Elizabeth Arden’s success in China travel retail linked to emphasis on brand storytelling

Revlon-owned Elizabeth Arden has two core skin care pillars, Ceramide and Prevage.

Both have been “growing well”​ in the travel retail channel, according to Yumie Chia, general manager, Elizabeth Arden APAC Travel Retail.

Additionally, the brand’s fragrance category, which consists of iconic fragrances such as Red Door, Green Tea, and White Tea, has also found favour with consumers.

“Our brand is growing in travel retail, not just on Prevage, but also on our other skin care franchises, as well as fragrances. The White Tea fragrance line is a strong trending contender with our increasing assortment of exquisite scents and body care line,” ​said Chia.

Its successes have driven the performance of Elizabeth Arden in China’s travel retail market in 2023.

“Most brands suffered less sell-in revenue in 2023 as compared to 2022. However, that was mainly due to the extreme stock holding in the market created in 2022. On a retail sell-out perspective, Elizabeth Arden performed well in China travel retail, and we ended 2023 with a double-digit growth,” ​Chia explained.

The firm expects this momentum to lead to more growth in 2024, given the growing strength of its Prevage series.

Aside from the product performance, Chia highlighted that its target consumers have resonated with the values that the line represents.

“Prevage is a franchise with strong positive values. Being one of the best antioxidant serums in the industry, it serves as a strong pillar of support for women who embrace life positively.  You would often notice that our Prevage users are usually well-established in life and leading very fulfilling or busy lifestyles. They do not compromise on their grooming and looks.”​

The Elizabeth Arden story

Last December, Elizabeth Arden partnered with China Duty-Free Group to host an event for its VIPs.

Attendees were treated to a high tea as well as activities such as beauty masterclasses and self-improvement talks.

The goal was to inspire women with the story of Prevage and the brand founder, Elizabeth Arden.

“Ms Elizabeth Arden was a legendary woman of her time. She went against tradition in a world led by men to fulfil her dreams as a self-made woman. She became the first businesswoman to grace the cover of TIME magazine. She was also the first woman to be inducted into the US Business Hall of Fame,”​ said Chia.

She told us that Arden’s story resonated strongly with the modern Chinese woman.

“In China, there is an increasing drive for women’s independence and freedom of choice in life. Such strong internal drives are symbolic of the philosophy and values behind our brand, Elizabeth Arden, as well as Prevage.”​

Emphasising brand values and storytelling has been crucial for the brand’s success in China and the company will continue to leverage on it.

“We believe it is important to continuously drive our brand values to customers and prospective customers,”​ said Chia.

“We will be continuing our storytelling approach in our workshops and activations. We plan to conduct more and bigger scale beauty workshops with our customers. By combining experiential learning with storytelling, our customers will be able to appreciate our products and brand better.”​

Moving forward, Chia teased a new launch under the Prevage line-up in 2024.

“In the latter part of 2024, we will be launching a new innovation under the Prevage line which will target another trending skin care concern of Chinese women – more of that to come in future.”​

She added that the brand will debut new innovations for its Ceramides and White Tea lines.