JAPAN/CHINA. Japanese prestige beauty brand DECORTÉ (KOSÉ Travel Retail) is celebrating the success of an ambitious cross-border promotion in Japan and China showcasing its hero products, Liposome Advanced Serum and key line, Sunshelter.
Under the banner ‘A Little Luxury, Everywhere You Go’, the campaign blends retail promotions, digital engagement, hotel and airline partnerships and experiential activations to offer a memorable shopping experience for travellers.
Launched in April and now extended through November, the campaign leverages the company’s travel retail distribution and sales infrastructure, while drawing on local networks, facilities and partnerships across both markets.
An omnichannel experience in Japan
The centrepiece of the campaign is KOSÉ Travel Retail’s first large-scale pop-up in Okinawa, running in partnership with DFS Group. It was launched in April and is running through November.
The DFS Okinawa pop-up features the latest brand campaign starring DECORTÉ Advertising Model Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani. At the animations, visitors can enjoy a wide range of interactive and experiential activities designed to bring the DECORTÉ brand to life.
Shoppers receive original Japanese Uchiwa fans (a flat, non-folding Japanese hand fan) and exclusive merchandise, such as a Shohei Otani-themed black pouch and an AQ limited-edition set.
A standout element is the Shohei Ohtani augmented-reality photo booth, inviting travellers to capture a memorable digital moment with the baseball star. Another highlight is an on-site counselling desk where beauty consultants provide personalised advice to guide product purchases.
Gamification plays a central role with a capsule lottery and memory match game, showcasing Liposome’s 11 skin-boosting effects on the back of each panel. Since July, the experience has been further elevated with the addition of a DFS Okinawa-exclusive crossbody bag.
According to KTR, DECORTÉ achieved its highest monthly sell-out record in May at DFS Okinawa thanks to the activation.
DFS Group Senior Vice President Global Merchandising Amael Blain commented: “Building on the great success of our recent event at Los Angeles International Ariport, we are very excited to extend this momentum to Okinawa with another highly impactful activation.
“The enthusiastic response from our customers reaffirms the strength of the DFS – DECORTÉ (KTR) partnership and inspires us to push the boundaries of travel retail. Together we remain committed to delivering world-class experiences to delight our discerning travelling customers.”
“When the pop-up space was completed and we held the ribbon-cutting ceremony, I felt confident that this event would deliver remarkable results,” added DFS Group Vice President Store Operations Japan Tad Uchtman.
“The pop-up created an immersive experience that exceeded our customers and our expectations. With the overwhelming success, we felt confident to extend the event beyond the original schedule.
“This marks a significant step forward in the collaboration between DFS Japan and KOSÉ Travel Retail, enabling us to bring unforgettable, duty-free exclusive experiences to even more customers.”
In Kansai, DECORTÉ has partnered with local hotels to offer in-room amenities in conjunction with the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.
The brand has also partnered with Japan Airlines to offer sampling experiences in the First Class and Sakura lounges at Tokyo Haneda Airport.
A high-profile pop-up campaign in China
In China, the campaign was launched across several key duty-free locations, including Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3, Shanghai Pudong International Airport Terminal 2, Zhuhai Duty Free Gongbei Port arrivals and Wangfujing International Duty-Free Harbor City in Wanning, Hainan.
The activations combine outdoor advertising with on-site engagement, social media integration through WeChat and Red alongside promotional offers including trial sets, exclusive gift-with-purchase pouches and capsule-toy-style lotteries.
At Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3 and Shanghai Pudong International Airport Terminal 2 the campaign ran with CDF-Sunrise Duty Free throughout July.
It offered travellers trial sets of DECORTÉ Advanced Liposome and a limited-edition gift-with-purchase set. Travellers could also receive limited-edition uchiwa fans after following DECORTÉ’s WeChat and Red accounts.
At Wangfujing International Duty-Free Harbour City (1 July-30 September) the campaign features a limited-time special lottery event with a 75ml Liposome serum as the first prize. It also ran at Zhuhai Duty Free Gongbei Port arrivals store from 2 July to 31 August.
Travellers can also enjoy a Gachapon game with any sale, alongside gifts with purchase and trial Liposome sets and receive Uchiwa fans in exchange for following DECORTE’s WeChat and Red accounts.
KOSÉ Travel Retail President and CEO Hiroto Kitaki commented, “First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all our business partners who participated in this global campaign.
“Through our flagship brand DECORTÉ and our hero product Liposome, we were able to carry out a campaign that truly embodied this year’s theme of Branding and Expansion, reaching customers across a wide range of countries and regions.
“This campaign was further elevated through the integration of our infrastructure: duty-free stores, in-flight sales and hotel amenities – as well as collaboration with our local business operations. This approach aligns with the policy we have upheld since the launch of KOSÉ Travel Retail in 2020, and we intend to continue developing it further.”
Kitaki added: “Moreover, this event provided us with a valuable opportunity to directly share the world of DECORTÉ and the appeal of our hero product, the Liposome serum. It was deeply encouraging to see that, despite differences in culture and values, the core philosophy and aesthetic of our brand were clearly understood and appreciated.
“Our hope and goal are that the customers we met through this campaign will become loyal fans of the brand, and ultimately, long-term users in the future.
“Building on this success, we will continue to deliver exclusive customer experiences to more regions and audiences, while further promoting the unique appeal of the travel retail channel.” ✈
