London Beauty Week is an initiative of Covent Garden in partnership with the new British Beauty Council, which launched earlier this year. There will be beauty workshops, launch events, trend talks and an outdoor Beauty Playground in the heart of Covent Garden – all with the aim of celebrating the power of the British beauty industry. The sector directly contributed £7 billion in tax to the UK economy in 2018, and consumers spent £3 billion on cosmetic products last year.

Also launching during London Beauty Week is the ‘Britain’s Next Big Beauty Brand’ competition for independent and start-up beauty brands. In addition to receiving mentoring from the British Beauty Council and access to WGSN’s premium subscription services for a year, the winning brand will have the opportunity to sell their product in Covent Garden in a prime retail spot.“Covent Garden has London’s biggest selection of global beauty brands per square metre offering visitors exciting and unique retail experiences, so this is an opportunity to celebrate this and look at new innovations in the industry as it continues to grow,” said Michelle McGrath, director of Covent Garden.The popular shopping destination has become a leading beauty hub in recent years, attracting an array of premium flagship stores from brands including Charlotte Tilbury, Tom Ford, Chanel, Dior, Deciem, NARS, Jo Malone, Penhaligon’s, Aesop and Miller Harris.Millie Kendall, CEO of The British Beauty Council, said: “The British Beauty Council are delighted to be working with founding patron Covent Garden Capco in creating this dynamic experiential week of beauty. Beauty is a buoyant sector and contributes significantly to the UK economy. As a growing industry that is a force for good, we are focused on supporting brands and creating jobs via our three pillars reputation, education and innovation.”The full programme and list of partners for London Beauty Week will be released in August.