Key Takeaways:
When 2026 rolled in, so did the pop-ups. As experiential activations become cemented as effective industry marketing tools, brands are having to adapt beyond the now-normalized in-person events to think bigger—and many of them did. While brands like MCoBeauty set up beautified escape rooms, others like rhode and Kiehl’s took to the ski slopes, and K18 attempted a world record at Grand Central Station. New York Fashion Week also brought a share of IRL moments, including a beauty studio collaboration with Makeup By Mario and Chris McMillan. BeautyMatter outlines the pop-ups worth noting so far this year.
MCoBeauty: The beauty brand partnered with Escapology to create The MCoBeauty Heist, taking MCoBeauty off the shelf and launching it into a fully immersive experience. Once guests stepped into the two-room beauty lab, with its playful aesthetic and MCoBeauty signature pink, they had to solve puzzles to find the next MCoBeauty dupe, snap selfies, and share their escape time for a chance to win products. The activation rolled out across 30 Escapology locations, and is expected to reach 37K participants.
The partnership builds on MCoBeauty’s new content series starring content creator Tana Mongeau, who wakes up inside an escape room with only a flickering ring light and a note that reads “If you know, you MCo.” Every episode follows Tana as she solves puzzles, each revealing a new product, with all clues pointing to MCoBeauty’s expansion into Canada.
Neutrogena: The skincare brand hosted Adulthood USA in Los Angeles, an experiential launch event celebrating the debut of its new dermatologist-assigned adult acne collection, Evenly Clear. The event transformed a blank-canvas venue into a fully built neighborhood inspired by the realities of modern adult life, featuring spaces like a laundromat, car wash, and convenience store. Each stop was designed to educate visitors at their own pace on how ingredients such as salicylic acid fit into a busy, multitasking lifestyle.
TRESemmé: During New York Fashion Week, the brand opened its A-List Salon, a pop-up in SoHo that offered complimentary styling appointments for media and influencers. The space was open for six days by appointment only ahead of TRESemmé’s sponsored NYFW shows, including Christian Siriano, Christian Cowan, Cult Gaia, and Public School. On February 14, the salon was open to the public; offering hair touch-ups with the brand’s A-List product collection, integrated with fashion week moments, gourmet hot chocolate, and giveaways.
Makeup By Mario x Chris McMillan: The makeup artist and hairstylist responsible for Kim Kardashian's wedding look in 2014, teamed up to create the NYFW Glam Studio. This creator-first activation builds on a high-touch experience. Designed as a neutral content moment, the audio-generated social storytelling amplified a moment that reinforced a holistic hair-and-makeup partnership across platforms. The activation highlighted the growth of collaborative beauty products, anchoring itself in credibility and craft.
NYX Professional Makeup: Collaborating with Pinterest to highlight the 2026 Pinterest Predicts Gimme Gummy, NYX Professional Makeup created an ASMR-driven activation celebrating the trend. The pop-up at Westfield Century City featured endless gummies and NYX products, decorating sweet shop areas, a charm bracelet–making section, and photo opportunity spaces. Due to searches for “NYX Lip Combo” being up +40% MoM and the rise of the Gimme Gummy trend, the brand launched its Jelly Job lip gloss, a K-beauty-inspired gloss which took center stage at the temporary store to unite both trends.
Kayali: The fragrance brand made its NYC pop-up debut with the Kayali Café, a multisensory café experience that brought the brand's essence to the heart of SoHo. For two days, the brand’s street-level activation was hosted in a custom Airstream trailer, featuring fragrance-inspired beverages, free scent samples and fragrance-layering education, and branded stickers. Located steps away from a Sephora store, the pop-up was designed to capture high foot draft while offering elevated discovery.
K18: The brand brought its viral Hair Flip Challenge to Grand Central Terminal for a live Guinness World Record attempt, hosted in partnership with GlamBOT director Cole Walliser. The activation turned the NYC transit hub into a social-first stage, inviting commenters, creators, and beauty fans to help set the record for the most hair-flip videos posted to TikTok and Instagram in 24 hours. Alongside the GlamBOT, the experience featured 360° photo opportunities and K18 sampling. The activations hashtag #HairFlipK18 reached 1.9 million impressions, 5,000 K18 masks were sampled on-site, and $100,000 was donated to HairToStay, a nonprofit providing low-income cancer patients access to scalp cooling treatments to reduce hair loss caused by chemotherapy.
UKLASH: Following the success of a DTC event in September, UKLASH opened the Self-Growth Studio, a three-day pop-up in Shoreditch, London. Positioned as part wellness studio and part beauty destination, the pop-up opened up the brand's “little black book” of experts to the public for the first time, offering access to certified trichologists alongside yoga, Pilates, and manifestation sessions. The experience was designed to support both inner and outer growth, while deepening brand community connections beyond digital. The activation also featured their Discovery Lounge, showcasing the brand's best-selling lash, brow, and hair growth serums.
Kiehl’s: For the third consecutive year, Kiehl’s popped up at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in a multi-resort partnership with Alterra Mountain Company and the IKON Pass. Through these partnerships, Kiehl’s met skiers and riders with an integrated on-mountain presence across key resorts. During Kiehl’s Takeover Weekends, the brand offered premium product sampling, limited-edition merchandise, and elevated après-ski experiences both on and off the hill. On-mountain branding and digital touchpoints including trail maps, resort signage, and display networks were present, as well as Kiehl’s participating in Jackson Hole’s Rendezvous Music Festival and Rendezvous Mountain Hill Climb.
Boots: Highlighting Anya Hindmarch’s latest collaboration with the retailer, the duo presented a pop-up at The Village, London, with a distinct 1970s aesthetic to highlight Boots as a trusted neighborhood chemist. The installation featured playful but familiar pharmacy elements and Hindmarch’s signature eyes pattern appearing throughout the venue and on a curated set of bathroom essentials. The pop-up featured an exclusive edit of Anya Hindmarch’s Universal Bag, redesigned in Boots’ recognizable blue-and-white color scheme, alongside bags inspired by vintage drugstore products.
rhode: The rhode snow club was more than a pop-up, and instead an entire winter ecosystem in Big Sky, Montana. Bieber’s brand showcased the Snow Station, a high-altitude retail space allowing customers to be the first to access the new Caffeine Reset and Peptide Lip Boost. “R” snow stencils and branded snowmobiles adorned the resort, setting the tone alongside branded hot water bottles and mittens that served a clear purpose in the freezing temperatures. Après-ski activations featured rhode hot chocolate and snacks, bringing the brand to every aspect of skiers' experience.
Clarins: Marking a new chapter in the growth of its complexion category, Clarins presented the Radiance Studio, a pop-up crafted by Backlash Creative. Taking place at Westfield London, the Trafford Centre Manchester, and Eldon Square Newcastle, the spaces took customers on a journey to explore its new Double Serum Foundation. The experience included the Glow Finder Game, an interactive combination of custom-built technology and physical interaction that allowed visitors to win Clarins prizes. Attendees were welcomed by Clarins experts who helped them find their perfect shade of the Double Serum Foundation while educating them on the benefits of the product.
Augustinus Bader: Partnering with Nordstrom, Augustinus Bader designed an immersive brand residence in NYC. Powered by Augustinus Bader's patented TFC8 technology, the experience brought the brand’s heroes alongside its latest innovations, offering a curated introduction into the science behind the line. Guests were able to experience Zemits skin analyses, express facials, hand and arm treatments, expert-led masterclasses, and exclusive weekly programming, and received a customizable gift tote with purchase.
