CHINA. L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific and China Duty Free Group (CDFG) last week celebrated the regional launch of US-based professional skincare brand SkinCeuticals at the retailer’s acclaimed Haitang Bay Duty Free Shopping Center in Sanya, Hainan.
The inauguration in the travel retail channel took place at a pop-up store created for the occasion. L’Oréal Group acquired SkinCeuticals in 2005 and now believes the time is right to introduce the brand to an increasingly health-conscious Asian beauty-buying consumer base.
“Health is probably the future of beauty. Very concretely, we are already seeing everywhere that the demand for sensitive skin products is booming and medical skincare is on the rise.” – Emmanuel Goulin
SkinCeuticals now joins the French group’s fellow dermocosmetics brands La Roche-Posay and Vichy in a strengthening of L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific’s portfolio and mission to provide beauty for all travellers.
To highlight SkinCeuticals’ mission in providing advanced skincare backed by science, a hi-tech touch, primarily in black and white, sets the tone for the pop-up. Visitors are invited to a comprehensive interpretation of the professional skincare brand through immersive spaces, including an anti-oxidation lab and an interactive game wall for a close-up experience of the advanced antioxidation technology.
At the event, SkinCeuticals experts at the Digital Orchard demonstrate the antioxidant ‘apple test’. Professional skin diagnosis and skincare express facial treatment by a SkinCeuticals expert are also available for travellers to explore the brand’s powerful anti-oxidant products.
“Through our exclusive collaboration with China Duty Free Group, we are thrilled that SkinCeuticals is at last launched in travel retail,” said L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific Managing Director Emmanuel Goulin [see our exclusive interview below].
“The dermocosmetics market continues to be buoyant, and SkinCeuticals is the perfect answer to meeting specific travellers’ needs in terms of prevention, protection and correction of skin concerns. The addition of SkinCeuticals to our brand portfolio further ensures we have a powerful range of brands to offer beauty for all travellers
“Travellers have been longing for the launch of SkinCeuticals, and today, we are able to make this into reality,” said CDFG Vice President of Central Merchandising Division Terry Chua. “The successful event today is a perfect demonstration of the deepened strategic partnership with L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific, and we look forward to the exciting expansion of SkinCeuticals in place under China Duty Free Group.”
SkinCeuticals is now also launched at Shanghai Pudong Airport Terminal S1, will be introduced at Beijing Capital International Airport by early 2020.
ABOUT SKINCEUTICALS
L’Oréal Group describes SkinCeuticals as “a brand born from academic science”.
The brand’s stated mission is to improve skin health and provide advanced skincare backed by science. Its formulations are developed in close partnership with top physicians to ensure a high level of efficacy.
The skincare, made in the US, is used by dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and medi-spas in professional treatments, for daily homecare, and to complement aesthetic procedures.
The SkinCeuticals story began with founder Dr. Sheldon Pinnell’s ground-breaking research on Vitamin C, long before the company was established. In the years since, the company has remained committed to using evidence-based research to develop new antioxidant and cosmeceutical formulations.
QUESTION AND ANSWER WITH EMMANUEL GOULIN
Martin Moodie: Emmanuel, SkinCeuticals is an intriguing addition to your already star-studded skincare portfolio in travel retail. Sum up the importance of the brand to your portfolio.
Emmanuel Goulin: Health is probably the future of beauty. Very concretely, we are already seeing everywhere that the demand for sensitive skin products is booming and medical skincare is on the rise. It is clearly another untapped market in travel retail and offers great opportunities for us.
The addition of SkinCeuticals to our dermocosmetics offer (La Roche Posay and Vichy) further strengthens our powerful brand portfolio to provide beauty for all travellers.
The brand was acquired way back in 2005. Tell us why you have chosen to introduce it to travel retail now.
Brand awareness is key in our travel retail channel, and we rather wait for the perfect timing when the brand develops its awareness in Asia Pacific, particularly in Mainland China. We are confident now is the best time for SkinCeuticals to be launched in Asia Pacific travel retail.
Along with Luxe, Active Cosmetics was one of the stars of the show for the group in the first half. How much momentum does SkinCeuticals, in particular, have and how well suited is it to the Asian travel retail sector?
