Introduction: Amid a challenging beauty landscape, French skincare house Nuxe is reporting strong momentum across Europe and continued gains driven by its hero Huile Prodigieuse franchise and expanding lip care and anti-ageing portfolio.
Year-to-date sell-out growth of +17% places the brand ahead of wider market trends. This increase is supported by deeper partnerships with leading operators, including Lagardère Travel Retail, Gebr. Heinemann and Avolta, and a recent roll-out into key UK airports.
As Nuxe looks beyond its core European base, the brand is preparing to scale into new regions, leveraging its pharmacy heritage, natural formulations and cross-category strength to build awareness and convert global travellers.
With 27 launches planned next year, innovation remains central to the company’s strategy, supported by a focus on recruitment engines such as beauty-to-go and travel retail exclusives.
In this interview, Marketing Manager Travel Retail & Export Ombeline Forbin and Head of Sales Global Travel Retail Camille Cordier discuss Nuxe’s expansion priorities, category drivers and how the brand is positioning itself for sustained growth in the channel.
The Moodie Davitt Report: Can you give us some insight into how Nuxe is performing in travel retail?
Ombeline Forbin: Nuxe is currently doing quite well in travel retail. As you know, we are mostly focusing on Europe, and on a year-to-date basis we are at +17% versus last year, which is great. For all operators, we’re trending above the shop trends
Lagardère is our biggest partner with whom we’re currently the number two brand. We’re also working with Gebr. Heinemann, where we’re seeing great performance. With Avolta, we are present across EMEA and in the UK. The latter is a totally new market for us; we opened there this year and it is a big milestone for Nuxe.
Where are you currently present in UK travel retail, and what has the response been like?
Forbin: We have a presence in Heathrow terminals 3 and 5, Gatwick, Manchester and Edinburgh airports among others. We’re also planning to open at more airports, including Stansted, a key location for us.
So far, we’ve seen great performance and growth across all our priority segments, such as anti-ageing and Huile Prodigieuse. The lip segment has also been very strong for us, particularly with the launch of our Lip Serum, which has been a major growth driver.
When entering a new market you need some time to adjust, to balance orders and set up spaces across the different points-of-sale. But we saw a big peak during the summer, in July and August, with very strong sales.
We’re looking forward to the end of the year, as the UK market is very different from the rest of Europe. It’s a strong gifting market and shoppers are often looking for something unique. For Christmas, we’re focusing on our sets and our Huile Prodigieuse range, especially the Neroli and Rose variants, which are performing very well.
In terms of new product development, what can we look forward to next year?
Camille Cordier: While we’re not allowed to reveal too much yet, I can tell you that we’ll be launching 27 new products next year, a huge ambition for us.
At Nuxe, our unique DNA is built on three pillars: naturality, sensuality and effectiveness. This comes from our origins in pharmacy, and every time we launch into a new segment, we break the codes.
This year we launched an anti-blemish range called Zinc Power, which comes in striking blue packaging. It’s very Gen Z, and that’s intentional. Our goal is to speak to both Gen Z consumers and more mature women, which is a real strength for the brand.
One key example of this approach is Huile Prodigieuse: you’re using it, your daughter might be using it and your grandmother probably did too. We launched it 31 years ago, and it still holds about 40% market share and grows every year in double digits. Those are our fundamentals: Huile Prodigieuse and anti-ageing. When we expand into new categories like haircare or lip care with those fundamentals, we thrive.
What factors do you think have contributed to Nuxe’s recent positive performance, especially amid a challenging beauty landscape?
Cordier: In travel retail, we’ve stayed true to our pharmacy DNA which brings safety, credibility and science. That resonates with European travellers today.
Another strength is our versatility. You can find Nuxe across all parts of the store: in skincare, beauty-to-go and haircare. We’re present at every touchpoint across the shopper journey, which really helps the brand thrive.
Looking ahead, what’s next for Nuxe in travel retail?
Forbin: In terms of development, Europe remains our main focus for now. But we’re also looking to expand into other regions – the Americas are next. That includes the USA, Canada and South America, where we already have a local presence through distributors and online. We’re available on Amazon in the USA and brand awareness is increasing there.
The next step is to open in travel retail in the USA, followed by the Middle East and then Asia. Asia Pacific is a big ambition, but one we believe we can achieve thanks to the strong foundation we’ve built.
Travel retail is one of the group’s focus areas. It’s not yet a top priority, but we know it will help us reach more countries and markets where Nuxe is already strong.
How important is travel retail to the overall Nuxe business today? Do you see it more as a showcase or sales driver?
Forbin: While travel retail is not yet a super-big portion of the pie, it is one of the group’s focus areas. We know it will help us reach more countries and markets where Nuxe is already strong.
Travel retail boosts brand awareness because it’s a selective, prestigious environment where we’re positioned alongside major groups, such as L’Oréal and LVMH, which isn’t the case in pharmacies. The visibility the sector offers is invaluable. But it’s also an increasingly attractive sales channel, with changing shopper behaviours and lots of untapped potential for us.
What are your next big priorities for the year ahead?
Forbin: Project-wise, we will continue to build on our core pillars. It’s a consistent strategy that remains our focus – face care, particularly anti-ageing, and of course, our icon Huile Prodigieuse, which is our key equity driver.
Beyond that, we see a world of opportunities for recruitment. As we discussed, lip care is performing strongly, and we’re also developing our beauty-to-go and travel retail exclusive offers. This comprehensive assortment allows us to engage with different types of customers and shoppers across multiple touchpoints. ✈
