FROM THE EDITOR
Celebrating 30 years of value-driven beauty in a critical channel
When The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.’s (ELC) Travel Retail division launched in 1992, it embarked on a mission to ‘bring a world of beauty to global travellers’. Over the ensuing 30 years it has stayed true to that commitment, delivering a compelling three-decade narrative of consumer-centric innovation and retailer partnerships.
In words and pictures, this special edition tracks that memorable journey. While ELC Travel Retail started with a few Estée Lauder and Clinique counters and back wall placements in 1992, the division would over time emerge as the market leader across the entire travel retail beauty category.
Today the company offers a powerhouse presence in almost every travel retail door around the world across its key skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care categories.
Remarkably, the travel retail channel contributed around 27% of the company’s total net sales in fiscal year 2022, up from just 6% in fiscal year 2004. An astonishing transformation.
In this special edition of The Moodie Davitt Spotlight Series eZine, we celebrate 30 years of ELC Travel Retail and look back at some of the milestones that have defined ELC Travel Retail’s presence – and redefined the travel retail beauty category – along the way.
We highlight ELC Travel Retail’s standout moments. We pay homage to the leaders who have paved the way for growth and to the brands that have become synonymous with the channel. We honour the company’s commitment to having a positive impact on communities around the world through its many charitable activities throughout the years. We also offer a riveting preview of what lies ahead.
In recognition of this milestone, we also feature comments from top management and long-standing employees who have both witnessed and helped drive the transformation of ELC’s Travel Retail division from new beauty entrant into market leader. Join us on a thrilling and nostalgic 30-year journey.
- Hannah Tan-Gillies, Editor
