Brands
Listerine joins KKR as official mouthwash partner for IPL 2025
MUMBAI: Listerine, has announced its official partnership with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for IPL 2025, bringing a refreshing twist to the cricketing season. With over 95 per cent of adults in India suffering from cavities, according to the World Health Organization, this collaboration aims to highlight the crucial role of mouthwash in daily oral care routines.
KKR, one of IPL’s most popular franchises, is known for its spirit of excellence, teamwork, and passion qualities that align perfectly with Listerine’s mission to promote better oral health. Through this partnership, Listerine will leverage KKR’s massive fan base to raise awareness about preventive oral care, encouraging fans to swish their way to a healthier mouth.
Kenvue business unit head-essential health & skin health & oral care & VP marketing Manoj Gadgil said, “We are thrilled to partner with KKR, a team that resonates with millions of fans across India. In India, oral care is often neglected as part of the overall health regime, being largely curative rather than preventive. This collaboration presents a unique opportunity for us to engage with cricket enthusiasts to highlight the significance of a comprehensive oral care regime by brushing and swishing with a mouthwash as part of their daily routine as well as when on-the-go to ensure holistic oral care. With Listerine, germs will get clean bowled, one swish at a time!”
Listerine will feature prominently across KKR’s marketing campaigns, offering fans engaging content, promotions, and interactive experiences both on and off the field.
This partnership is more than just about cricket it’s about fostering a culture of oral wellness. With Listerine, fans can ensure their oral hygiene is match-ready, allowing them to cheer for their favourite team with confidence.
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.
