Beauty’s Next Wave in Travel Retail: L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific MD, Jesus Abia, on the New APAC Traveller, Post-Covid Realities, Travel Retail Exclusives and an AI-Powered, Science-led Future
16 minutes read
Introduction by: Peter Marshall
In this definitive conversation, Jesus Abia, MD L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific, unpacks the new realities reshaping beauty in travel retail. From post-Covid shifts in passenger flows to the emergence of a more demanding, digitally fluent APAC traveller, he charts how L’Oréal is outperforming the market with science-backed innovation, customer centricity, standout travel retail exclusives and immersive AI-enabled activations – all underpinned by a rigorous sustainability agenda that will define the next wave of beauty on the move.
Peter Marshall (PM): Jesus, good to see you again and welcome back to TRunblocked.com.
Jesus Abia Aras (JA): Great to see you again, Peter.
PM: We’re now quite a few years on from COVID, but some fundamentals in travel retail still feel unsettled and unchanged. We. When you look at the channel today, what kind of industry do you see and what, if anything, do you think has changed for the good?
JA: Much has changed since COVID. Since the beginning of this year, in particular, there are many things in the market that have completely shifted.
2026 has been extremely dynamic. I would say we had a revolution in some of our biggest markets. In Korea the retailers at the airport are changing – now it’s Lotte and Hyundai. We have new retailers in Shanghai and Beijing, with an international retailer Avolta entering Shanghai. In Hong Kong and Macau, it is now CDFG.
And Hainan is back. There is good news in downtown such as in Hainan and Macau which are doing well, traffic keeps growing, and we have good momentum in airports.
There had been a lot of talk in the industry if Hainan would keep decreasing, but it is not the case, and it shows how strategic and big this market is for the duty-free business.
Travel itself keeps growing. The appetite for travel is really booming. But it’s also true that the dynamics are changing. Chinese travellers are increasing their domestic travels. We also see the rise of emerging nationalities such as Indians, Vietnamese, Thais. The market is very resilient, because we are seizing even more opportunities with varied traveler demographics; and some currencies such as the yen fluctuations make traveling more affordable and attractive.
PM: I agree, first it was the Japanese, then the Russians, then the Chinese. And look, we shouldn’t write off the Chinese because actually their numbers are growing. It’s just that they’re just being more selective and they’re staying local, largely speaking. But the numbers are still amazing. The fact is, there’s not a corresponding growth in the travel retail side of the business in terms of their spend when compared to how many are getting on planes. Simple. Now that’s our problem – the conversion. But if you’re getting into new growing markets like India, Vietnam and Thailand, I mean that’s good news.
JA: The industry needs to reduce dependency on just one nationality and one category. With the rise of emerging nationalities, the category mix is diversifying. Fragrance, for example, is double the size in the last few months because of the nationality mix.
PM: Cosmetics is bigger than fragrance.
JA: Exactly.
PM: We’ll get to this later on, but many retailers now understand they have to declutter. There are simply too many products on the shelf. Passengers may be curious, but to go through a wall of some 200+ whiskies is just too punishing and it’s too difficult. Travel retail needs to be simplified. Would you agree?
JA: Yes.
PM: If we look at beauty specifically, the narrative is still “huge potential”. But the reality on the ground can be uneven. Where is travel retail beauty genuinely outperforming for you in Asia Pacific right now? And where is it still under-delivering?
JA: What is very clear is – we cannot neglect the fact that the appetite for beauty keeps growing. A clear demonstration is the strong performance of L’Oréal Group in Q1.
And in duty-free, the beauty category remains the number one category. So the retailers are always reminded about the importance of Beauty for our industry.
There is clearly an opportunity for the travel retail industry, as we estimate there will be more than 700 million beauty consumers by 2030 worldwide.
On where the industry can do more: it would be on consumer centricity – to react faster and understand consumers more deeply. This was never really done in the past. We need to create points of discovery and experience, and not just points of sale.
For us here at L’Oréal Travel Retail, we engage with the traveller before, during, and after they travel – what we call the augmented traveller journey. We work with our travel partners to deepen insights into our consumer needs, to provide exciting immersive experiences and differentiated offerings from local markets.
