No BS Bulletin 80

Eighty

Author

Sarah
January 29, 2026

Welcome to Issue 80 of the No BS Beauty Bulletin!

Welcome to issue #80 of the No BS Bulletin!

First, a quick apology—I know these newsletters have been a bit sporadic lately. We've been working behind the scenes to streamline everything, and you can expect more regular updates going forward. Thanks for sticking with us!

I hope everyone is staying warm and safe. The US has suffered a major cold snap as well as lots of snow through nearly the entire country. Minnesota has been as cold as -23F recently. Lincoln is starting to get “cabin fever” and is ready for spring!

This week we've got some big industry news: the FDA finally weighed in on PFAS in cosmetics, Pat McGrath Labs filed for bankruptcy, and Sephora just announced a major K-beauty partnership. Plus, new retinoid regulations in the UK could affect some of your favorite products, and I'm sharing what I bought this week.

Let's get into it.

Juicy Beauty News

  • FDA Issues MoCRA-Mandated PFAS Report on Cosmetics – The FDA released a report identifying 51 PFAS intentionally added to cosmetic products, concluding that existing data are insufficient to determine safety for most PFAS while recommending companies begin reformulating away from these ingredients. venable

  • Amorepacific Wins CES 2026 Innovation Award for Electronic Skin Platform – Amorepacific earned its seventh consecutive CES Innovation Award for Skinsight™, an "electronic skin" platform co-developed with MIT that uses an ultra-thin wearable sensor patch to analyze skin aging factors in real time and deliver personalized skincare recommendations. amorepacific

  • Target Expands Wellness Assortment by 30 Percent – Target announced a major expansion of its wellness offering, adding thousands of new items across beauty, supplements, food, and apparel—many priced under $10—as the retailer strengthens its positioning as a mass-market destination for trend-led wellness products. globalcosmeticsnews

  • Sunscreens Made From Ground-Up Wood Achieve High SPF – Researchers have developed lignin-based sunscreens using waste wood that can achieve SPF values up to 66 by grafting UV-absorbing compounds onto the natural phenolic network, offering a biodegradable alternative to petrochemical filters. EurekAlert!

  • Sephora and Olive Young Partner to Bring K-Beauty to Global Consumers – Sephora and Korea's leading beauty retailer Olive Young announced a strategic partnership to create dedicated K-beauty zones in Sephora stores and online, launching this fall in the US, Canada, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia with plans to expand to additional regions in 2027. sephora

  • Pat McGrath Labs Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy – Pat McGrath Labs filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on January 22, 2026, halting a planned asset auction and allowing the once billion-dollar cosmetics brand to continue operating while restructuring its debt. TheStreet

  • AS Beauty Shutters Cover FX and Mally Beauty – AS Beauty Group is permanently closing both Cover FX and Mally Beauty, citing tariffs and a shifting global market as reasons for winding down the legacy makeup brands; products will remain available on Amazon and QVC while supplies last. TheStreet

👀 What did I buy this week?👀

Don’t tell Cameraman!

Winner of the Week - Bemotrizinol/ Tinosorb S

For the first time in decades, the United States is finally moving closer to approving a new sunscreen filter for use in the U.S. market. Tinosorb S is the filter poised to make its way into American medicine cabinets.

Tinosorb S is a unique chemical UV filter that provides protection against both UVA rays (responsible for skin aging) and UVB rays (responsible for sunburn). This makes it an excellent option for U.S. sunscreen manufacturers and a strong alternative—or complement—to avobenzone. Avobenzone is currently the only FDA-approved chemical UVA filter in the U.S., and it is known to be highly unstable and, in many ways, inefficient without significant stabilization.

While many other countries have access to over 30 approved UV filters, the United States is limited to just eight that are useful. The primary manufacturer behind Tinosorb S has been working behind the scenes to gain U.S. approval for more than 20 years, investing over $20 million to bring the ingredient to market.

If Tinosorb S is officially approved, we may begin seeing new sunscreen formulations in the U.S. as early as late 2026.

Loser of the Week - Retinoids

While I have been focusing on all the new products and regulations in the United States, I have recently become aware of all the changes the UK has put in place regarding certain types of retinoids.  In 2024 the UK began updating regulations to limit the concentration of Vitamin A (retinol, retinyl palmitate, retinyl acetate) in over-the-counter cosmetics. Starting with a phase-in from late 2024, new regulations (mirroring EU rules) cap retinol at 0.3% for facial products and 0.05% for body products. Non-compliant products will be removed from shelves by May 2027.  

This is an effort to address consumers’ potential overexposure to vitamin A. Consuming high levels of vitamin A through diet or supplements in addition to topical application can lead to adverse health effects. Vitamin A overdose can cause headaches, nausea, dry skin, hair loss, blurred vision, and more severe cases may even lead to to long term liver damage. Retinoids are also contradicted in use during pregnancy and breastfeeding due to the increased risk of birth defects.

Interestingly enough, it appears that these new rules do not impact retinal formulas.  Over-the-counter alternatives I recommend are:

Geek & Gorgeous A Game 20
At G&G

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 6
At CultBeauty

The Ordinary Retinal 0.2% Emulsion
At CultBeauty

Comment of the Week

Oh thank you, Camerman had that idea!  I will make this the comment of the week for the newsletter.  YouTube has allowed SO MUCH AI stuff through, it is impossible to compete with a computer that can churn out hundreds of videos a day.  It seems like it will really fracture the entire content creator industry.