Once a signifier of luxury or novelty, custom products and services are now within reach of the everyday consumer, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, algorithm-led platforms, and the COVID-era digitisation boom. Today, everyone wants to be the main character of their brand experience.

Created by online influencers Mona and Huda Kattan, luxe perfume brand Kayali is introducing the world to Middle Eastern traditions. It’s appealing to young beauty buyers who are losing interest in celebrity-endorsed scents but who remain highly receptive to tips from social media personalities.

Puig has launched a pop-up store in Paris allowing consumers to create their own perfume blends with the help of on-site experts – and purchase the device for at-home fragrance crafting. With the desire for personalisation growing, tech can tailor luxury goods and entice new audiences.

From perfumes to furniture, there’s a subscription platform for everything – but why do some people keep paying for services they never use? Canvas8 spoke to Jennifer Savary, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Arizona, to find out why cancelling a subscription is so hard.

Amid strong demand for natural beauty ingredients, African beauty entrepreneurs are taking ownership of their individual countries’ local resources and beauty traditions. Consumers beyond the continent are turning to African businesses over multinationals profiting from the same ingredients.