PM: As you say, I mean, data is the glue. For me, the problem is that retailers and brands all operate at different speeds. And the market is changing at such a speed, arguably most in this business are behind the curve. So what you’re addressing right now is how do we get ahead of the curve? You’re the market leader, and you lead from the front.
JA: Yes, we want to continue leading the way on this, and our teams are consumer-centric in everything we do.
PM: Moving on, as we know, beauty is all about emotion, discovery and ritual. Travel environments, on the other hand, are really all about stress, speed and distraction, especially in major Asian hubs. How do you create, and you just talked about this before, a meaningful L’ Oréal experience in an ecosystem that seems almost designed to work against it.
JA: Ok, so when you are travelling Peter, when do you feel relaxed? Which moment?
PM: When I get through security.
JA: Yes, exactly. From travel insights, 59% of consumers feel relaxed when they pass through security. And this is the moment when we have our “golden window” to get their attention. We are competing with consumers’ phones to capture attention – but ultimately when you travel, you are in the mood for enjoying and shopping, and this is the moment that we try to connect with them.
45% of travellers say their reason to buy is the in-store experience. So now the responsibility is on us. How do we attract these consumers?
PM: Well, you’ve addressed it by creating the Pentarchy amongst other things and where you’re really getting people pre-trip. I think that’s the trigger – that’s really the trigger and none of us are doing enough of it. It’s not always possible of course, because not every airport is like Singapore – that’s an ecosystem that’s like a one stop shop. But you’ve enjoyed separate success stories in Brazil and Singapore. The Pentarchy is a brilliant idea and I’d like to see more of it. And brands and, to a degree airports, need to be rethinking how they address their passenger base by looking at what can be better done pre -trip.
So, next question. From Gen Z to baby boomers, we keep hearing that travellers are seeking more novel, immersive experiences when they move through airports and downtown locations. Can you share how L’Oreal is actually translating that into concrete immersive environments in Asia Pacific – beyond the buzzwords?
JA: I like this question. A great example is what we did in Hainan. The good news is that Hainan is back with a high double-digit growth that hasn’t been seen in the past few years. Hainan is very strategic for L’Oréal Travel Retail, and our commitment extends to the China International Consumer Products Expo CICPE, where we had excellent public affairs engagement with the Hainan government.
Just recently this year, we also did multi-division activation on an unprecedented scale, with great traveler recruitment across many of our brands.
JA: We talked about what we need to do to bring travelers back to the store. That’s the beauty of L’Oreal being multi-division across categories and needs, because we have the answer to every consumer such as dermatological beauty and haircare categories.
Hainan was a masterclass of retail-tainment from our teams across multiple categories. Let me share firstly about Dermatological Beauty. We know medical aesthetics is a trend as more people are travelling now for medical aesthetic treatments, they travel to Korea, Thailand, Turkey. SkinCeuticals is one of the brands driving this wave, and at Hainan recently for our SkinCeuticals event, Yang Mi, a famous Chinese actress who is also our global ambassador for Skinceuticals, made her first-ever Travel Retail appearance. You cannot imagine the crowds.
PM: I can certainly speak for Turkey. In Istanbul, medical and aesthetic tourism is a major calling card. You see a sea of purple heads for hair transplants everywhere.
JA: Yes, so now what we offer with Skinceuticals is the first non-invasive, aesthetic treatment called “Hydrafacial”. We are entering into this segment of dermatological beauty that is also a category.
And we also have our Luxury division, where I can use the example of our highly-immersive YSL Beauty Love Store, which had our exclusive YSL Beauty AI robot store assistant, something that we developed exclusively by our very own L’Oreal Travel Retail Asia Pacific team. That was featured here at TFWA Singapore during our Agora session speech, together with our exclusively-developed AI holograms and videos.
These are examples of how we are creating true playgrounds of Beauty. We are walking the talk and leading the way to creating immersive points of discovery and experience, with great points of differentiation.
PM: That feeds logically to the next question. Your L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific team is clearly at the frontline of how L’Oréal brands show up for travellers. And your recent activations certainly show amazing engagement. But what are the hard metrics – not just impressions – that you use to judge whether an activation truly works and deserves to be scaled.
