CHINA. French family-owned beauty house Clarins and China Duty Free Group have lauded the success of a Beauty Factory pop-up at the Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex in Haitang Bay, Hainan this August.
The Clarins Beauty Factory, or 颜植⼯坊 in Mandarin, is a play on the words 颜值, which refers to facial attractiveness and the rating of how alluring an individual’s face is.
Using 植 (plant) as a pun brought the focus of the event back to the botanical relevance and ingredients used in the Clarins Beauty Factory
The pop-up took consumers behind the scenes to the making of Clarins products throughout the entire ‘plant to jar” journey.
The Clarins Beauty Factory pop-up reinforced the brand’s commitment to sustainable agriculture that protects people and planet. That commitment ranges from the sourcing of individual plant ingredients used in Clarins’ repertoire of plant-based formulas, to the science of formulation and packaging of the products in eco-friendly packaging.
Clarins said it is staying true to its mission of making life more beautiful and passing on a more beautiful planet.
China Duty Free Group Perfume & Cosmetics Department General Manager Grace Wang said, “CDFG is pleased to support Clarins in this Beauty Factory pop-up where we can have the opportunity to educate travellers and consumers alike on the behind the scenes of Clarins’ ingredient sourcing, product formulation, and eco-conscious packaging.
“The strong commitment of Clarins to responsible beauty is especially inspiring and we are honoured to be able to work together to bring this beautiful story to our consumers.”
More than 80% of active ingredients in Clarins products are of natural origin. Led by the guidance of Clarins’ Head Ethnobotanist Jean-Pierre Nicolas, the Clarins team travels the world to study how humans use plants, helping the company seek inspiration for the most innovative skincare and makeup products.
With 40% organic plant extracts in its products, Clarins has also pledged to reduce carbon emissions by -30% and achieve 100% recyclable packaging by 2025.
{Click on the video icon to learn more about the Clarins and China Duty Free Group partnership. The Beauty Factory pop-up took consumers on a journey across four zones to explore how products are crafted as part of a Clarins commitment to leave a more beautiful planet for future generations to inherit.}
Interactive and immersive
In collaboration with CDFG, Clarins brought consumers behind the scenes to learn about the making of products via an interactive, immersive and educational experience of the plant to jar journey.
As an expert in plant science innovation, Clarins said its latest initiative signifies a strong commitment to a sustainable development culture while embodying the company’s raison d’être – ‘Making life more beautiful, passing on a more beautiful planet.’ This mantra has been part of the company’s corporate social responsibility mission since its founding in 1954.
More than 80% of active ingredients in Clarins products are of natural origin and with 40% organic plant extracts in the products, Clarins has also pledged to reduce 30% less carbon emissions and achieve 100% recyclable packaging by 2025.
“Together, the future can be beautiful,” the company said.
Clarins Global Travel Retail President Alexandre Callens said, “We’re delighted to have collaborated once again with CDFG to roll out our Beauty Factory and tell the Clarins behind the scenes Plant to Jar journey.
“This ‘Crafted Beautifully’ campaign, a tribute to our plant science and sustainable sourcing DNA, complements last year’s ‘Explore Beautifully’ – a travel retail-exclusive campaign expressing Clarins deeply rooted sustainable development culture.
“As we emerge from a challenging lockdown situation, I can only praise the relationship between CDF and Clarins to amplify Beauty Factory both offline and offline,” Callens added, noting that beauty and sustainability should go hand in hand as “one and only”.
Clarins Beauty Factory: Engaging offline and online
The podium experience began with a QR code scan which invited shoppers to discover the different zones of Beauty Factory through a WeChat Mini Program podium navigation tool.
To encourage shoppers to complete the journey, a digital stamp was given at each checkpoint, and upon completion of all checkpoints, shoppers redeemed an exclusive set of flight chess.
Zone 1: Extraction Lab – Via an interactive experience, consumers were educated on the origins and benefits of the plant ingredients that goes into Clarins products
Zone 2: Formulation Room – The pop-up also featured engaging retailtainment elements which included a formulation machine where shoppers could interact with it, watch the making of the Clarins Double Serum and receive a sample pack.
Zone 3: Eco Conscious Atelier – Consumers could learn about Clarins’ commitment towards innovative eco-responsible packaging and to becoming plastic neutral by 2025, when all containers will be recyclable. Visitors could also receive a customised beauty consultation at this checkpoint
Zone 4: AR Wall – Here shoppers could watch the Beauty Factory come to life through the activation of an interactive AR filter, in which they got to choose between three plant filters and shared their selfies on social media
Gamification
A Beauty Factory game was also launched with the aim of driving brand awareness and excitement for travellers before and during their trips.
The game immersed travellers in an interactive plant-to-jar journey. Here, travellers could take a photo and transform themselves into avatars to explore the making of a Clarins product – from ingredient sourcing to the formulation and packaging of the products.
The mobile-first game used simple interactions to draw users into the gameplay. Users tapped to reveal hidden ingredients in the forest that are key to the creation of Clarins products in the first stage and physically shook their mobile devices to start the formulation process of Double Serum next.
Once the products were completed, users proceeded into the packaging zone where they pulled the lever down to complete the packaging of the products
With the completion of the online game, users could choose the character they would like to be in the Clarins Beauty Factory – Clarins Ethnobotanist, Clarins Scientist, Clarins Quality Controller – and share the poster on social media platforms for a chance to win bestsellers.
Clarins said the interactive and engaging nature of the game generated great interest and high engagement among the target audience.
The virtual journey concluded at CDFG’s e-shop where shoppers could buy the Beauty Factory travel-exclusive set and their favourite Clarins products. It also featured a call to action that invites travellers to visit the real-life pop-up store at the CDF Mall within the Haitang Bay complex.
Celebrity appeal
Popular male Chinese actor Tan Jian Ci (JC-T) was engaged as a key ambassador for the event. He hosted an hour-long livestream designed to immerse the audience into the virtual world of Beauty Factory with the help of green screen technology.
To further create awareness for the Clarins Beauty Factory, a curated selection of travel, beauty, and nature-loving key opinion leaders (KOLs) were selected to help share more about the exclusive Clarins Beauty Factory and encourage their followers to experience the plant to jar journey.
Livestream viewers watched how JC-T illustrated the plant to jar journey as he shared his personal experiences of interacting with nature. A frequent participant in multiple CSR initiatives such as educational projects for children in impoverished areas and well known for his care for the environment, JC-T, with his charismatic and pleasant image, is the perfect representative for the brand, Clarins said.
The livestream generated more than 14 million views, putting it among the most-viewed livestreams hosted by CDFG this year.
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