Beauty’s recent retail pop-up installations saw first-time events for various brands. Sol de Janeiro partnered with LookFantastic for its first-ever UK pop-up, hosted at the recently opened Battersea Power Station shopping mall, and experimental brand Raye opened its doors at the debut Raye beauty store concept. Clinique took a visit to Coachella and Augustinus Bader greeted consumers in SoHo. Here are all the need-to-know details from the best of beauty's newest pop-ups, selected by BeautyMatter:
Rituals: To celebrate springtime, Rituals hosted a two-day pop-up in Covent Garden, London. The event, named The Rituals of Sakura, gave attendees an educational insight into the Sakura Blossom, a core ingredient of the brand's Rituals of Sakura Collection. The experiential space was designed and developed by Backlash Creative and featured a WebAR guided tour that explained each pop-up element to those who visited. The pop-up was decorated in subtle pink, with blossom trees dotted around the venue and small pink blossom flowers adhered to the floor. Customers were given the opportunity to take part in competitions and games alongside the tour, with a stand-out being a spinning wheel that offered prizes based upon each person's spin result. Further interactive touch points were available, including complimentary hand massages and personalization tote bag stations. Tickets were priced at £10 per visitor, with this price taken off of all purchases made over £15.
Clinique: After a recent dive into the metaverse, Clinique is entering the warmer months with a summer campaign, Protect Your Glow. The campaign aims to encourage consumers to combat the effects of daily stressors and dehydrating factors using its Moisture Surge 100-Hour cream and its new product, Moisture Surge SPF 28 with Pro-Vitamin D.
To promote the products, the brand set out on a series of pop-up events, which began on weekend one of the Coachella music festival. Dubbed the Clinique Hydration House, the pop-up welcomed influencers, Coachella ticket holders, and the general public over several days. The Clinique Hydration House hosted pool parties with live music from DJs Brittany Sky, Tay James, and pair Coco and Breezy. The house featured photo opportunities, as well as a glow bar to try the products, and a gifting station for all visitors. Those in attendance also had the opportunity to participate in brand-led activities, including water bottle personalization to keep up the hydration theme, as well as golfing games around the venue.
Following on from Coachella, Clinique is set to host off-campus pool parties at Florida University and Arizona University, featuring educational skin preparation stations giving lessons on SPF, as well as product giveaways, DJs, and photo opportunities. To round off the summer campaign, Clinique's Hydration Station will pop up in New York, LA, Miami, and Chicago in the form of a pop-up truck. This station will feature expert skincare consultations and product sampling opportunities.
Sol de Janeiro: The Brazilian brand's first pop-up entry in the UK took place at Battersea Power Station in London. Located as a stand-alone structure on the ground floor of the mall, the pop-up was decorated in teal blue, replicating the color theme of the brand's recent US pop-up. Cloud-like structures stood as counters for products to sit on, each decorated in a different color for the products it represented—red for the Bom Dia scent, mustard for the Bum Bum Cream, and a plum for the Beija Flor Cream. Visitors were invited to try out each product with expert advice from brand representatives. Alongside the shopping experience, visitors were also able to experience a DJ set and Sol de Gelato, a free ice cream station that featured multiple flavors to represent the different products on offer. Surrounding the area of the pop-up, brand representatives could be seen holding plaques with messages such as "time to worship," encouraging self-love, one of the brand's core values.
Augustinus Bader: To celebrate the launch of the brand's Skin Lab at The Webster salon experiences, Augustinus Badar hosted a three-day pop-up in SoHo. The experience came in the form of an Augstinus Bader blue truck, decorated with product pictures, and a QR code to find out more about the brand. The inside of the van was equipped with best sellers, and was hosted by celebrity facialist Lord Gavin McLeod-Valentine and makeup artist Nam Vo. The pair offered visitors a complete skin analysis, matched with a series of samples suited to their skincare needs. The SKIN Smoothie was also on offer, an Augustinus Bader blue skin-renewing smoothie featuring the brand's award-winning Skin Supplement product. Attendees were also encouraged to enter a competition to win a facial at the Skin Lab at The Webster. The first 20 visitors to the pop-up each day were given a full-size sample of The Rich Cream, one of the brand's original products that is today a bestseller.
Raye: The company dedicated to creating pop-ups to help consumers discover emerging brands, from wellness to groceries, hosted its first-ever beauty-only store, named The Beauty Edition. Taking place in Notting Hill, London, The Beauty Edition featured products from companies, including haircare brand Pacaiba and drinkable skincare brand Sixways. Visitors were able to experience bespoke facials, sample skincare drinks, and indulge in artisan tea blends. The store was decorated in neutral colors, helping products on wooden shelves to stand out. Products were divided into subcategories, including "home," "superfoods," "skin," and "hair." Along the store's walls, minimalistic elements complemented the brand's message, including a long-length mirror that read "Beauty. Health. Wellness. Special Edition."
