Allies of Skin founder Nicolas Travis exits

Nicolas Travis will leave Allies of Skin, the luxury skincare company he founded in 2016. He has given six months' notice and will depart on 10 February 2027, a decade after launching the brand.

Beauty executive Alicia Valencia joins as interim President. Valencia arrives with deep experience in brand building and international expansion. She left her role as Global President of Makeup by Mario in January 2026. She previously spent 20 years managing brands within The Estée Lauder Companies, including Crème de la Mer and Jo Malone London.

Other Leadership Changes

August 2026 saw several other leadership changes across the beauty industry.

Oriflame named Kenneth Benaim Campbell as its new Chief Executive Officer. He takes over from Anna Malmhake after her three-year tenure. Benaim Campbell brings more than 30 years of international leadership experience, including 27 years at L'Oréal. He last served as CEO for L'Oréal D/A/CH and most recently led Europe and North America at Lipton Teas & Infusions.

LVMH Beauty appointed Alexandre Oulès as its new Chief Operating Officer, creating the position within an organisational restructure. Oulès, the former COO of Balenciaga, will be responsible for production, logistics and procurement. He spent the last three years at Balenciaga and previously held senior roles at Moët Hennessy, Celine and Guerlain, where he spent 14 years.

Coty appointed former British American Tobacco and Diageo executive Soraya Benchikh as Chief Financial Officer from 1 September. She replaces Laurent Mercier, who had held the role since February 2021. The appointment forms part of wider changes under the Coty.Curated strategy. The news arrived alongside fourth-quarter results showing revenue of $1.27 billion, ahead of forecasts. The group's net loss more than doubled to $144.3 million, with tariffs, lower volumes and excess inventory hurting profitability.

Brand Appointments and Departures

Omorovicza appointed Emma Bates as Chief Financial & Operating Officer. Bates comes from S'able Labs, where she held the same combined remit. She was previously COO at Crabtree & Evelyn and Head of Finance at Uniqlo Europe. Her arrival follows the appointment of former Sol de Janeiro UK boss Pauline Singh as Chief Marketing Officer in March 2026.

Anna Marcovici is stepping down as General Manager for EMEA at Westman Atelier at the end of summer after 6.5 years. She will focus on scaling Manifesto Nutrition, the supplements business she founded in 2019. The brand specialises in vitamin gummies for women in perimenopause and menopause. Marcovici was previously CEO of FaceGym and General Manager at NARS UK and Ireland. Westman Atelier has yet to announce a replacement.

Mary Phillips's makeup brand, m.ph beauty, named Kira Jackson as Chief Marketing Officer around a year after launching. Jackson was most recently Chief Brand Officer at activewear label SET Active and sits on the board of growth equity firm RX3 Growth Partners. She will lead marketing as the brand moves beyond its launch phase and expands its Sephora distribution.

Ambassador Announcements

The month also brought two high-profile ambassador announcements.

Moroccanoil appointed tennis world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka as its new Global Brand Ambassador. The four-time Grand Slam champion will headline global campaigns and appear at major tennis events. The deal strengthens the haircare brand's relationship with the sport after several years as Official Haircare Sponsor of the Miami Open.

Kate Winslet renewed her partnership with Norwegian brand Oslo Skin Lab. She remains the worldwide face of its flagship supplement, The Solution Beauty Collagen. The actress, first announced as an ambassador in November 2024, has again written her own scripts for a new international campaign. The campaign was photographed and directed by Alexi Lubomirski.