Shiseido Travel Retail has launched its Drunk Elephant skincare brand at 11 counters in Americas travel retail. The accelerated expansion in travel retail for Drunk Elephant, which is one of the leading prestige skincare brands in the U.S., marks an important milestone in the brand’s global development, reports the company.
Since launching in travel retail Asia, and Europe in 2021, Drunk Elephant has gained a key new audience of global travelers. Following the initial travel retail roll-out, the brand made its highly anticipated entry into its home country in December 2022, with flagship openings at Los Angeles (LAX), New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) and San Francisco (SFO) international airports in the USA.
In 2023, Drunk Elephant celebrated a succession of key openings across Canada and South America, bringing Drunk Elephant to travelers in Toronto, Vancouver, Mexico City and São Paulo airports. Further U.S. airport openings in Boston and Dallas bring the brand’s total footprint in Americas travel retail to 11 counters to date, with more to come in 2024.
Drunk Elephant is designed around an ingredient-elimination philosophy for a total skin reset. Founded by Tiffany Masterson, Drunk Elephant’s products are formulated with research-backed ingredients so they work in harmony with skin due to skin-friendly pH, smaller (more absorbable) molecular size, and ingredients the skin can easily recognize – delivering clinically proven results.
All Drunk Elephant formulations are 100% free of essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical sunscreens, fragrances/ dyes, and SLS, the six categories of ingredients the brand believes are at the root of almost every skin issue (they call them the Suspicious 6), so that skin can reset to its healthiest, most balanced state.
Vincent Baland, Vice President Travel Retail West at Shiseido Travel Retail, commented:
“Following its introduction to travelers in Asia and Europe, Drunk Elephant is primed to unlock the great potential that we see in the strategic travel retail Americas market. The brand attracts a loyal fan base, and we hope to leverage this dynamic momentum, presence and awareness in its home region to further develop Drunk Elephant in 2024.
“Our investment into Drunk Elephant’s expanding global footprint, diverse product offering and vibrant traveler experience is set to further strengthen brand equity, improving sustainable sales growth for the long term. We are confident about the outlook for Drunk Elephant and remain committed to building the brand’s travel retail presence in a selective, visible way.”
Skin’s Happy Place
The counters welcome travelers to “Skin’s Happy Place” for product discovery through the brand’s signature Smoothie Bar. The product showcase includes fan favorites such as Protini Polypeptide Cream, Lala Retro Whipped Cream, and 2023 launches, A-Shaba Complex Eye Serum and Bouncy Brightfacial. Travel-friendly sets like The Littles, which include essentials to cleanse, exfoliate, hydrate, and brighten skin morning and night, and travel exclusives such as the “When in Roam” set are also available.
Colorful campaign at São Paulo–Guarulhos Airport
Drunk Elephant’s launch in São Paulo–Guarulhos Airport was supported by a full 360-degree activation, in collaboration with Dufry, including an eye-catching, interactive pop-up animation and digital campaign across the retailer’s e-commerce and social media platforms.
The brand’s bright colors and playful neon signage illuminated the retail space, inviting travelers to explore the Drunk Elephant product universe and experiences.
In the mixing zone, visitors could create personalized smoothies based on their skin’s needs via the Smoothie iPad app, celebrating the Drunk Elephant philosophy of ‘Mixing is the New Layering’, while in the Suspicious 6 corner, they could learn more about what Drunk Elephant considers to be skin sensitizers. The campaign reached 3.5 million passengers in-store in one month.