JA: We are expecting more than 700 million beauty consumers by 2030 in the industry: so what’s the role of travel retail? Travel retail is a very powerful recruitment channel. For example, in Skinceuticals’ recent Hainan animation, 40% of the consumers there were new to the brand. That is quite impressive. With the right animation at the right place and the right exciting engagement, you can recruit new beauty consumers for the brand – this is the first KPI.
We always engage with travellers: and when you engage, you connect with them. This connection is driving conversion. So the second KPI beyond impressions – is conversion. For example, at our recent Hainan activation for YSL Beauty Love Store, we had makeup services that were fully booked: and every time we did a makeup service, we converted nine out of ten consumers.
If we want to drive value in our channel, we need to ensure that travel retail plays the important role of consumer recruitment and conversion; and starting consumer relationships which will then continue in local markets: what we call the consumer lifetime value of the brands.
PM: Is what you do scalable?
JA: For sure. What is great is that the teams are always working on different solutions for different spaces, which is what we are showcasing in our L’Oreal pavilion this year – everything is scalable.
PM: Let’s turn to Artificial Intelligence. AI – it’s the new frontier. It’s also the latest buzz topic in every conference panel. But, in truth, no one really knows very much about it. It’s a tremendous learning curve for everyone. Where specifically is AI already changing the way that L’Oreal Travel Retail operates in Asia Pacific today, and where do you think the hype still runs ahead of the reality?
JA: We are always innovating, and this is just the beginning. AI is making this a real opportunity for us: I have mentioned YSL Beauty Love Store’s AI robot store assistant, and last year we had an AI DJ offering makeup personalization consultations at our YSL Beauty Light Club. At Lancome, we had also developed Lancome Genifique AI beauty consultant for skincare needs while traveling, offering the right product for the place passengers were travelling to. It’s all about personalisation.
Even during our TFWA Agora, we had L’Oreal TR Asia Pacific exclusively-developed AI holograms and videos, to showcase our future-forward vision in incredible ways to movers and shakers in the industry.
PM: That is brilliant – currently far ahead of anybody else out there in the marketplace. Beautifully packaged, beautifully presented. I think it’s the brand name coupled with the tech that embeds the trust.
JA: I agree.
PM: So, the traveller’s path to purchase is now anything but linear. Inspiration can start on social media, research can happen at home, and the actual transaction may be online or in the airport. Just how is L’Oreal connecting those dots to stay present from trip planning right through to the return journey – rather than just “waiting on shelf”.
JA: To be consumer centric, we need to engage the travellers before the trip – what we call the augmented traveller journey. We are actively building a partnership ecosystem with our retailers, airports, airlines, and other brand categories, such as a fantastic collaboration with Pernod Ricard last year.
For example, last year in Singapore with YSL’s Beauty Light Club, we partnered with Meta and Grab for airport transfer, Changi Airport, and Shilla Duty Free. We have just signed a strategic partnership with Agoda, which is one of the top travel platforms in Asia Pacific outside of China. And we work with C-Trip in China.
The whole industry is data rich, it’s how we leverage this data that matters, to engage the traveller in a more precise and personalized way. This is really the future.
PM: Let’s now pivot to the soul. You have to balance high-end desirability with planetary responsibility at a time when scrutiny from Asia Pacific specific consumers is increasing, how do you make sustainability a real, informed choice for travellers rather than just a line in your brand manifesto?
JA: Travellers want more sustainable offers. And the good news is in our L’Oreal assortment across duty-free stores in Asia Pacific, you can find a refillable solution in 30% of our catalogue. We also have TR Exclusive sets (called TREX) which has a product with a refill in the sets. The consumers really love it because it is not only good for their pocket, but also good for the planet.
In June we celebrate World Refill Day. We are doing this interview now during TFWA Singapore, and I would like to mention that this pavilion is constructed with 90% renewable, recyclable or reusable materials. When you look at the Aesop area here, the wall surface is made with reusable box labels, which is both a great sustainable idea and beautiful as well.
PM: Just sticking with the Asia Pacific region for the moment, how would you characterise L’Oreal’s current performance in Asia Pacific travel retail versus the wider beauty market? Are you gaining share?
