Introduction: “At Emma Hardie, we pride ourselves on our natural formulas that offer powerful results.” So says Emma Hardie Head of Global Travel Retail Jasleen Babraha, underlining the niche beauty brand’s key USPs as it ramps up its presence in travel retail.
“As a facialist brand we know skin, but we also know the importance of creating a sensory experience,” she adds. “The art of being able to make an indulgent spa experience away from home is our brand’s signature. This helps us stand out amid a very crowded skincare space.”
In this exclusive interview with The Moodie Davitt Report Brands Director Hannah Tan, Babraha discusses the brand’s strategic expansion into travel retail and its mission to empower travellers with indulgent ‘spa-in-a-jar’ experiences while on-the-go.
She also provides insights into upcoming product innovations and shares her thoughts on the biggest trends shaping the beauty industry.
Tell us the story behind Emma Hardie and the brand’s inspiration.
Founded in 2009 and born from the renowned and revolutionary Lift & Sculpt Facial, Emma Hardie has become an internationally adored independent skincare brand with over 40 prestigious beauty awards to its name. Since launching, the best-selling, multi-award-winning Moringa Cleansing Balm has become a cult product and is loved by loyal customers, makeup artists, beauty editors, influencers and celebrities worldwide.
We pride ourselves on delivering natural formulas that offer powerful results and innovative products using targeted, natural botanical ingredients.
What is the key consumer audience and how are you targeting them?
The Emma Hardie consumer seeks performance products which deliver results with luxurious formats. The range appeals to consumers who seek skincare products that care for their skin and enhance its natural radiance while giving a sense of complete wellbeing. This means targeting anyone at any age who understands the importance of cleansing and feeding the skin with products that are packed with natural botanicals.
Having the products available in multiple shopping destinations and touch points is essential – from in-store, to online and now travel retail.
What are Emma Hardie’s best-selling products and which product lines will be your travel retail focus?
Our hero product is the Moringa Cleansing Balm. It’s the ultimate spa-in-a-jar and removes all traces of makeup, SPF and impurities while also balancing, hydrating and nourishing the skin. The multi-purpose balm is more than a cleanser and is the perfect holiday companion which can be used as an overnight mask, lip balm and on dry patches of skin.
Travellers love our Plump & Glow Hydrating Facial Mist as it provides an instant boost of hydration on-the-go and is ideal for flights, refreshing skin on a hot day and soothing tight sun-kissed skin after a day in the beach.
The Protect & Prime SPF30 is a year-round staple and has UVA and UVB protection while acting as a hybrid moisturiser and primer. Its light-diffusing formulation evens out the complexion and blurs the appearance of fine lines and pores resulting in a soft focus, radiant finish.
We also offer an array of travel-size minis, perfectly presented in kits to provide jetsetters with everything they need for their next trip.
What opportunities does travel retail bring to your overall business as you continue to expand and, in your view, what makes Emma Hardie a perfect fit?
Travel retail exposes the Emma Hardie brand to a diverse and wide group of consumers. The channel introduces the brand to an audience who might not otherwise be aware of the brand and its products in a shopping environment that is different from our traditional retail partners.
Our products are perfect for travel – our ‘spa in a jar’ Moringa Cleansing Balm is a complete travel luxury with its multi-purpose approach and how it enables travellers to indulge in a spa experience while on the go.
What sets you apart from your competitors in the beauty space?
At Emma Hardie, we pride ourselves on our natural formulas that offer powerful results. As a facialist brand we know skin, but we also know the importance of creating a sensory experience. Emma Hardie customers come to us because our products are a pleasure to use and deliver results.
Our products are also available in travel sizes and convenient kit formats so that their skin-boosting benefits can also be enjoyed when our customers are travelling.
The indulgent nature and luxurious textures of our Emma Hardie products ensure that our customers can step away from their busy lives and indulge in a moment of selfcare. Our products help create a spa experience at home or wherever in the world they travel to. The art of being able to make an indulgent spa experience away from home is our brand’s signature. This helps us stand out amid a very crowded skincare space.
We want to extend our distribution on in-flight, in duty free and at airports around the world. We hope to partner with companies who share the same value of ensuring the best experience for their customers.
Can you give us some insight into Emma Hardie’s travel retail plans and your next geographical priorities?
We are starting initially with our home market in the UK, where the brand already has good consumer awareness. Beyond that, we aim to be present in popular global destinations, including the Middle East, Asia and key European hubs.
What’s your major focus for the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes? What product innovations will you showcase?
As the Emma Hardie brand is new to travel retail the main objective is to showcase our hero products at the TFWA show.
The brand has a range of luxury mini travel sizes and kits which are the perfect fit for this sector. These include the complete Emma Hardie regime from our Moringa Cleansing Balm, through to the Prime and Protect SPF30. They also feature our travel must-haves, including the Plump and Glow Hydrating Facial Mist and Brilliance Facial Oil, both hydrating heroes for long-haul flights and warmer travel destinations.
What do you see as the biggest trends that will next influence the beauty industry and how do you plan to evolve along with these?
Beauty takes inspiration from so many different lifestyle factors. Natural beauty, wellness and feeling like our best selves at any age are key drivers.
Consumers seek performance products which not only make them look good but feel good too. Therefore, effective ingredients and textures that allow our skin to breathe, glow and radiate are important. SPF and UV protection, in formats that are light, every day and compliment skincare routines, are also a must and will continue to be a part of Emma Hardie’s product-development pipeline.
What does a good partnership look like to you in travel retail? What more can retailers do to enhance the appeal of the beauty category to travellers?
Strong communication, understanding the needs of the retailers and the space where our brand is launched are all essential. Working in synergy is the key to success as well as a strong understanding of your environment.
Over the last year, the brand has been able to explore new channels and territories and drive growth by investing in 360-degree marketing to support all launches – making the travel channel a key growth strategy for the brand.
This 360-degree approach was exemplified with our recent launch at Luton Airport with Aelia Duty Free, where duty-free staff, agency staff and Emma Hardie staff are all available to help drive the brand story and USPs. We have a solid plan set in place with a strong strategic sampling and gifting programme and have been working closely with all teams on training and education.
We are first and foremost a facialist brand; having the space to do treatments and events to create a buzz is important to us as offering a full customer experience is our number one priority. ✈
To arrange a meeting with Emma Hardie Head of Global Travel Retail Jasleen Babraha at the upcoming TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes, please send an email to Jasleen.Babraha@emmahardie.com
