Igniting the senses: L’Oréal Travel Retail underlines its status as the undisputed leader of the beauty category
4 minutes read
Introduction by: Peter Marshall
L’Oréal Travel Retail always claims a bold presence at any travel retail exhibition and this year’s TFWA event in Cannes was no exception.
In fact, it was bolder than ever as the company welcomed guests to its beachside suite and its outstanding ‘Airport Terminal of the Future’ concept. Billed as ‘A Journey of the Senses’, it was that – and more – as the company’s mission to forge the airport into a vibrant Entertainment Destination was brought to life.
TRunblocked.com’s Contributing Editor Colleen Morgan explores L’Oréal Travel Retail’s unique path of reinvention.
This year marked my first visit to the L’Oréal Travel Retail beachside marquee with TRunblocked.com.
I was delighted to be at the annual media event, enjoying an early coffee and Cannes croissant before Emmanuel Goulin’s presentation of the company’s strategy in the travel retail channel. A bittersweet moment I imagine, his last TFWA World as L’Oréal Travel Retail President before assuming the role of President of L’Oréal Europe.
Emmanuel’s pride in L’Oréal Travel Retail’s achievements, its status as the “undisputed leader of the beauty category”, his team members and the company’s products was evident.
He touched on how the company is redefining the travel shopping experience, “re-enchanting” the channel by making the consumer experience more emotional and immersive. And, how L’Oréal Travel Retail is very successfully innovating and activating the travel pentarchy.
Then he let the products tell the L’Oréal Travel Retail story through ‘A Journey of the Senses’, which I didn’t want to end.
It started with Sense of the Unexpected, a visit to the YSL Beauty Kiosk with curated playlists, products and a photo opportunity. From Armani came a touch of Hollywood glamour with ‘In the Spotlight’, a new experience inspired by the brand’s cinematic legacy, encouraging visitors – and me – to discover the star within.
An unexpected treat was the new Miu Miu Miutine fragrance. It’s tagged as being for the woman who lives on her own terms, and I can relate to that. Description? Irreverence in a juice.
Next was Sense of Place, with Aesop and Kiehl’s claiming the spotlight.
The Aesop stand – ‘The Three Rooms’ – was designed as a cartography of climates – hot and humid, cold and dry, and temperate. It was as welcoming as Kiehl’s next door was entertaining and educational, with its ‘Bones Around the Globe’ concept. This clever skincare experience is tailored to destinations and the diverse environmental challenges the skin faces.
Highlighting not just products but also personalised solutions to any skin problem, it’s eye-catching, immersive and engaging, already capturing the attention of shoppers in key major airports including Charles de Gaulle, Paris and Dubai.
Sense of Service followed, with Helena Rubinstein offering ‘First Class Recovery’ a tailored service said to restore and rejuvenate – the perfect solution to long haul travel, or a busy Cannes show.
And then Kérastase with its K-Scan, a cutting edge, AI-powered tool developed exclusively for the brand to help people understand their hair and scalp needs. Happily, my diagnosis was a good one, and I can now enjoy a bespoke haircare journey using the recommended Kérastase Specifique Potentialiste hair serum.
Lancôme’s The Absolue Longevity Travel Clinic offers two experiences which aim to “reverse five years of aging in one month”. Sounds good/ideal. By following the Absolue PDRN experiences and Absolue Gold longevity line, travellers can discover, for the first time, a breakthrough skin-diagnosis and a new skincare range developed with medical experts and endorsed by renowned celebrities.
The Fly & Glow experience is the first beauty bar by L’Oréal Paris, offering the opportunity to discover leading skincare and makeup products and test them. Latest trends on glow include Lumi Glotion, Plump Ambition, Lumi Liquid Blush and Glass Skin and there’s also LED light therapy, for brighter and healthier skin.
Particularly relevant to airports – and TFWA World – Sense of Time was up next, with La Roche-Posay and its Fly with UVAir. I was invited to step up to a UV camera which clearly indicated that I didn’t have adequate sunscreen protection.
Brand ambassadors were quick to recommend the right La Roche-Posay Anthelios suncare product for me and I was off to discover Never-Ending Summer by Maison Margiela Fragrances.
Created by perfumer Christophe Raynaud, it’s a sensory escape to carefree Mediterranean days and golden nights, the freedom of an eternal Italian summer – bottled.
The fifth sense was that of Ultimate Luxury, an experience in perfumed elegance with – and for the first time ever – six of the world’s most prestigious luxury fragrance brands united in an exclusive, high-end collection for travel retail.
That led, cleverly, to Sense of Gifting, highlighting travel retail exclusive sets including L’Oréal Paris Parisian Look Trios, Biotherm Sun Drops, Lancôme Travel Essentials, First-Class ‘Travel Like Helena’ trunk, La Roche Posay’s SKIN SOS kit and Kiehl’s Ultra facial Refill-to-go.
While my Journey of the Senses had come to an end, there was further news from L’Oréal related to its long-term commitment to offering more sustainable solutions to consumers. One of its biggest priorities is to go big on refills, and by the end of this year, over one-third of L’Oréal’s travel retail sales will offer refillable options, encompassing its top-selling products. They’re not just talking sustainability, they’re living it.
As Emmanuel Goulin mentioned, another priority is to promote and strengthen ‘Pentarchy’ partnerships. A recent and strong example is a L’Oréal Paris collaboration in Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport which united five key industry pillars – brand, airports, retailers, airline and media/tech platforms – to champion an omnichannel, multi-partner strategy.
With Airports of Thailand, King Power, Bangkok Airways, Grab, Agoda, Meta, and Alipay, L’Oréal Paris offered passengers carefully crafted experiences from pre-trip inspiration to immersive in-airport touchpoints, cleverly maximizing brand engagement at every step and the perfect way to elevate the travel retail landscape.
All platforms guided travellers towards the L’Oréal Men Expert Pop-Up and two travel retail Asia Pacific exclusive L’Oréal launches: the L’Oréal Paris Men Expert Age Protect Routine for firmer skin, and the Age Perfect Age Defying Le Duo Serum.
But it didn’t stop there as a first-ever cross-category partnership with Royal Salute, offering hand massages, bespoke cocktail experiences, and tailored skincare routines, was also featured.
This fully-fledged pentarchy managed to captivate travellers at every step. It’s what the future of travel retail is all about, with L’Oréal Travel Retail clearly setting the pace as a trail blazer.
As I left the beachside suite, it was clear that L’Oréal Travel Retail isn’t just selling beauty – it’s reinventing how travellers experience it.