JA: It has been a challenging time for travel retail. But still our commitment is to outperform the market, and we are very happy that we continue to do so.
PM: So looking ahead, what does the next generation of L’Oréal Travel Retail experiences in Asia Pacific look like – in terms of digital tools, personalization services, or even new locations beyond the classic airport footprint?
JA: We have always been a laboratory, this is the Asia Pacific of the future. From many of our immersive and AI-driven activations, some of which I mentioned above, along with the buzz and what you felt when you entered our pavilion today, this is a clear demonstration that L’Oreal Travel Retail Asia Pacific will keep paving the way for years to come.
PM: Incredible, and let’s thank Isabelle, your Director of Corporate Affairs and Engagement, for also being in this conversation, and bringing us on a virtual walk-through of the L’Oréal pavilion itself.
Isabelle Lim (IZ): Thank you Peter. When we imagined this year’s pavilion, we wanted to invite everyone into what we call our “iconic playgrounds of brand equity” (instead of just showing products); where you will see our commitment to the uniqueness of our channel.
Our vision is clear: Travel Retail is the ultimate recruitment engine for our brands, where we capture the hearts of travelers through an immersive invitation into Discovery, which includes unforgettable experiences that are fully scalable. Let me bring you through some of these experiences in a 360o walkthrough of the pavilion.
We start off with Miu Miu, which has been one of the top brands on the luxury brand Lyst index for the past three years. Miu Miu is on fire with Gen Zs, and our Miu Miu fragrances are bringing a whole new dynamic to engage with the new generation.
A major highlight you will see in our pavilion is the Differentiation we create, which cannot be found elsewhere. This is revealed through our proprietary TR Senses: Sense of the Unexpected, Sense of Place, Sense of Time, Sense of Service, Sense of Ultimate Luxury, and Sense of Gifting.
In this conveyor belt storytelling, for example, our Sense of Gifting comes alive with every luggage – each representing a different traveler profile and reason to travel.
Featured here are our TR Exclusive gift sets (TREX), some of which were specially created for top gifting seasons, for example: Lunar New Year where we launched these beautiful YSL Beauty glitter heart gift box; and exciting exclusives such as our first-ever tr apac Prada TREX launch with this iconic triangle gift box.
We also created ‘Moment of Discovery’ blotters that transform the fragrance blotter into a storytelling device, where every spray of fragrance onto a blotter reveals a hidden travel occasion.
Next, at our Prada market, it is all about elevating an essential moment of life – grocery shopping – with a playful twist. Imbuing the spirit of Sense of Unexpected and Sense of Service, guests at our pavilion had an interactive surprise when they discovered we had transformed it into a cafe, and they could dine on delectable canapes, coffee or beverages anytime!
At Helena Rubinstein, the pop-up is transformed into a TR-exclusive concept: a First-Class Recovery Cabin. Some of our Helena Rubinstein TREX gift sets have a luggage belt around it, which make it distinctively about “Travel”, and the Sense of Place is conveyed through the name of the travel destination (in this case “Singapore”), so travelers will always remember the beautiful place they visited.
Then we arrive at Lancôme Absolu Longevity MD: the Lancome launch of the decade, and its first-ever supplement-infused skincare.
Consumers are placing greater emphasis on wellness and preventive healthcare, and Longevity is shaping the future of beauty – as one of the beauty industry’s strongest new categories.
It is all about total wellness. We have developed a holistic immersive experience for travelers at our Lancome Absolue Longevity MD pop-ups.
First of all, Oxygen boosts are rejuvenation methods used by kpop artists backstage during concerts, by pilots to combat jetlag while they are flying, and by top athletes for after-sports recovery. At our Lancome Absolue Longevity MD pop-ups, we will provide rejuvenating Oxygen Boosts to travelers through sleek oxygen devices (in partnership with a Singapore start-up).
We will also provide Acupuncture hand massages which is an Eastern longevity technique; and consumers can receive exclusive gifts from Pilates brand Bala, only available only at Lancome Travel Retail Asia Pacific animations.
It’s the ultimate Sense of Luxury and Service.
