Reigniting the holiday journey: L’Oréal Travel Retail highlights key brands in festive activations

As the year-end festivities approach, L’Oréal Travel Retail – alongside its brands Lancôme, Armani, YSL Beauté, and Prada – is transforming every airport into a true ‘Entertainment Destination’.

According to the company, the holiday season is “a business-critical period”. Travelers seek not just products, but stories, emotions, and precious gifts that convey heartfelt wishes. “Our commitment shines through exclusive limited editions and bespoke holiday gift sets – true masterpieces that elevate the art of gifting, meticulously crafted to surprise and delight,” the company stated. This season, its brands double down on innovation and emotion, answering the desires of global travelers across four key "Senses":

• The Sense of Gifting: For us, the art of gifting for the festive season transforms into a deeply personal expression of affection and cherished connections.

• The Sense of Unexpected: The magic of the unexpected unveils joyous discoveries, creating pure wonder and inspiration.

• The Sense of Ultimate Luxury: This offers extraordinary indulgences, an invitation to unparalleled sophistication and refinement.

• The Sense of Time: The essence of time allows rediscovering cherished childhood wonder, making every moment precious.

Leading brands like Lancôme, Armani, YSL Beauté, and Prada illuminate this festive period with activations capturing celebration and joy, making every journey a festive destination.

Sense of Ultimate Luxury – Experience the Golden Touch

This Holiday 2025, YSL Beauty ignites a dazzling "Adorn in Gold" celebration, transforming major airports worldwide, from Dubai and Paris to Seoul, Osaka, and Singapore, into hubs of festive wonder. As travelers’ journey through these global gateways, they can elevate their waiting time at the airport into a YSL's unique magic moment, with over 100 activated platforms providing captivating experiences.

Travelers can expect delightful surprises like interactive games where the iconic Cassandre logo lights up as passengers pass, alongside sophisticated experiences ranging from gilded fragrance personalization to exclusive beauty services. This extensive celebration extends across all beauty axes – fragrance, makeup, and skincare – notably amplified by the Holiday makeup look imagined by Sam Visser for Dua Lipa. This unified rollout ensures a fully immersive retail moment at every touchpoint, positioning YSL as the ultimate destination for luxurious and memorable gifting this season.

Sense of Unexpected Collaboration

Lancôme is set to transport travelers 'From Paris to Happiness' with its Holiday Express activations across key global destinations. Hainan Duty Free will host the experience during two distinct festive periods: November 1 to 29, 2025 and again from January 1 to 30, 2026. In partnership with the renowned French pâtisserie, L’Éclair de Génie, visitors will discover an irresistible trio collection of éclairs, adding a unique culinary delight to their Lancôme experience.

As a world-first concept for Lancôme’s 90th anniversary is a massive milestone for L'Oréal Travel Retail, illustrating the company’s commitment to pioneering and relentlessly pushing the boundaries of the Travel Retail experience.

In a landmark strategic partnership, Lancôme has introduced exclusive prestigious collaboration with Maison Perrier-Jouët at Guarulhos International Airport from December 1 until the end of the month. This unexpected pairing elevates the brand’s universe by blending high craftsmanship with sensory indulgence. Guests can immerse themselves in an olfactive discovery of Lancôme's iconic La vie est Belle franchise, enjoy skin and makeup experiences, and raise a toast to happiness at a dedicated champagne tasting bar featuring Maison Perrier Jouët's cuvées.

Sense of Gifting – Make the Gift Even More Memorable

Introducing “Holidayrama”, Armani beauty’s glittering, cinematic world, creating a holiday season to remember. An immersive sparkling universe at IST Airport from November 1 to December 31 captures the mood of the holiday’s endless celebrations. Rendered in electrifying tones of glistening red, blue, and silver, the “Holidayrama” atmosphere is of dazzling glamour. With a campaign film starring actress Greta Ferro and model Madisin Rian - Armani beauty Global Ambassadors - “Holidayrama” conjures the essence of the season with unforgettable glamour.

Following its debut at Istanbul International Airport, the Armani “Holidayrama” beauty pop-up will travel to major airports across Europe, Middle East, and Africa, extending the experience to travelers worldwide.

Upon entering the podium, visitors will be greeted with glittery blotters, setting the tone for a sensory and luxurious experience. “Holidayrama” offers a perfect mix of new products and beauty icons that will satisfy each and every one. Expert makeup artists will be available to enhance the winter glow with exclusive makeovers, offering insider tips to create the most captivating looks. Guests will also be invited to embark on a refined journey through the world of ARMANI/PRIVÉ Haute Couture fragrances Collection, complemented by a selection of bespoke gifting services.

Armani beauty’s hand-crafted personalization options will make the gifts even more memorable: ad hoc flacon decorations and engraving of a name or a personal message.

Sense of Time – Explore Prada Beauty Through a Winter Holiday’s Tale

Prada Beauty unveils its Holiday Magic Tale Outpost activation, running from October 1 until November 18 in Changi Airport. This activation celebrates Holiday season with a festive journey brought to life through immersive experiences and personalized services.

At the heart of the outpost stands the magnificent Prada Beauty holiday tree, drawing travelers into a world guided by the iconic Prada Soft Robots Prada Beauty unveils an exclusive, time-sensitive Holiday pop-up, crafted for the year-end season, to immerse guests in the warm spirit of winter celebrations. The décor reinterprets classic holiday codes with Prada’s signature sophistication. Visitors are invited to capture the magic with a bespoke Holiday Portrait and indulge in personalized gifting services, elevating the art of giving. The experience continues with delightful seasonal treats, including Prada Holiday cookies, and flash makeup services, adding a beauty twist to the festivities. This one-of-a-kind activation offers a joyful, sensory escape, designed to be cherished as a unique moment in time.

This December, at Copenhagen Airport, step into a realm where Prada redefines the Holiday Season experience Event- inviting travelers into its enchanting Holiday Magic Tale. Prada Beauty elevates the festive spirit - ensuring every interaction becomes a cherished souvenir, inspiring the joy of gifting and firmly positioning the brand as the unmissable festive destination this special time of year.

Created in partnership with Heinemann, Copenhagen Airport, SAS, and Bauer Media Group, this multi-touchpoint activation blends Prada’s refined aesthetic with a playful holiday narrative, positioning the brand as one of the standout brands in European travel retail this season. The Pentarchy strategy enables Prada to create a seamless travelers’ journey, from pre-trip planning to immersive in-airport touchpoints.

The activation shows strong passenger engagement, high social media interaction rates, and incredible uplift in sales – demonstrating the power of a strategically designed, multi-touchpoint brand presence.

The Prada Pentarchy Christmas activation at CPH exemplifies a broader shift in travel retail toward experiential, narrative-driven consumer journeys. For the first time in Copenhagen, an immersive pop up meets a digital takeover and a whimsical festive spirit, Prada delivers an experience to remember this holiday season.