GTR Magazine exclusive: L’Oréal TR's Petrina Kho on unlocking the Americas
Petrina Kho shares her ambitious growth strategy, pentarchy vision and plans to reignite consumer conversion in a changing travel landscape
On the first day of 2025, Petrina Kho took the helm of L’Oréal Travel Retail Americas as Managing Director.
Kho is no stranger to the world of travel retail and beauty. Prior to returning to the travel retail division of the company, Kho served as Senior Vice President & Global Deputy General Manager at L’Oréal-owned Urban Decay Headquarters and IT Cosmetics Headquarters in California and New Jersey respectively. Before relocating to the United States, Kho was Brand General Manager in L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific, working on brands like Kiehl’s, Helena Rubinstein and Biotherm. Previously, she spent more than 13 years combined at Mattel, Diageo and P&G in Asia Pacific.
A few months into her new role, Global Travel Retail Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Hibah Noor caught up with her in Miami (pictured below).
Market immersion
Hitting the ground running, Kho has already completed an ambitious tour of key markets from East to West coasts, and to South America. This isn’t just about visiting stores – it’s about capturing the nuanced differences in consumer behavior across the Americas.
“Watching how consumers shop reveals striking differences between North and South America,” Kho observes. “These insights are invaluable for developing market-specific strategies.”
Lancôme Génifique Ultimate launch with DFS at Los Angeles International Airport
Beyond market visits, Kho is tapping into her team’s collective expertise. “What's most important for me, being so new, is to connect with the teams and our retail partners. They possess both experience and market knowledge that’s impossible to replicate. Understanding their barriers and challenges they face has been my priority from day one.”
Leadership ambitions
When asked about her objectives, Kho doesn’t mince words: “My overarching ambition is for L’Oréal to become the undisputed leader in the region. I’m someone who’s obsessed with progress".
After a challenging 2024 for global travel retail, with particular headwinds in the Americas, Kho sees 2025 as the inflection point. Rather than dwelling on past difficulties, she’s laser-focused on leveraging these challenges as catalysts for innovation.
“We need to transform our ways of connecting with consumers and clients; 2025 must be the year we revolutionize how we create memorable experiences for travelers that drive both engagement and conversion,” she asserts.
Cracking the conversion code
While passenger numbers have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels across the region, Kho highlights a critical disconnect. “The good news is that travelers are back. The challenge is conversion – market growth isn’t matching passenger growth.”
"The way travelers seek value and experiences has transformed completely in five years”
This gap reveals a fundamental shift in traveler behavior that L’Oréal must address. Today’s passengers navigate airports differently, heads down in their devices rather than browsing retail environments.
“We can’t change consumer habits – they’ve evolved,” Kho acknowledges pragmatically. “When travelers are glued to their phones instead of browsing stores, we need to integrate with that reality. The way travelers seek value and experiences has transformed completely in five years.”
For Kho, success hinges on “cracking that code to unlock the next conversion hurdle we’re facing in the Americas. This isn’t just a L’Oréal challenge; it requires industry-wide collaboration.”
The pentarchy revolution
At the core of Kho’s strategy lies a transformative concept: the pentarchy. This evolution beyond the traditional travel retail trinity model represents what she calls “a modern way of thinking, especially for this region.”
“We need to rethink how we approach this channel by working together with airlines, airports and media partners alongside brands and retailers to create value for our travelers of today,” Kho says. “The pentarchy creates an ecosystem that engages travelers at multiple touchpoints throughout their journey, not just at the point of sale.”
Petrina Kho underlines the key role multiple touchpoints play in the traveling consumer's journey
L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia’s successful implementation of this model with Changi Airport and The Shilla Duty Free around Lancôme Génifique last year provides a blueprint that she’s eager to adapt for the Americas.
Alongside this external transformation, Kho is equally focused on internal culture. “I’m encouraging the team to bring forward even their craziest ideas. This daring, entrepreneurial spirit is essential for reigniting growth. We need to shake things up.”
Beauty’s resilience
Economic headwinds haven’t dampened consumers’ beauty appetite, according to Kho. “Despite travel becoming more expensive, the appetite for both travel and beauty remains remarkably strong. We see this consistently across markets.”
L’Oréal’s diverse brand ecosystem positions it uniquely to capture this demand across price points. “Our portfolio spans from accessible luxury to super-premium offerings” Kho explains. “This breadth allows us to cater to virtually every traveler segment.”
According to Petrina Kho, consumers are looking for better service and experience in travel retail
The modern beauty consumer exhibits radically different shopping behaviors from even five years ago. “Consumers are looking for better value, better service and experience and better products for the environment. Therefore, we must be at the forefront of trends, understanding the culture dynamics of our consumers and at the service of their evolving needs. At L’Oréal, we have a vast winning portfolio of brands catering to all consumer categories, with a constant pipe of innovation to delight our consumers,” Kho observes.
Fragrance powerhouse
Fragrance remains the powerhouse category across L’Oréal’s Americas travel retail business. A December 2024 launch exemplifies the company’s innovation approach: Lancôme La Vie est Belle Elixir.
“La Vie est Belle represents a huge franchise for us,” Kho explains. “Rather than just creating a flanker, we developed Elixir, with a distinctly different olfactory profile to target consumers who weren’t attracted to the original. The results have been remarkable – we’ve not seen cannibalization at launch.”
This success validates Kho’s belief in the category’s untapped potential. “There’s still significant appetite for growth in fragrances, even within established franchises,” she says.
Emerging hotspots
Kho’s market immersion has revealed clear priorities for targeted expansion. “Caribbean and Mexico represent markets where we need to double down immediately,” she asserts. “The rising sophistication of beauty consumers in these regions presents tremendous growth potential. Mexico, in particular, is absolutely a market to watch.”
Her strategy centers on capitalizing on the unique psychological state of travelers post-security. “There’s this magical moment when security is behind you, anxiety evaporates, and your vacation truly begins,” Kho observes. “Suddenly you have time, you feel empowered. Even traveling parents have a rare moment of personal freedom. This is when consumers are most receptive to experiences that enhance their journey.”
Collaborative vision
Kho’s pentarchy concept requires collaborative innovation that transcends traditional industry boundaries. “Brands, airlines, airports, retailers and media need to work together to transform that precious one or two hours travelers have into truly memorable experiences,” she emphasizes.
The path forward contains practical challenges, but Kho remains undaunted. “Getting everyone to the table takes coordination. The good news is there is appetite for growth and innovation. I am confident the future of the Americas is bright for travel retail,” she says.
