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Christophe Venot: “All of L’Oréal’s designer brands have had very successful launches.” |
L’Oréal Luxe Travel Retail Worldwide Fragrances Brand Director Christophe Venot has hailed the group’s 2012 product crop as a “bon cru”. “It’s been a good year for my division,” he told The Moodie Report. “All of the designer brands have had very successful launches.”
On the masculine front, Spicebomb, the second men’s scent from avant-garde Dutch design duo Viktor & Rolf, was introduced in February. The counterpart to the brand’s flagship feminine fragrance Flowerbomb has turned in a good performance in travel retail, Venot noted, even in countries such as Germany where it is not yet present on the corresponding local market.
HPPs, eye-catching animations and a growing Facebook presence have helped drive the Spicebomb business. “Viktor & Rolf might be regional, but in the zones where it is strong, it has the dynamic of a global brand,” Venot remarked.
Ralph Lauren’s Big Pony Fragrance Collection for Women, launched in European, Asian and US markets in March-April, was “born to be sold in travel retail,” according to Venot. “This line features the same recipe as the men’s collection: it’s colourful, playful and easy to understand,” he noted.
Like its masculine counterpart, the Big Pony for Women line offers four different scents. All four fragrances are described as bright, playful and energising. Each flask-style flacon is a different colour, and sports a contrasting oversized version of the designer’s signature polo player icon and number.
“This collection is all about retailtainment,” Venot declared. “It is appealing, interesting, and creates engagement everywhere.” Airport promotions included a month-long animation at Athens International Airport, in partnership with retailer Hellenic Duty Free Shops. The event incorporated brightly-coloured podiums; a Ralph Lauren-branded lounge bar; and an interactive digital station allowing customers to discover their ideal Big Pony fragrance and to compete for prizes. In addition, colourfully dressed beauty advisors were on hand to guide customers and to maintain the vibrant atmosphere.
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Beauty advisors were on hand to guide customers during the month-long Big Pony spectacular in Athens Airport |
Stella McCartney’s new feminine fragrance L.I.LY, which was previewed in UK travel retail in February-March, before being rolled out in the channel worldwide, is also performing well in its key UK and Middle Eastern markets, Venot confirmed. “L.I.LY is outperforming the original Stella fragrance,” he noted.
Catch Me from Cacharel, which was launched worldwide in September, has also got off to a good start, Venot remarked. “It is still early days, but Cacharel has a loyal core of consumers in Spain, Latin America – especially Brazil – and also Russia.”
Venot described Diesel as “a brand we like to push in travel retail”. Diesel Only The Brave Tattoo was introduced in March to European and US travel retail markets, before rolling out to selected Asia-Pacific doors in May.
“Compared with, say, the Armani brand, we have less penetration,” Venot acknowledged. “But there is a younger audience travelling and so we recruit a lot in the travel retail channel,” he explained.
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L’Oréal Luxe Travel Retail Worldwide and Gebr Heinemann showcase the Armani Privé fragrance collection at Istanbul |
Speaking of Giorgio Armani, it’s been a big second-half for the brand. “Acqua di Giò Essenza has performed very well, with no cannibalisation of the original Acqua di Giò men’s fragrance,” Venot confirmed. And the new feminine fragrance, Armani Code Luna, which was showcased in travel retail with a series of high-impact promotional campaigns, has generated “amazing” results, according to L’Oréal.
Within foundation, the launch of Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Makeup SPF15 has boosted the brand’s presence within the colour cosmetics sector. But arguably the biggest story of 2012 concerns the brand’s high-end Armani Privé fragrance collection.
“In travel retail terms, this was a sleeping beauty until 2009,” Venot explained. “It was very exclusive, very avant-garde, and because we were unsure of its potential in the channel, we probably did not promote it enough.
“But then we revamped the line, and a key turning point was the creation of the 1001 Nights Collection, which targeted the Middle Eastern consumer. Now we have 11 doors in travel retail, most of them within a Giorgio Armani Beauty corner. The brand image is very strong, and we have created very successful animations, for example, with Gebr Heinemann in Istanbul and Frankfurt.”
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Clarisonic has been described as the “future of skin care” by L’Oréal |
In October, the brand opened a new door in Asian travel retail, in the form of a 31sq m outlet, located at the entrance of the beauty zone of the newly renovated DFS Galleria Sun Plaza, in Hong Kong’s luxury Tsim Sha Tsui shopping area. “It’s perhaps not what you would expect, but the best-selling Armani Privé fragrance there is Rose D’Arabie, part of the 1001 Nights Collection,” Venot revealed.
“In 2013 we hope to open more Armani travel retail doors, especially within Asia, as the Chinese are big fans of the brand,” Venot added. “But we need the right location, environment and space.”
Clarisonic: “the future of skin care”
Venot’s remit also incorporates the Clarisonic brand, which was acquired by L’Oréal in December 2011. As its name suggests, Clarisonic uses a patented sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second to gently yet thoroughly remove significantly more makeup, dirt and sebum than manual cleansing alone.
Removing these impurities has been shown to better prepare skin for other products, and allow a better absorption of said skincare products, L’Oréal maintains.
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Laurent Kreutz: “We definitely believe that Clarisonic has huge potential in travel retail.” |
“This is a very strategic acquisition for L’Oréal, because we envisage that this combination of electronic devices and formulas is the future of skin care,” noted Clarisonic Vice President, General Manager International Business Development Laurent Kreutz. “The brand has been very successful, and is the number seven skin care brand in the US – five for face care – with excellent growth at retail: +90% year to date. It is also very strong in the professional channel.”
On average, the Sonic Skincare System retails domestically at around US$200. “This means that we need to make sure all Beauty Advisors are very well informed and trained,” noted Kreutz. “They have to be able to explain the advantages of buying something that costs that much, when the competition – which is basically consumers’ hands – is free.”
Clarisonic brushes are made of soft, non-porous filaments which do not harbour bacteria. Different types of brushes are available (eg sensitive, delicate, normal) for both the face and body. Brushes should be changed every three months, based on twice-daily usage.
“There are timed programmes: three minutes for the body, and just one minute for the face,” noted Kreutz. “Also, there are different speeds so consumers can customise their cleansing. The Systems are waterproof, so they are ideal for use in the shower. With the recommended use, the battery only needs to be recharged every 15 days.”
The Systems are available in different colours, including limited editions and more “manly” shades such as dark grey and white, although Kreutz acknowledges that for now, the consumer base is predominantly female.
“We definitely believe that Clarisonic has huge potential in travel retail,” Kreutz underlined. “Consumers in the channel are always looking for new things, and new gifts. It’s also a fantastic tool to help keep your skin healthy while travelling.”
He added: “We are working now on adapting the offer to the travel retail market, with a multi-plug configuration, multi-lingual packaging and so on. It’s a work in progress but we are targeting September 2013 for the roll-out.”
The Clarisonic portfolio also incorporates the Opal Sonic Infusion System, which uses the same sonic technology to gently infuse anti-ageing serum into the outer layers of the epidermis.
“We have our own serum, but all our devices are open platform, so can be used with other products too, according to consumer preferences,” Kreutz explained. “Opal is so efficient compared with manual application; in clinical tests the results have been spectacular.
“With Clarisonic, we think we can take the beauty industry to the next level, and are already looking at new applications, for example, formulas that target dark spots and acne treatments,” he concluded. “Thanks to this technology, the sky really is the limit.”
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