Backlash and Clarins get set for three-loaction shopping centre tour

Westfield, Shepherd’s Bush, London: 20th – 22nd February

The Trafford Centre, Manchester: 28th February – 1st March

Eldon Square, Newcastle: 7th – 8th March

 

To celebrate the launch of Double Serum Foundation, Clarins is bringing The Radiance Studio, an immersive pop-up activation designed to introduce consumers to the new product, across three major UK cities. The pop-up blends Clarins’ skincare expertise with experiential, through interactive touchpoints centred around the radiance theme.

At the heart of the pop-up is a shade-matching area, led by expert Clarins Beauty Coaches. Here, consumers are guided through a personalised consultation to find their perfect match from the foundation’s 37 shades.

The Glow Finder Game, positioned in the centre of the pop-up,  is a curved, interactive installation combining custom-built digital technology with physical interaction, bringing Clarins’ science-led products to life. Guests are invited to press a digital button to “dial up their glow,” triggering one of the several doors to automatically open at random, revealing a Clarins prize product inside the compartment, illuminated with warm downlighting.

The pop-up also includes a photobooth, positioned in front of a metallic gold backdrop and enhanced with flattering lighting to “reveal your radiance.” Built with social sharing in mind, the space invites visitors to capture and share their glow, encouraging user-generated content and sharing throughout the design. Additional elements include a factice product display, showcasing the product samples, alongside gold finishes and warm lighting throughout the space, to highlight the radiant effects of the Double Serum Foundation and the theme of the pop-up.

Senior Brand Experience Manager at Clarins, Adam Hall-Matthews, comments:

What the pop-up aims to achieve
The Radiance Studio is designed to bring the skincare-meets-make-up story of Double Serum Foundation to life in a way that feels human, personal and confidence-building. This is not about a quick product discovery moment, it is about giving people time with real experts, real skin and real results. A revolution in complexion, Double Serum Foundation brings the much-loved and highly regarded Double Serum to the make-up space offering consumers instant make-up results and long-term skincare benefits without compromising on performance. The pop-up allows us to educate consumers on the skincare benefits behind the foundation while delivering a premium, personalised shade-matching experience that helps them leave feeling genuinely confident in their new found glow. It also creates a highly shareable environment that reflects the radiance promise of the product, driving both advocacy and social conversation around the launch.

Why a roadshow at the three chosen locations
Westfield, London, Trafford Centre, Manchester and Eldon Square, Newcastle give us access to three very different but equally important UK audiences. London allows us to launch with scale and cultural impact, Manchester enables strong regional reach with a highly engaged beauty consumer, and Newcastle allows us to connect with an audience that is often underserved by large-scale beauty activations. Taking the experience on the road reflects our commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, ensuring consumers across the UK can experience the same level of experience, expertise and excitement around the launch, not just those in the capital.

Previous activation wins and learnings influencing this pop-up
Our previous activation with Backlash was such a huge success, they were the natural partner to continue building engaging and exciting experiences with. We learnt with our Sweet Spot activity last September that consumers value depth over speed. High-performing experiences consistently combine expert-led consultation with interactive, playful elements that invite discovery and sharing. We have learned that education lands best when it feels intuitive and engaging rather than instructional, and that people are far more likely to convert when they have had time to see and feel results on their own skin. Those learnings are embedded throughout The Radiance Studio, from the central Glow Finder game to the personalised shade-matching consultations and content-led moments that encourage guests to linger, engage and share.

Senior Art Director at Backlash, Carina Pereira-Garcia says:

Creatively, it was a challenging brief. Balancing education, consultation, content creation and the fast-paced mall environment whilst also building the experience for a roadshow, but what makes this pop-up special is the focus on real people’s skin from the formulas to the shades. Rather than a quick grab-a-sample moment, visitors are guided through a thorough shade-matching consultation and trial, giving them time to feel confident in their choice. We also built in content-led interactions rooted in the idea of radiance and glow, which is at the core of the product.