing.
