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Reimagining prestige beauty in Asia Pacific

Shiseido Travel Retail Vice President, Commercial and Business Development, Asia Pacific Fran Law outlines her strategic vision to lead the company into a new growth chapter during a period of immense change in the region.

The beauty landscape in Asia Pacific is evolving rapidly, shaped by shifting consumer demographics and fast-changing preferences. In response, Shiseido Group has announced a major organisational restructure – uniting its China and Travel Retail businesses – to enhance agility and focus. This strategic move reflects a renewed commitment to a ‘back to basics’ philosophy, prioritising consumer-centric growth and operational synergy across this diverse and dynamic region.

In this context, recently appointed Shiseido Travel Retail Vice President of Commercial and Business Development for Asia Pacific Fran Law is spearheading initiatives to align the company’s prestige beauty offerings with the nuanced preferences of Asian travellers. Her approach emphasises science-backed innovation, personalised brand experiences and a traveller-centric strategy that resonates across diverse markets.

Law comments, “What excites me most about this new chapter is the opportunity to bring fresh perspectives to one of the most longstanding beauty companies, Shiseido. The Asia Pacific region is incredibly diverse, and I’m energised by the chance to collaborate with new teams, unlock untapped growth and reimagine how we connect with discerning travellers with brand experiences that are meaningful and memorable.”

Outlining her strategic priorities, Law continues: “My focus is on translating traveller insights into commercial strategies that elevate our brands and strengthen our retail partnerships. This year, our priorities include reinforcing our commercial network, growing long-term equity across our prestige skincare portfolio and driving sustainable, quality growth. It’s still early days, but we are seeing encouraging results in areas such as omnichannel innovation, personalised engagement and immersive activations across the region.”

“I’m energised by the chance to collaborate with new teams, unlock untapped growth and reimagine how we connect with discerning travellers” – Shiseido Travel Retail Vice President, Commercial and Business Development, Asia Pacific Fran Law

Clé de Peau Beauté’s ‘Explore Your Extraordinary’ animation brought together science-led innovation, immersive design and personalised service to deepen brand affinity during a peak travel moment in Hainan

Explore Your Extraordinary

Among the key brand-building initiatives is the standout ‘Explore Your Extraordinary’ campaign by Clé de Peau Beauté. Reflecting on the significance and the broader intent behind the activation, Law says: “The ‘Explore Your Extraordinary’ campaign launched during Chinese New Year at cdf Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex, marking Clé de Peau Beauté’s fifth consecutive activation in Haitang Bay and its most ambitious travel retail campaign to date. Timed with the Spring Festival, the campaign coincided with a peak travel period when an estimated 5 million travellers visited Hainan [source: Tropical Hainan].

“Shiseido Travel Retail delivers value to travellers by curating prestige beauty experiences that are attuned to their expectations – offering science-backed skincare, travel-exclusive products, personalised consultations, and differentiated retail activations.”

Clé de Peau Beauté’s ‘Explore Your Extraordinary’ campaign showcased the brand’s core values of scientific innovation, Japanese craftsmanship and luxury through a striking gold-themed design.

Anchored by the La Crème range, the pop-up combined exclusivity with personalisation, offering tailored skincare consultations led by Personal Beauty Specialists, interactive elements and travel retail-exclusive displays. A complementary counter dress-up at the flagship boutique and seamless online-to-offline (O2O) integration further enhanced visibility and engagement, reinforcing the brand’s prestige positioning in Hainan.

“This campaign reflects Shiseido’s broader strategy to shape a New Culture of Beauty – one rooted in emotional resonance and cultural relevance,” Law adds. ”Chinese consumers are increasingly discerning, seeking brands they can trust [source: Daxue Consulting] and experiences that feel elevated and meaningful [according to Jing Daily]. Our Beauty Partners meet this demand through high-touch consultations, while our exclusive activations provide distinctive touchpoints that enhance the prestige beauty journey.

“These efforts are part of our broader investment in physical retail. We are proud to see strong commercial performance, with a significant uplift in La Crème and our travel retail-exclusive sets sales, increased boutique footfall, and high engagement in beauty consultations.”

Every detail of the retail journey was designed to reflect Clé de Peau Beauté’s signature service ethos, with elevated product storytelling shaping the consumer experience from start to finish

Active Ingredient Era

Science is a core pillar underpinning Clé de Peau Beauté’s prestige credentials. According to Law, in a region where consumers are increasingly ingredient-conscious, the brand’s research-led approach is proving a compelling differentiator.

“In APAC, we’re seeing what we call the ‘Active Ingredient Era’ – where travellers seek skincare that is both luxurious and efficacious. Today’s consumers are highly informed and selective; they seek products backed by science and differentiated by innovation. This behaviour is only accelerating into 2025.

“Clé de Peau Beauté is rooted in cutting-edge science and addresses this demand through its ‘Skin Intelligence’ research, which explores how skin distinguishes between harmful and beneficial stimuli to deliver results. This has led to formulations that work in sync with the skin’s natural ability to repair, protect and regenerate.

