Paris CDG airport: a Spring look
It all started at Terminal 1 of the Paris CDG airport, with the Look du Printemps (Spring look), which combined skincare and makeup: fresh, shiny complexion and sparkling eyes dressed up in traditional clothes, with pink and white cherry flowers.
In Japanese points of sale, pink was available in all shades, from “precious old rose” like Body Shop’s special body cream edition Japanese Cherry Blossom or the whole Cherry Blossom Festival toiletries collection by Laline, to Kosé’s “medicated sekisai” brighter pink, where cherry blossom lived with the very technical blue of this popular skincare brand.
Then, pink colours became more pastel as they adorned makeup kits (Nocturnal palette for Pola eyes), or were available in all shades in harmony with brown and blue for the global Sakuraism theme by Three. “Natural, honest, and creative”, the Albion group brand unsurprisingly highlighted Sakuraism in their Aoyama flagship store, with a spectacular bunch of flowers at the entrance. Makeup products were decorated with a semi floral print, while a real scenery was displayed on hygiene products. The concept was devised down to the smallest detail, as it even featured a special sakura menu at the store bar (with a “sakuraameshi” detox salad). And the large-scale press campaign, the display, and the department stores’ merchandising efficiently conveyed it.
Sakuraism: A global beauty concept
Even though the perfume market is not much developed in Japan, it did inspire a few limited series to celebrate sakuras, or more generally the arrival of Spring. As an example, the pink shades of Shiseido’s Ever Bloom fragrance subtly reflected like glassware, while Clean’s Blossom’s were embellished with a flowery threaded setting.
But pink is also a state of mind, as Lancôme emphasized by designing the spectacular Pink State of Mind announced to the press, a display launched in the very chic Midtown neighbourhood of Omotesando. The house staged its iconic successes in Asia with a sensorial discovery in the middle of a jardin à la française. One could enjoy a drink at the juicy shaker bar or take a selfie in front of the pink-adorned wall, and then leave with their own Little Happy Box illustrated in the French style – and this time, it is the Eiffel Tower that was displayed in pink on small makeup bags!
Pink carpet for Lancôme: Pink State of Mind
We could even broaden things out to Korea and China… because the new mass influx, especially this year, of Chinese tourists who came to discover sakuras made Tokyo become the flagship city in this field: global beauty saw life through rose-coloured glasses.
