In this Issue

Winning with U.S. Hispanics is the solution to accelerating sales growth. Univision partnered with Nielsen to study the Hispanic Healthcare Journey and uncover differences and similarities between Hispanic and non-Hispanic attitudes and behaviors. This new, groundbreaking research explores how patients manage their path to treatment and follows consumers’ path to purchase for the total OTC market and the key categories of pain, vitamins, cough-cold, and allergy remedies.

Unilever’s $1 billion purchase of Dollar Shave Club was an eye-opening deal. While Unilever has been on a buying spree, snapping up companies such as REN, Kate Somerville, Dermalogica and Murad — all premium skin care brands — the deal with Dollar Shave represented growth in a different market. Now the industry awaits Unilever’s next move.

(To view the full Shave Report, click here.)

The drug store industry said goodbye to two icons of the business in September. Charles R. “Cork” Walgreen III, 80, former president, CEO, chairman of the board and chairman emeritus of the company that bears his family’s name, and David Bloom, 76, the former, long-time CEO of Shoppers Drug Mart passed away last month — exactly one day apart on Sept. 26 and Sept. 25, respectively.

CLACKAMAS, Ore. — Earth Mama Angel Baby has introduced two new gift bags: one designed for new moms who have gone back to work, but want to pump to continue their breast-feeding journey; and one to help create a lovely lavender nighttime routine to help encourage baby sleep. The Milk-to-Go Pumping Companion Essentials bag, with a suggested retail price of $34.99, is an eco-friendly, reusable insulated bag that contains Organic Milkmaid Tea, Natural Nipple Butter and Happy Mama Body Wash.

Anyone without a clear vision of the link between wellness and beauty hasn’t heard CVS Health’s VP/merchandise manager for beauty and personal care Alex Perez-Tenessa describe the synergy.

(To download Special Report: Double Down on Health, click here.)

The health-beauty connection is a driving force for the company as it continues rolling out its new “Elevate Beauty” concept, which is now in about 2,000 of its stores.

This isn’t your parents’ private-label business any more. To be sure, the rules of the store brand game have changed over the years — price matters, but it certainly isn’t the only factor driving the growing consumer interest in private label that exists today.

(To download Special Report: Double Down on Health, click here.)

Drug overdoses have become the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, with 47,055 people dying in 2014 as a result of lethal drug overdoses — 18,893 of which were related to prescription pain relievers. The epidemic has drawn the attention of everyone from President Barack Obama to local first responders, all of whom have pointed to the drug naloxone as one of the critical first lines of defense in saving the lives of thousands from accidental overdose. Naloxone can reverse the effects of an overdose, but until recently it could only be accessed by prescription.

COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. — Cirrus Healthcare will be launching the clinically designed earplugs MigraineX, along with an app that tracks shifts in barometric pressure, a known trigger of migraines. “Weather causes migraines,” noted Lanny Lewis, SVP business development at Cirrus Healthcare, and not a lot of people know that. Cirrus is looking to change that, Lewis said.