“We bring this science to life in travel retail through immersive discovery, expert storytelling and personalised consultations – directly addressing traveller expectations for proven efficacy,” she adds. “This approach helps them connect the dots between innovation, results, and their unique skin needs, strengthening trust and building enduring brand engagement with Clé de Peau Beauté in a highly competitive market.”

Omotenashi touches included personalised skin consultations led by Personal Beauty Specialists

Adapting to Hainan’s changing landscape

In Hainan – one of Asia Pacific’s most dynamic travel retail markets – Shiseido Travel Retail is refining its strategy. With a sharp focus on prestige positioning, the company is blending immersive retail design with digital innovation to create brand experiences that resonate with travellers in a meaningful way.

Law explains, “Hainan continues to be a strategically important market for Shiseido Travel Retail, and we are evolving our approach to meet the expectations of a new generation of skincare-savvy travellers. Our focus is on delivering personalised, elevated experiences that reflect our prestige positioning.

“We are enhancing our physical presence through immersive animations, flagship boutiques and bespoke counters that combine storytelling, innovation and design. Our Beauty Partners are central to this approach, offering exceptional service inspired by the Japanese philosophy of Omotenashi.

“In parallel, we’re strengthening our digital presence,” she adds. “For example, the Clé de Peau Beauté WeChat Mini Program helps us deliver a seamless omnichannel journey – from pre-trip discovery to post-purchase engagement. This integration of physical and digital channels enables us to anticipate traveller needs and inspire demand in a meaningful way.”

Interactive digital touchpoints invited travellers to personalise their experience, blending discovery with technology to create meaningful engagement

A new culture of beauty

Looking ahead, Shiseido Travel Retail plans to deepen traveller engagement with a robust pipeline of disruptive skincare advancements and emotionally resonant fragrance experiences, while extending the presence of its flagship brands across key airports worldwide.

“We have an exciting pipeline ahead as we continue to shape our New Culture of Beauty through innovation, exclusivity and elevated experiences,” Law says.

“Clé de Peau Beauté remains a key anchor of our prestige portfolio. Building on the success of the ‘Explore Your Extraordinary’ campaign in Sanya, we are expanding the brand’s footprint to airports in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, the United States and Canada, bringing its signature fusion of science, craftsmanship and luxury to more travellers.

“This year also marks one of the biggest launches with a brand new Ultimune Power Infusing Serum for brand Shiseido,” she adds. “Powered by Memory T cell technology – a world-first innovation – this breakthrough represents a new frontier in targeting skin ageing at the cellular level.”

Launched globally at an event in Tokyo, attended by The Moodie Davitt Report, the serum features exclusive Power Fermented Camellia+ technology, which enhances the skin’s natural defences by supporting 30 million cells and helping eliminate ageing cells through activation of Memory T cells.

The formula strengthens the skin’s barrier, combats dryness and reduces visible signs of ageing. A phased travel retail roll-out, which began in Japan, Asia Pacific and Europe in March, will be followed by the Middle East in July.

A La Crème podium highlighted the cream’s science-backed formulations and Japanese craftsmanship through interactive elements

Clé de Peau Beauté combined scientific innovation, immersive engagement and digital integration to deliver an elevated shopping experience at the cdf Mall during the peak Chinese New Year period

The Clé de Peau Beauté store at the Global Beauty Plaza was dressed in gold to complement the activation’s theming

The next chapter of growth

Law concludes with a clear direction for the year ahead. “In 2025, we’re focused on going ‘back to basics’ and connecting with travellers meaningfully while building the foundations for long-term, sustainable growth.

“We will continue to prioritise China, including Hainan, through campaigns that combine personalisation, innovation and compelling storytelling. The ‘Explore Your Extraordinary’ campaign is a great example of this approach in action.

“At the same time, we’re unlocking regional synergies by tailoring activations to the unique needs of local travellers, guided by deep consumer insight and our expertise in Asian skin beauty. This traveller-centric approach ensures our experiences stay locally relevant and drive consistent brand engagement across markets.

“Fragrance remains a key pillar of our portfolio. Building on strong performance in Travel Retail West, we are reimagining how scent can tell deeper, more emotional stories – evoking the spirit of travel, sparking discovery, and connecting with travellers through memory, mood and meaning.”

Law concludes, “We’re also placing greater focus on travel retail exclusives and further empowering our Beauty Partners. Their expertise and service are essential to delivering the elevated experience travellers expect from Shiseido. This synergy of product, people and purpose will drive our next chapter of growth in Asia Pacific.”

As the region continues to evolve, Shiseido Travel Retail is rising to the challenge with a bold, traveller-first strategy rooted in science, storytelling and service. Under Law’s leadership, Shiseido is not only adapting to change but shaping a new culture of beauty that will define the Japanese company’s next chapter of growth.

As part of Clé de Peau Beauté's prestige skincare offering, the Key Radiance Care range exemplifies the brand’s commitment to luxurious efficacy and skin intelligence, offering three daily steps clinically shown to improve smoothness, firmness and lifelong radiance

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The Moodie Davitt eZine

Issue 344 | 7 May 2025