Inflexion backs French nail brand as BIAB leads UK search demand

Analysis

The week's biggest structural story is investment: Inflexion has taken a stake in a French nail care brand, a deal reported on 25 September by both Private Equity News and the WSJ ^[1][2]. For UK operators, it lands alongside continued category noise from Asia, where Donghai, China used Milan Fashion Week to showcase crystal and handcrafted press-on nails ^[3].

On colour, the autumn conversation has consolidated fast. Cosmopolitan names seven autumn trends including coconut glass and pumpkin spice chrome ^[4], while Woman & Home frames the chic 2026 autumn palette around almond milk through to tomato red ^[5], and Vogue has published eleven pro-endorsed fall shades ^[6]. Red-carpet reinforcement came from the 2026 Emmy Awards, where British Vogue catalogued the standout nail looks ^[7]. Pinterest, meanwhile, has predicted five top nail trends for men, a signal worth watching for salon service menus ^[8]. Ethical positioning also remains live: PETA has refreshed its round-up of vegan nail polish from brands that don't test on animals ^[9].

UK demand data still points to soak-off gel as the volume driver. 'BIAB nails' averaged 66/100 search interest over the last three months and sat at 52/100 in the week of 14 September ^[10], ahead of 'mylee' at an average 40/100 and 35/100 that week ^[11]. 'Press on nails' averaged 33/100, easing to 25/100 ^[12], though YouTube appetite is strong, with press-on tutorials drawing 124,083 views across three recent videos ^[13] versus 8,280 for Beetles gel kit content ^[14] and just 523 for SUNUV lamp reviews ^[15]. One caution for client aftercare: Taipei Times reports polish overuse can cause 'green nail syndrome' ^[16].