Oribe eyes luxury haircare ambitions in GTR

Luxury haircare house Oribe is gearing up for an ambitious push into the global travel retail market, aiming to bring its hybrid salon-meets-luxury identity to key airport and cruise locations worldwide. The brand, owned by Japanese beauty group Kao, has identified travel retail as a new frontier for growth and its debut showcase at the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes last month, marks a significant milestone in Oribe’s European expansion strategy.

“This is an entirely new project for us, a brand-new channel,” said Clifford McEwan, Associate Director EMEA for Oribe. “Our big objective within the region is scale. We’ve met a lot of existing and potential partners, and we’re using this as a platform to understand where the additional white space is. Some airports have two hair brands; others have 20. It’s a fascinating landscape.”

Haircare’s moment in TR

The haircare category has been a quiet under-performer in global travel retail for years, but that is changing fast as consumers adopt more holistic beauty regimes. “The more brands that enter the hair category, the better,” McEwan said. “It broadens appeal and makes the category stronger. Suddenly, travelers are discovering a whole new beauty obsession.”

Oribe’s entry comes at a time when travel retailers are re-imagining beauty spaces beyond fragrance and skincare. “What’s missing is consistency,” he noted. “Consumers can walk into any airport store and know what to expect from skincare or make-up. Haircare isn’t yet defined in the same way. We’re eager to work with partners to help shape that future.”

Skinification of hair

Product innovation remains central to Oribe’s next phase. The brand has become a leader in the ‘skinification of hair’, using skincare-grade actives and sophisticated formulations. “We’ve had a few years of strong product development and have over-indexed with every launch,” said McEwan.

At the heart of the offer sits the Gold Lust collection which represents the largest collection from the brand, and a suite of nine ‘icon’ products that bridge care and styling, together representing over a third of sales. “We’ve always been a hybrid brand,” McEwan explained. “We combine salon credentials with luxury craftsmanship.”

“Canales [legendary editorial and celebrity stylist and co-founder of the brand] was one of the world’s greatest stylists, but he also brought a couture sensibility. We were the first to introduce a fine fragrance from an 18th-century perfumer into a haircare line. That’s our signature: performance and indulgence in equal measure.”

Building a EMEA growth engine

Oribe’s expansion across Europe, the Middle East and Africa is accelerating rapidly. The brand is now present in 28 markets, 14 managed directly and the remainder via distributors. “EMEA is by far our fastest-growing region,” McEwan confirmed. “We’ve gained five percentage points in business mix over the past year.”

While the Americas still represent over 80 percent of total sales, anchored by a strong US heritage and celebrity recognition, the company is investing heavily in new markets. “Growth into other export markets is an opportunity for us,” he added. “Our success has always been built on partnering with the right people and scaling sustainably.”

Discovery, experience and the airport opportunity

To translate its prestige positioning into the travel retail environment, Oribe is focusing on discovery formats and experiential engagement. Its Discovery Kits offer curated mini collections designed to entice new users.

“It’s about creating that special travel moment,” McEwan explained. “We’re focusing on our icons and core collections to create engagement that’s different for someone on a tight schedule. How do you make that two-minute or ten-minute experience count?”

Activation concepts under discussion include ‘dry styling bars’ where travelers can refresh their look before a flight. “With our Dry Texturizing Spray you can do a quick refresh in two minutes,” he said. “Or a five-minute restyle using heat-protecting sprays. It’s about adapting to dwell time and creating something dynamic yet luxurious.”

Domestic expertise

With retail and e-commerce now accounting for the largest channel contribution, Oribe brings strong omnichannel expertise to its travel retail ambitions.

“Travel retail is a natural next step,” McEwan said. “It allows us to bring our luxury salon heritage to an international audience that’s looking for elevated, experiential beauty wherever they are.”

Despite describing the travel retail venture as “very early days,” McEwan is confident about the brand’s trajectory and growth potential in GTR. “The appearance at the TFWA in Cannes was our first project in the channel, but it’s gone incredibly well so far,” he said. “We’re learning fast and we’re excited to define what luxury haircare in travel retail can really look like.”

With a strong innovation pipeline, a fast-growing EMEA footprint and a strategy rooted in partnership and experience, Oribe appears poised to play a leading role in elevating the haircare category across global travel retail.

“Haircare is having its moment,” McEwan concluded. “And for us, this is just the beginning.”