Sean "Diddy" Combs and Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren held a press conference yesterday at the trendy Standard Hotel in Manhattan's Meatpacking District to announce that the retailer will exclusively distribute the hip-hop entrepreneur's Sean John clothing label. "I got my start at Macy's when I was 16, selling shirts and ties" at Macy's store in New Rochelle, N.Y., Combs tells James Covert. "To come full circle like this is a dream come true." The deal has been under discussion for two years. Combs took note of the higher profile given to Tommy Hilfiger after Macy's made a similar …

Tween girls -- those aged 8 to 12 -- represent an opportunity for cosmetics marketers, according to a new study from The NPD Group. Regular use of mascara rose from 10% to 18%, and eyeliner was up from 9% to 15% during the past two years, Antoinette Alexander reports. On average, tweens regularly use 4.5 different beauty products. The girls "look to their parents and siblings to see what they are using to help decide what to buy and use," according to NPD. On the other hand, the report found that the use of skin care …

Some mommy bloggers and nutritionists are critically targeting Mead Johnson Nutrition's Enfagrow Premium toddler formula, which comes in chocolate and vanilla flavors, Julie Wernau reports. Rebecca Unger, a pediatrician at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, says the Enfagrow chocolate or vanilla formula is similar to adding three teaspoons of sugar to a glass of milk. "For a healthy child who doesn't have medical problems affecting growth and behavior and development, I don't think it's necessary," she says. "What's next, genetically modifying moms to produce chocolate breast milk?," one blogger posted on Momlogic.com. Marion Nestle, professor of …

Consumer complaints about rashes purportedly caused by Procter & Gamble's new Pampers Dry Max diapers are moving from social media into mainstream outlets such as Reuters, ABCNews.com and local newspapers and television stations around the country, Jack Neff reports. Jodi Allen, P&G's vp-North American baby care, posted a response on a critical Facebook page that notes, among other things, that Dry Max diapers were tested on 20,000 babies and that it has assembled a team of "respected outside pediatricians and dermatologists" that reviewed data and did not find any reason to believe that the Dry Max …

Haim Saban, the guy who made "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" a brand name a generation ago, is launching a company that will spend $500 million in capital to acquire entertainment and consumer entities, Joe Flint reports. Elie Dekel, most recently head of licensing and merchandising for 20th Century Fox, will be president of Saban Brands. "As media and consumer options become increasingly fragmented and proliferated, our underlying thesis is that properties that resonate with consumers today will only become more meaningful over time," says Saban. The company is exploring pre-existing media brands that could be exploited …