After a tough 12 months in beauty last year, 2026 is proving no less tumultuous for brands amid a slew of closures and administration filings in just the first half of the year.
It was most recently revealed that American actress Scarlett Johansson’s skin care brand, The Outset, ceased trading in September 2026.
Adwoa Beauty, the prestige textured hair care brand, entered liquidation in May 2026 after filing for bankruptcy last year.
It follows Malin + Goetz closing all of its UK stores, AS Beauty shuttering both CoverFX and Mally Beauty, and Claire’s UK collapsing into administration in January – although the latter made a high street comeback in June with 50 stores.
Not to mention Gwen Stefani’s cosmetics line Gxve Beauty, rumoured to have closed after four years, and Sak’s Global filing for bankruptcy under the financial strain of its Nieman Marcus takeover – with the latter exiting bankruptcy in June 2026.
Beauty brands are being “squeezed from every direction” in 2026, says Alex Brown, Restructuring & Insolvency Lawyer at law firm Freeths.
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