It’s been a busy pop-up season, with BeautyMatter documenting each installation along the way, be they referencing subcultural practices or fusing the luxury hotel spa, fashion, and beauty worlds into a unified experience. Now farm-to-face skincare brand Farmacy, which was recently acquired by Procter & Gamble, is debuting its own spin on the genre while addressing the vital subject of sustainability.
For the first-ever pop-up in the brand’s seven-year history, it set up a (temporary) shop in NYC’s SoHo neighborhood. “We are so excited to bring our first-ever pop-up event to a wide audience to learn more about our mission and brand. Our mission is to cultivate conscious beauty—we use responsible, farm-sourced ingredients to create clean, thoughtful formulas and do everything with intention, and this experience was no different,” explains Catherine Albaladejo Birli, Associate Director of Global PR and Partnerships. “We wanted to bring to life the whimsical side of our brand and to immerse people into our story of upcycled ingredients, innovative, effective science, and our continued focus on sustainability in a unique way. Ultimately, we created a beauty wonderland where skincare can be reimagined through memorable moments and interactions.”
Entitled “Farmacyland,” the installation includes four interactive zones across 1,300 square feet: The ABC Lab, The Green Clean Garden, The Hive Lounge, and the interactive Shoppe. It’s an embodiment of the simultaneously science- and nature-focused approach of the brand, and also a nod to its recently released Science Activated Collection consisting of a 1% Vitamin A Retinol Serum, 10% Niacinamide Night Mask, and 10% Waterless Vitamin C Serum.
The pop-up was built with 83% upcycled materials—a project created in tandem with fashion designer and sustainability frontrunner Zero Waste Daniel, who created two art pieces using upcycled and recycled materials. These included fabric scraps, metals, paper, and Farmacy Beauty outer packaging as well as surplus totes and cosmetic bags and recycled plastic bags.
“Farmacy has always been deeply committed to sustainability, so it was important for us that the elements of our pop-up were items that had already been used at other events or recycled. It was also important for us to continue telling the sustainability story in unexpected ways. We wanted to showcase how recycled, discarded, and leftover materials can be used as an artistic vehicle,” Birli states. “It has truly been a seamless partnership and process. Zero Waste Daniel understood our brand from the very beginning and we’ve loved working together.” The pieces were given a special spotlight when modeled by sustainability advisor Thania Peck and drag queen Scarlet Envy. Farmacy also extended the impact of the pop-up beyond the immediate location, donating five meals to Feeding America for every visitor in attendance. With no signs of pop-up activations slowing down, incorporating waste reduction and philanthropy into the process will come to define the sustainably minded installation from here on out.
