SK-II Travel Retail Flagship Boutique

Client: SK-II (P&G)
Agency: NA
Haitang Bay, Hainan, China. (2024)

Art / Concept Store / Immersive / Interactive / Retail / sculpture

Collaborators
Jeremy Lin
Vanessa Heussaff
Storey Studio
Studio Swine
VVDFX
Lyris Studio
Fusion (China)

The flagship store, located at the Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex in Haitang Bay, offers a multi-sensory experience highlighting the brand’s iconic ingredient, PITERA. At the heart of the store is the “LXP Experience,” a golden sanctuary featuring an interactive art installation developed in partnership with international artist Studio Swine. This installation showcases eight symbolic drops representing the potent LXP series, falling into a basin inspired by the iconic LXP cream. The sensory experience is further enhanced by delicate scents of Hinoki wood and Sandalwood, reflecting SK-II’s deep roots and heritage, accompanied by an evocative soundscape that draws visitors into the heart of the brand’s world.

The store also features a product discovery area with gradient-colored spheres representing the fermentation process, and commissioned glass crystal art pieces inspired by PITERA. SK-II has elevated the skincare counselling experience to a ceremonial level with its new Skin Ceremony, where skin experts provide personalized care. Exclusive gifting experiences tied to SK-II’s heritage are also available at this flagship store.

The launch coincided with the “Act of Craftsmanship” event, a month-long showcase that parallels the ancient art of ceramic restoration with SK-II’s commitment to craftsmanship in its LXP series. Visitors could witness artisans restoring ceramics and participate in a five-step LXP skin ceremony, symbolizing SK-II’s transformative skincare approach.

the work

My Role
Program Management
Feasibility
Experience Design
Vendor Management
Risk Mitigation

For SK-II’s first global travel retail flagship store in Hainan, I was brought on to help shape and integrate the interactive experience into the heart of the new retail concept. Working closely with SK-II’s Creative Lead Jeremy Lin and Storey Studio, we explored multiple rounds of creative iterations to ensure the experiential layer aligned seamlessly with the brand narrative and campaign launch.

I led the coordination and management of all partners involved in bringing the experience to life—from VVDFX Studio, who crafted the hyper-realistic mannequins, to Studio Swine, who developed the interactive installation within the constraints of the store design. I also worked with Lyris to refine the audio design and collaborated with Fusion to support material design, on-ground resourcing, and the store build through to launch.

This was a highly collaborative, multi-disciplinary effort, and my role sat at the intersection of creative, technical, and operational—ensuring each part came together as one cohesive, premium brand experience.

product discovery

An elevated design concept inspired by “Japanese dry garden”, rice and SK-II’s heritage.

An elevated product discovery area

Sugidama inspired spheres to represent the fermentation process

Product Discovery Area – Glass sculpture

skin counselling area

The updated skincare counseling experience that is elevated to a ceremonial level. Using materials such as washi paper, Hinoki wood as an homage to SK-II’s heritage.

An elevated skincare-counseling experience to a ceremonial level

LXP experience

At the heart of the store lies the LXP Experience—a serene, gold-hued sanctuary that immerses guests in the world of SK-II’s most luxurious skincare line, where eight symbolic drops fall into a basin shaped like the LXP Craftsmanship Cream, representing the 8x concentration of PITERA in the series.

A complex system is hidden back-of-house to deliver the drops in a certain – add blurb

the gifting wall

Using Sake barrels as the inspiration for a unique gifting-experience inspired by SK-II’s heritage.

Look-forward-to-a-unique-gifting-experience inspired by SK-II's- heritage