SkinCeuticals posted a record performance since the beginning of the year in Asia Pacific local markets, and more recently again during the 11/11 sales. We see SkinCeuticals as having high potential and we are convinced its launch in travel retail Asia Pacific will drive even stronger growth for us.
Who is your key target audience?
Our target audience are skin-obsessed consumers with high demand on product efficacy, superior formulations and effective ingredients. They adapt very precise and detailed routines, and are users of other premium skincare products. They have participated or will consider aesthetic procedures to counter aging problems and prolong the effect of beauty enhancement.
A key question in terms of travel retail prospects – what is the brand’s presence in China domestic?
In Mainland China, SkinCeuticals has a very strong anchor in medical and professional channels, partnering with dermocosmetic aestheticians. The brand launched on Tmall in 2015, and expanded into [offline] retail in 2017.
How will you position the brand within your diverse portfolio? How do you differentiate it from your own products and those of your competitors?
SkinCeuticals is dedicated to provide advance skincare backed by science. As a professional skincare brand, its expertise is on research and creation of its powerful formulations in close partnership with top physicians to ensure a high level of efficacy for our products.
What’s the promotional strategy? And how do you explain a professional care product to a consumer audience – or multiple consumer audiences if we talk Asia Pacific as a region?
We target sophisticated consumers through professional differentiation with unique medical retail experience. At our POS, we offer a medical diagnosis service with our next generation SkinScope and linkage to personalise product recommendation. Additionally, our beauty advisors also offer connection and referral with local market dermocosmetic partners for travellers.
You’ve chosen to launch with China Duty Free Group at Haitang Bay – a hot bed for innovation and for Chinese consumer attention. That statement probably answers my question but what drove this launch in this location?
The answer is simple: we want to be where our consumers are, and SkinCeuticals has one of the strongest presences in Mainland China among Asia Pacific local markets. So this is why we have decided to launch SkinCeuticals in Haitang Bay with China Duty Free Group.
How high are your aspirations for SkinCeuticals? And what can we expect in terms of wider regional activity post the Haitang Bay launch?
I truly believe SkinCeuticals is a little jewel set to become a major brand of tomorrow. We are currently also present at Shanghai Pudong Airport. We will be expanding to Beijing Airport by early 2020, and we look forward to expanding to more doors in Asia Pacific in the near future.
ABOUT SKINCEUTICALS
L’Oréal Group describes SkinCeuticals as “a brand born from academic science”.
The brand’s stated mission is to improve skin health and provide advanced skincare backed by science. Its formulations are developed in close partnership with top physicians to ensure a high level of efficacy.
The skincare, made in the US, is used by dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and medi-spas in professional treatments, for daily homecare, and to complement aesthetic procedures.
The SkinCeuticals story began with founder Dr. Sheldon Pinnell’s ground-breaking research on Vitamin C, long before the company was established. In the years since, the company has remained committed to using evidence-based research to develop new antioxidant and cosmeceutical formulations.
Going strong on Globuy
As a lead business partner of The Moodie Davitt Report, SkinCeutical’s story will also appear in coming days in Chinese and with a consumer voice on fast-growing Chinese B2C WeChat social media account Globuy [玩转全球免税], as part of a new collaboration between Globuy owner Extra-Aile Media in Shanghai and The Moodie Davitt Report. Globuy aims to become “the KOL of Chinese travel retail” and already has 400,000 followers and a monthly audience of 1 million views for its WeChat social media platform promoting new launches, product availability, promotions and special offers. Underlining the strong affinity and complementary nature of the two companies’ work, Globuy has dubbed The Moodie Davitt Report “the KOL of travel retail B2B media” Under the agreement, selected stories from The Moodie Davitt Report.com’s lead brand partners in beauty, fashion, luxury, confectionery and premium spirits are also published by Globuy in Chinese. These include product reviews by the Globuy team. Globuy is promoting The Moodie Davitt Report’s platform to China’s travel retail sector and to its own consumer audience in China. The Moodie Davitt Report subsequently also publishes a curated selection of Chinese consumer feedback on the chosen stories and will reveal the results of regular consumer surveys conducted in association with Globuy. |
