MAM
HLL to support relief cause; Lifebuoy for distribution to victims
MUMBAI: Lifebuoy, Hindustan Lever’s (HLL) health soap brand has announced its support of a total of 1,50,256 soaps to UNICEF, People for Change (supported by Smriti Irani), Tata Institute for Social Sciences (TISS) and BehtarBharat.com for distribution, following the rains that caused devastation in Mumbai. Washing of hands with soap is a simple means to preventing diarrhea and is known to reduce the chances of contracting the disease by 47 per cent.
UNICEF has been in urgent need of soap and the 100000 units provided by Lifebuoy will be distributed through volunteers who, along with handing the soap, will communicate the importance of washing hands with soap and water. Similarly, TISS is distributing 5000 kits containing Lifebuoy soap and other essentials like toothpaste, washing powder sachets, cotton roll, chlorine drops bottle, antifungal powder and antiseptic cream.
People for Change, supported by Smriti Irani, will also be distributing the Lifebuoy soaps along with other necessities to areas affected by the rains. 1000 T-shirts communicating the core messages of washing hands with soap and boiling water for drinking have been given to volunteers of BehtarBarat.com, to be worn during the relief effort.
HLL VP – skin care Ashok Venkatramani says, “We are happy to provide support to the organizations and their effort to extend the necessary health facilities for the underprivileged and through this act we hope to make a positive contribution to the health of the community. The brand has also been educating people on the importance of hand wash with soap and water, and how this simple act can help reduce diarrhea by 47 per cent. This is yet another effort in this direction.”
Lifebuoy’s efforts in the area of health and hygiene, particularly towards the prevention of diarrhea include –
‘Save the Children’ campaign, ‘Save the Children’ campaign,
Lifebuoy Swasthya Chetna campaign, Lifeline Express (a four-bogie hospital on wheels) and Clean-your-city drive on World Health Day.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
