Circana Says U.S. Beauty Market Shows Steady Growth, Novvia Group Acquires APC Packaging, Mark Kitzis Is New CEO of Anomatic, & Diamond Packaging Wins 7 Awards

Beauty Industry News: Here’s our Beauty Buzz news roundup for July/August 2026—celebrating people and events in the beauty & packaging industries.

Circana Says U.S. Beauty Market Shows Steady Growth

According to Circana, U.S. beauty industry retail performance was split “pretty evenly” across prestige and mass business in Q1 2026. Prestige retail dollar sales grew by +6% to $8.1 billion in Q1 2026, compared to the same period last year, as mass retail sales rose by +7% to $18.1 billion. 

“Mass and prestige beauty are growing at nearly the same rate for the first time in five years,” said Larissa Jensen, global beauty industry advisor at Circana—and a member of Beauty Packaging’s Board of Advisors. “Fragrance, facial skincare, hair treatments, and personal care products like body lotion and wash continue to benefit from consumers prioritizing self-care, and wellness-driven products.”

Performance by Category

Makeup was the softest-performing category in Q1 across both prestige and mass, with modest dollar growth offset by declining unit demand—particularly in mass—though pockets of strength emerged in lip and face. Lip treatments and lip liner stood out.

The hair category showed a clear channel divide: in prestige, it was the fastest-growing category by dollars and a top unit driver (second only to skincare), fueled by continued strength in treatments. In mass retail, value-seeking behavior drove double-digit growth in shampoo and conditioner combo packs.

Skincare remained a growth engine, with prestige gains led by facial care. Face creams, serums, and eye treatments accounted for the majority of category growth. In addition, clinical brands captured over one-third of dollar sales, reinforcing the importance of science-backed positioning. 

 Fragrance remained strong, with gains across both mass and prestige channels.

Online and Social Shopping 

Online and social shopping continued to capture share of beauty retail. In prestige, online sales outperformed brick‑and‑mortar across all major categories. In skincare, e‑commerce now accounts for nearly half of prestige dollars.

“Digital and social platforms are no longer just a testing ground for emerging brands; they are full‑scale commerce engines,” said Jensen. “For both established players and smaller brands, success increasingly hinges on how effectively digital and social plans are embedded into marketing and product strategies. These platforms must be foundational to how brands build relevance, drive demand, and scale growth.”

Novvia Group Acquires APC Packaging

Global rigid container and life sciences packaging distributor, Novvia Group, has acquired APC Packaging. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, APC Packaging primarily serves customers in the premium skincare and cosmetics markets. Lisa and Christina Lin, primary owners of APC Packaging, will continue to run the business and manage day-to-day operations.

This acquisition strengthens Novvia’s position in the beauty and personal care segment.

The transaction also marks Novvia’s continued expansion into consumer packaging, following its recent acquisitions of Saxco International and Garrett Hewitt. 

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 

Mark Kitzis Is New CEO of Anomatic

Mark Kitzis has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Anomatic, effective June 1, 2026. He  brings more than 30 years of experience in the packaging industry and “a deep commitment to commercial and operational excellence.” 

According to Anomatic, “Over decades in leadership roles, Kitzis has built solid foundations with a growth-focused mindset in a fast-paced industry, by seizing opportunities to elevate. We couldn’t be more confident in the vision and leadership he is bringing to our company.”

Diamond Packaging Wins 7 Awards in the 2026 ‘Neographics Masterpieces in Print Competition’

Diamond Packaging announced that it won seven awards in the 2026 Neographics Masterpieces in Print Competition, one of the “largest and most prestigious regional printing competitions in the nation.” The program recognizes outstanding achievement in printing, packaging, design, converting, and publishing,

In Beauty, Diamond won 3 Franklin Awards for Excellence in the “Packaging—Cartonboard” category for Interparfums’ Oscar de la Renta Bella Soleil packaging; Ole Henriksen’s Plumping Peptide Pair packaging, and StriVectin’s Glow and Protect packaging.

The cartons were converted utilizing FSC-certified Billerud CrownBoard Prestige paperboard, cold foiled, and offset printed with four color process inks and two PMS inks, in-line with UV high gloss coating, UV matte coating, and soft-touch coating.