In 2015, Founder and CEO of Tarte Cosmetics, Maureen Kelly, took a gamble and decided to send a group of beauty influencers on an all-expenses-paid trip to Turks and Caicos to promote the brand’s Shape Tape concealer. What she didn’t know was that this spur-of-the-moment decision not only blew up her brand but also changed how the industry now views influencers, brand launches, and events. In 2015, the beauty community was small but powerful. It was an era where hour-long vlogs and hauls were the norm, while curated Instagram photos supplemented the aesthetic. The influencers on board were no strangers to brand gifting, but a trip? It changed everything. By trading in ads for capturing a real-life experience with the product, Kelly took Tarte, an independent label, and made it a multi-million dollar brand. Now, a decade later, her stunt was just a drop in the bucket.
It began a chain reaction of influencer brand trips, especially those with a powerful YouTube platform, those who were guaranteed to create long-form content of the products, replacing billboards or a ten-second ad. It sold the idea of the product and, in turn, of the beauty influencer, growing the community from a small select few to a diverse bunch. Hence, a decade later, brand trips turned into elaborate PR hauls complete with dramatic packaging, pop-ups and activations designed to immerse into a brand’s aesthetic universe, event sponsorships, impromptu concerts, and now even merch.
Within the region, especially in Dubai, the landscape is even more prominent, and we see it with Dubai-based brands Huda Beauty and Kayali. For its Easy Bake Pressed Powder launch, Huda Beauty had singers Summer Walker and Saint Levant performing for a Jazz Glam-themed party. While at its recent Easy Bake Intense Eau de Parfum launch in London, the performers for the night were the Pussycat Dolls and Central Cee. The space was also dipped in pink, featuring themed soda cans, brand merch, and more. Whereas Kayali have turned their scent library into a cafe, transforming smells into something you can taste.
Launch events aren’t the only immersive experience we see. Keeping in touch with the region’s culture, brands have also begun to incorporate their world into the region’s wider cultural space. Again, Huda Beauty and Kayali have been at the forefront, hosting majalis and themed iftars during Ramadan. Brands like Miu Miu and Dior did the same during Ramadan, integrating brand codes in their majalis to create an association with the experience.
Since 2015, the appetite for beauty events has shifted from showcasing a product to showcasing an experience with the product at the centre of it. Now beauty goes beyond skin; it needs to be tasted, smelled, and most importantly, felt through memory and dopamine rushes. That might look like a NARS-themed Jenga game or Saint Levant serenading under a Huda Beauty sign. Either way, it makes discovering beauty even more exciting as brands continue to push the envelope.
