ON LOCATION: Wellbeing brand Rituals Cosmetics is today (4 March) officially relaunching its best-selling and newly extended The Ritual of Sakura collection in travel retail.

The refreshed collection, which Rituals says plays a key role in driving people to the brand in global travel retail, is now widely available in the channel except for the Americas and Asia where it will launch in three months.

Some locations carry the entire assortment, while others feature the bestsellers only.

TRBusiness Managing Editor Faye Bartle travelled to Amsterdam on 22 February for an advance look at the new products and the striking campaign, which was shot in Japan during the cherry blossom season.

Inspired by the Japanese flower-viewing tradition of Hanami, The Ritual of Sakura has emerged as a long-standing favourite among consumers, with its cherry blossom scent and nourishing rice milk.

The relaunch brings three new products to the existing bath, body and home range: the body lotion mousse, natural booster body hyaluronic acid and natural booster body bakuchiol.

Rituals’ Creative Director Dagmar Brusse told TRBusiness that the idea for a body mousse was born from the company’s successful shower foams.

“It comes out as a mousse and turns into a lotion so it’s light and it absorbs easily – we also have it in The Ritual of Mehr collection,” she said. “The bakuchioi is oil based whereas the hyaluronic acid is more water based. I use them all on top of each other and layer them up.”

The range is suitable for all ages, as while hyaluronic acid and bakuchiol are known for helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, Brusse points out that younger generations are increasingly taking a more preventative approach to skincare.

“It’s for everyone,” she said. “The hyaluronic acid is good for infusing dry skin with moisture while the oil will deliver a bit more suppleness and elasticity.”

The Sakura range first launched around 2006, says Brusse, and has developed through the years in terms of product and creative vision.

“We have so many other beautiful fragrances, but everybody loves Sakura – it’s really strong in terms of fragrance,” said Brusse.

For globetrotters, the Shampoo & Body Bar is an obvious choice.

“It caters to those seeking something waterless – for travellers it is ideal as you can put it in your hand luggage.”

Whether the company would consider bringing out more solid/waterless beauty products rests on the innovation department, but Brusse confirmed: “We have looked into that and will continue to do so.”

The range is formulated with at least 90% natural origin ingredients* and refills are available for the body cream, hand wash, fragrance sticks and car perfume.

The Rituals team travelled to Japan for Hanami to shoot the campaign visuals, offering an authentic and striking update to the story that immerses the viewer in the joy of the cherry blossom season.

“You want to keep surprising your customers,” said Brusse. “We shot it in an authentic way by visiting Japan – this was the first time the team had experienced Hanami. “Although Raymond [Cloosterman, Founder & CEO of Rituals Cosmetics] travelled there 20 years ago and travelled around Asia to pick up on all those nice concepts. If you bring a collection like that, I think you should experience it at least once and it’s a super joyful energy when you stand there.”

Rituals champions a holistic approach to wellbeing by caring for the mind, body and soul and Brusse is keen to stress the benefits of mastering the ‘art of soulful living’.

It’s a message that resonates especially well with younger generations as self-care becomes a priority in maintaining wellbeing.

Brusse described how, through her own experience as a mother of two daughters, Gen Z (and, to an extent, Generation Alpha), are feeling unfulfilled despite arguably having more tools at their fingertips than generations that have come before them.

With Gen Z set to become the biggest customer group by 2028, it’s an important dynamic for travel retailers to watch.

The missing piece, says Brusse, is joy. “That goes for everyone actually,” she said.

Rituals digs into this notion by aiming to help people find a sense of joy through the small moments in life, whether it’s a morning meditation or a 15-minute self-care beauty or wellbeing routine before bed.

This is brought to life through the products it creates as well as the experiences it offers in its stores that encourage shoppers to leave with feeling good (as well as with a shopping bag full of products).

The flagship House of Rituals, for instance, is brimming with interactive elements, from the signature Sakura tress that make striking backdrops for selfies to the luxury perfume bar that invites shoppers to personalise their fragrances, and much more.

There’s also the Mind Oasis offering a menu of innovative relaxing treatments, from hydro massage breath-work meditations and the novel brain massages (utilising breath-work, light therapy and brainwave ‘entrainment’ to calm the mind), which Cloosterman has said may have a place in travel retail at some point in the future

As part of the event, Rituals also launched a new limited edition, The Ritual of Yozakura, offering a range of bath, body and home products and featuring her ingredients Yoshino cherry and black rice extract, although there are no plans yet for this to launch in GTR.

*Not including the shower oil, hair & body mist and car air freshener.

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