Former supermodel Naomi Campbell said Wednesday she will appeal against a UK watchdog ban on being a charity trustee, suggesting “fake identities” had wrongly implicated her in a funding scandal.
Naomi Campbell – AFP
The Charity Commission last year banned the 54-year-old from running any charity for five years after identifying “multiple instances of misconduct” in the running of her Fashion for Relief organisation.
It found charity money had been used to pay for Campbell to stay in a five-star hotel in the south of France, including spa treatments and room service.
The ex-supermodel at the time branded the watchdog’s findings “deeply flawed” and insisted that newly-instructed advisers were investigating what happened at the charity.
In a statement released late Wednesday, she said a tribunal had granted her permission to appeal the commission’s findings “after considering the evidence I have submitted”.
“Ever since the commission’s report, I have fought to uncover the facts. What has been unearthed so far is shocking,” Campbell stated.
“I want to shine a light on how easy it is to fake identities online and prevent anybody else going through what I have been through.”
Campbell insisted she had “never undertaken philanthropic work for personal gain, nor will I ever do so”.
The case is due to come before the tribunal on Friday, according to Britain’s domestic Press Association news agency.
Campbell’s representatives claim documents submitted to the commission gave a false impression of her involvement in running the UK charity, the agency said.
They argue there is evidence of a fake email account which was used to impersonate the former supermodel in communications with lawyers, it added.
Campbell founded the charity in 2005, aiming to harness the fashion industry to relieve poverty and advance health and education, by making grants to other organisations and giving resources towards global disasters.
But the watchdog probe published last September found that between April 2016 and July 2022, only 8.5 percent of Fashion for Relief’s overall expenditure went on grants to charities.
The charity was dissolved and removed from the register of charities last year, with two other trustees also receiving bans.
At the time, Campbell said she was “extremely concerned” by the regulator’s findings and that she was “not in control of my charity” having “put the control in the hands of a lawyer”
Kenvue Inc. announced on Thursday net sales increased 0.1% to $15.5 billion for the full year ended December 29, 2024, on the back of softer-than-expected sales growth.
Kenvue reports flat 2024 sales. – Neutrogena
Fourth quarter, net sales decreased 0.1%. By segment, the self-care segment and the skin health and beauty segment climbed 2.1% year-over-year to $1.59 billion in net sales, and 1% to $1.01 billion, respectively. Meanwhile, the essential health segment recorded a 4.1% drop in fourth-quarter net sales to $1.08 billion.
Kenvue-owned brands include Neutrogena, Aveeno, Band-Aid Brand, Johnson’s, Listerine, and Tylenol.
“We delivered on our 2024 profit commitments despite headwinds that resulted in softer than expected sales growth and we enter 2025 as a more competitive company with stronger foundations,” said Thibaut Mongon, chief executive officer.
“We remain focused on leveraging our increased brand investments to accelerate growth and deliver long-term value creation centered around profitable growth, durable cash flow generation, and disciplined capital allocation.”
Looking ahead, the company expects a 2025 net sales change of -1% to +1% year-over-year, with organic sales growth of 2% to 4%. Kenvue projects flat to 2% year-over-year growth in adjusted diluted earnings per share for 2025,
“As Kenvue enters our next chapter, we expect to accelerate performance throughout the year, while navigating the dynamic external environment contemplated within our outlook,” added Paul Ruh, chief financial officer.
“We expect to drive further productivity and operational efficiency gains, which will fund our planned increase in brand investments, positioning us to grow adjusted operating margin for the year.”
France’s L’Oreal said on Thursday that Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, granddaughter of the company’s founder and one of the world’s richest women, planned to step down from the board, with her son Jean-Victor to take over her role as vice-chair.
Reuters
Jean-Victor Meyers, 38, and younger brother Nicolas Meyers are already directors on the board.
Bettencourt Meyers has also proposed the family-owned holding company Tethys, L’Oreal’s largest shareholder, join the board, alongside her sons.
The proposal will be voted on at the annual general meeting on April 29, the company said in a statement.
Elf Beauty’s shares tumbled over 20% in extended trading on Thursday, after the cosmetics company cut its annual net sales and profit forecasts, citing weak demand in the mass beauty category at the start of the year.
Reuters
Elf Beauty is known for its vegan lip oils and makeup products at affordable price points, which are also available at drugstores and supermarkets such as Walgreens and Target.
Demand was softer in the mass beauty channel in January, and some of Elf’s newer products were “off to a slower start”, Chief Executive Officer Tarang Amin told Reuters.
“Elf’s core Gen Z demographic has been distracted by natural disasters, political change, and uncertainty over TikTok’s fate, and that’s likely to weigh on the brand through the rest of its fiscal year,” said Sky Canaves, principal analyst at Emarketer.
President Donald Trump‘s new 10% tariffs on imports from China could also force the company to raise prices, with about 80% of its products being manufactured in China, down from 100% five years ago.
Consumer uncertainty over inflation and the state of the economy weighed on the mass category in January, executives said on a post-earnings call.
The company now expects annual net sales of $1.30 billion to 1.31 billion, down from a prior target of $1.315 billion to 1.335 billion. It also lowered its annual adjusted profit per share target to $3.27 to 3.32 from $3.47 to 3.53.
Elf’s net sales for the third quarter, ended December 31, grew 31% to $355.32 million, beating estimates of $329.67 million, according to data compiled by LSEG.
Beauty giant Estee Lauder said earlier this week that it would cut more jobs and noted it was taking a hit from weakness in travel retail demand for beauty products in Asia.