American skincare brand Drunk Elephant, owned by Shiseido Group, hosted a vibrant House of Drunk pop-up in Paris on 15-16 October.
The Moodie Davitt Report Brands Editor and Digital Marketing Manager Hannah Tan-Gillies was on location as the sole travel retail media representative for the spectacularly engaging event held at Pavillion Rive Gauche in the fifth arrondissement. There she was privileged to meet Drunk Elephant CEO Tiffany Masterson for a one-on-one interview (coming soon).
The official opening was attended by leading beauty media and 70 top influencers from around the world.
The House of Drunk experience was created in 2018 and has been popping up since in key locations including London, Singapore and New York.
The Paris edition was a feast for the senses, featuring a vibrant, neon-lit array of retailtainment elements that brought Drunk Elephant’s skincare ethos to life. The two-storey animation was dressed in the brand’s playful colour palette.
{Watch the YouTube video above for exclusive video coverage from The House of Drunk launch party in Paris}
At the pop-up, visitors were able to learn how to make a skincare smoothie and gain first-hand experience of Drunk Elephant’s biocompatible products for skin, hair and body.
Some notable elements included the Mixing Station, where guests were given personalised skincare smoothie recommendations; the Ceramighty Tunnel which showcased Drunk Elephant’s newly-launched Ceramighty AF Eye Balm; the Charm Bar and DJ booth. The Drunk Break lounge allowed guests to relax after exploring the many different areas.
The Destination Littles zone invited visitors to discover the different products in Drunk Elephant’s The Littles 6.0 set, a core focus for its travel retail push this year.
The Littles 6.0 is a set of six travel-friendly morning and night essentials that cleanse, exfoliate, hydrate, brighten, and replenish the skin. It will launch in Europe, Middle East and Americas travel retail in January 2023, followed by an Asia Pacific travel retail launch in March.
On both days of the pop-up’s run, the first 30 visitors were able to receive exclusive Drunk Elephant gifts that are currently not available in France. In addition, Drunk Elephant’s full collection was shoppable at the pop-up thanks to a partnership with Sephora France.
Paris has long been a source of inspiration for Masterson who said “There was no better place to host the first House of Drunk pop-up since 2019 than in the City of Lights.” The choice of hosting the pop-up in Paris also reflected Drunk Elephant’s expansion in the wider Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region.
“Paris was an easy choice for me,” Masterson said. “We’ve done it in Singapore, New York, London, and now Paris. There are a lot of cities out there that we’ve got our eye on, but Paris felt like the perfect place for this opportunity, especially after the pandemic. We are launching the House of Drunk experience amidst our global EMEA launch, wherein we’ve gone from one to 23 markets in the last two years.”
As reported, Drunk Elephant made its Asia Pacific and EMEA travel retail debut in 2019.
Throughout the fourth quarter of 2021, Shiseido Travel Retail unveiled successive Drunk Elephant doors across APAC and EMEA travel retail.
This programme included key airport and downtown duty free locations in China with DFS Group in Hong Kong and Macau and with Lotte Duty Free, The Shilla Duty Free and Shinsegae Duty Free in South Korea. New counters have also opened in France and with Qatar Duty Free in the Middle East.
Drunk Elephant was acquired by Shiseido Group in 2019. According to the Japanese beauty powerhouse, Drunk Elephant’s distinctive ‘Suspicious 6’ ethos, biocompatible formulations and bold visual identity have helped it grow a loyal community of fans around the world, building the foundations for a timely launch into the channel.
Drunk Elephant Difference
Founded by Tiffany Masterson in 2012, Drunk Elephant’s mission (the Drunk Elephant Difference) is to offer a full range of skincare, haircare, and body care products that are free of the Suspicious 6, a reference to an ubiquitous list of ingredients often used in traditional beauty formulations that can cause skin disruptions. These are fragrances, essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical sunscreens and SLS.
All Drunk Elephant’s formulas are biocompatible and centred on healthy pH levels and feature effective active ingredients that maintain the skin’s acid mantle. Drunk Elephant consumers are encouraged to take a ‘Drunk Break’ by removing the Suspicious 6 from their skincare routines to reset the skin.
The brand’s biocompatible formulations mean they can mix easily and are highly absorbable, allowing the products to blend seamlessly to form a ‘Skincare Smoothie’.
Much like choosing your liquid smoothie ingredients according to your health needs, Drunk Elephant customers can choose their skincare smoothie ingredients based on their specific skin issues.
Note: The Moodie Davitt Report has launched an e-newsletter, Beauty Curated, in association with Shiseido. It offers a curated selection of stories focused on the key beauty category in travel retail and beyond.
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