Our next zone is built around the traveler journey of “Suncare Check-In, Haircare Check-Out”.
Before you travel, you need protection; after the journey, you need care.
From traveler insights: suncare is often a last-minute purchase to grab at the airport. La Roche-Posay Anthelios is our #1 Derma Suncare brand recommended worldwide, and we launched the latest La Roche-Posay pocket-sized sunblock exclusively at some stores.
We also designed this zone to be very implementable yet eye-catching with interactive e-Tennis games, linked to a UV camera that reveals if you have sufficient sun protection for the country of travel.
At Kiehl’s, we have launched its first UV serum that combines UV protection with skin correction, while Biotherm is disruptive and exciting with TREX gift sets displayed in giant water bottles.
At Kérastase,we are the hair category in Travel Retail. Kérastase Summer K Club is our Travel Exclusive animation, which builds on the traveler insight that everyone wants to look their best in trip photos. At our animations, we will provide scalp consultation using our premium Beauty Tech device K-Scan 2.0, as well as hair styling services with our best-selling hair oils and complimentary hair accessories. The whole zone is an interactive and fun Sense of the Unexpected experience for travelers.
Let’s enter the world of Aesop. The entire wall is made of recycled salvaged Aesop city kit packaging labels pasted on the walls, creating one of the many beautiful sustainability elements we have in our pavilion. If you would like to visit our Aesop stores, we have just opened our first-ever Southeast Asia travel retail store in Changi Airport Terminal 1 departure, and launched our exclusive Singapore city kit in-store. We look forward to welcoming everyone there.
Next, we have a Gen Z story at play.
Fragrances are a very important category for us, and interestingly, Armani “Power of You” female fragrance, and “Stronger With You” male fragrance went viral on TikTok #PerfumeTok recently, as Gen Zs organically discovered and love these scents.
And then we have Armani Dolce Café, an activation that showcases how impactful we can be, even in such a small space. It was created to showcase the Armani Dolci Blush launch, and we gifted delectable macaroons that were reminiscent of the Blush packaging. Moving away from the traditional look of the past (think black colour and heritage), it has a younger energetic aesthetic that will captivate Gen Zs and the young at heart because it is so vibrant, yet still quintessentially Armani.
To top off the pavilion experience, we have our L’Oréal Paris travel-retail-exclusive concept: Fly and Glow. Its Sense of Place is driven by a Tik-Tok-worthy photo area for travelers to sit on a L’Oreal Paris luggage and film their Tik-Tok video. They can then enjoy travel exclusive experiences, including a touch of charm with a charm bracelet activity, hand massages, and red light therapy.
Voila! The magic happens here, as we continue to lead and reshape the future of travel retail.
PM: Thank you Isabelle for such an immersive tour. Time now to have a quick look at the video that shows the best of what the L’Oréal pavilion offered.
PM: Finally, Jesus, if we fast forward to, say, 2030, what would you like people to say that L’Oreal did for beauty in Asia Pacific travel retail, and what will you be most disappointed about if the industry hasn’t changed by then?
JA: I would focus on four points. The first is about everything we have been discussing: engaging the consumer and making Travel Retail a destination in itself. That will determine success or failure for me. That is encapsulated by our L’Oreal pavilion here at TFWA Asia Pacific. If we can say that Travel Retail has become a playground for Gen Z consumers to discover the magic of our brands, then we have delivered.
The second point is that we have created this ecosystem of partnerships, to leverage data and engage the traveller before, during, and after the trip. This is our responsibility. We are leading the way, but we need the whole industry to work together on this. I have had many conversations with retailers, and they are looking forward to partner with us.
The third point is to be consumer-centric. We need to understand the patterns of the new travelling nationalities, and consumer centricity is the only way we can differentiate and create offers that are tailored for these consumers.
And the last point is that it’s all about the people. I think this industry needs diverse people if we want to transform it, and if we want the above points 1, 2, and 3 to happen. We need the best talents who are resilient, agile, and innovative, and the amazing team that I have here in L’Oreal Travel Retail Asia Pacific have these qualities to keep bringing success to our industry.
PM: Yes, we can use robots, but we need good people more. A great interview. Thank you for your time.
JA: Thank you very much, Peter.
