TL;DR
Get beauty and skincare favorites delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
A Cosmetics Business report says buyers at Boots and Lookfantastic shared what they want from beauty brands seeking retail listings in 2027. The available extract identifies fragrance and make-up as Lookfantastic opportunities, and stresses the value of a strong founder and brand story; it does not provide Boots’ specific criteria or the full list of desired trends and ingredients.
Buyers at UK beauty retailers Boots and Lookfantastic have outlined what could help emerging brands win consideration for 2027 listings, according to a Cosmetics Business report. The available extract names fragrance and make-up as major growth opportunities for Lookfantastic and says a strong founder and brand story can help attract the retailer’s attention, while it does not include Boots’ specific priorities.
The report, published by Cosmetics Business, says it asked buyers from both retailers about the qualities they look for when considering new brands, as well as themes, trends and ingredients of interest. Its stated focus is how emerging companies can gain a place in physical or online retail, where shelf space is contested. The report describes the insight as guidance on joining the retailers’ respective new brand cohorts for 2027.
For Lookfantastic, the extract quotes Francesca Whitehead, a buying manager, saying all categories matter but that the largest growth opportunities are in fragrance and make-up. Whitehead describes fragrance as the largest category in the UK beauty market and Lookfantastic’s fastest-growing category over the previous five years. She says the retailer delivered 20% compound annual growth in fragrance over that period.
Lauren Starkey, Lookfantastic’s senior buying manager for skincare and body, is named alongside Whitehead in the report’s section on onboarding brands. The introduction says a strong founder and brand storytelling can go a long way. However, the supplied extract ends partway through Whitehead’s remarks about make-up and does not include the rest of the buyers’ advice or the material on Boots.
What Retail Buyers Signal for 2027
For founders seeking retail distribution, the report offers a limited but practical signal: category growth and clear brand identity are part of the conversation around new listings. A retailer’s interest in a category does not guarantee a listing, but it can help brands decide where to focus product development, marketing and pitches to buyers.
Lookfantastic’s reported fragrance growth gives prospective suppliers a specific reason to examine that category, while the emphasis on a founder and brand story points to more than product function alone. Emerging companies may need to explain what distinguishes their offer and why it fits the retailer’s customers. Those are implications of the report’s stated themes, not a complete checklist supplied in the available extract.
The distinction matters because the report covers two major UK retailers but the accessible material provides detail for only one. Readers should not treat Lookfantastic’s category priorities as evidence of Boots’ plans. Retailers can have different customer bases, category strategies and listing requirements, and none of those specifics for Boots are confirmed here.
Products Worth Considering
Levoit Core 600S-P Smart Air Purifier for Large Rooms
Oral-B iO Series 5 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush with Travel Case and 3 Brush Heads, Black
Hyperice Normatec Elite Wireless Compression Boots Recovery – Standard Size
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
How the 2027 Buyer Brief Emerged
Cosmetics Business says it sought buyer views as 2026 entered its final quarter, looking ahead to retailers’ 2027 brand cohorts. The report frames the issue around competition for both physical shelf space and online visibility, which can make a listing at a respected retailer a meaningful route to broader customer reach for an emerging brand.
The source identifies Whitehead and Starkey as the Lookfantastic buyers contributing to the discussion. Whitehead’s account of fragrance growth covers the previous five years, but the excerpt does not state the exact start and end dates or provide underlying sales figures. It also does not supply a comparison with other categories or the wider market’s growth rate.
The available article text is a short extract from a premium report. It introduces the subjects and gives part of Lookfantastic’s view, but cuts off before the full discussion. No detailed Boots buyer comments, named ingredients, or complete trend list appear in the supplied material, so those points cannot be reported as confirmed.
Boots’ Priorities Are Not Detailed
The supplied report extract does not show what Boots buyers are seeking, or provide their names, comments or selection criteria. It also does not contain the full Lookfantastic discussion, including the remainder of Whitehead’s comments on make-up and any detailed guidance from Starkey.
It is also unclear which specific trends, ingredients or product attributes the buyers are looking for in 2027. The reported 20% CAGR is attributed to Lookfantastic and covers the previous five years, but the source excerpt gives no exact dates, base figures or category-by-category comparison. The comments describe buyer priorities and growth, not confirmed future listings or a guarantee that brands in those categories will be selected.
Full Buyer Guidance Still Ahead
The next useful development for brands and readers is access to the full Cosmetics Business report, which may provide the missing Boots comments and the rest of Lookfantastic’s guidance. The supplied material gives no publication schedule for further details, nor does it announce specific brands selected for either retailer’s 2027 cohort.
Until more information is available, brands considering a pitch can treat fragrance and make-up as areas Lookfantastic says offer growth opportunities, and the founder-and-storytelling point as a reported consideration. They should not assume either retailer has adopted identical criteria or that a category opportunity amounts to a confirmed listing decision.
Key Questions
What are Lookfantastic buyers looking for in 2027?
The available extract says fragrance and make-up offer the biggest growth opportunities for Lookfantastic. It also says a strong founder and brand story can help a brand gain attention, but the full selection criteria are not included.
What did Boots say about its 2027 beauty priorities?
The supplied extract says the report includes buyers from Boots and Lookfantastic, but it does not contain Boots’ specific comments or priorities. No detailed Boots criteria can be confirmed from this material.
How fast has fragrance grown at Lookfantastic?
Francesca Whitehead says Lookfantastic delivered 20% compound annual growth in fragrance over the previous five years. The extract does not state the exact dates, sales figures or comparison baseline beyond that reported rate and period.
Does this mean fragrance or make-up brands will be listed?
No. The comments describe growth opportunities, not guaranteed listings. The report extract does not name selected brands or confirm that any particular company has secured a place in a 2027 cohort.
Source: rss
