The private retro salon
Photo: via Pinterest.
We book out a real old-school hair salon, or build one from scratch: chequerboard floor, pastel vinyl chairs, wash basins, round mirrors and a neon sign in the window with the brand's name.
Rollers in jars, vintage magazines on the coffee tables, hairspray and combs lined up like a museum display: the set already tells the story. We simply recolour it in the range's shades.
Hood dryers as testing stations
Photo: via Pinterest.
Inspiration : Priscilla (Sofia Coppola, 2024) · via Pinterest
The big chrome hood dryers become testing stations: guests sit underneath, discover a product and try it with a hairdresser or a make-up artist. Each dryer matches a product in the range.
It's playful, very visual, and it solves every launch's problem: getting people to actually try the products instead of looking at them on a stand.
The appointment-card invitation
Photo: via Pinterest.
Inspiration : Priscilla (Sofia Coppola, 2024) · via Pinterest
No standard invite: each guest receives a salon appointment card, with their slot written by hand, a little comb and a sample tucked into the envelope.
The appointment is personal, the time is set: you're coming for your session. And the card ends up in Stories well before the day.
Express blow-dries and manicures
Photo: via Pinterest.
Throughout the event, a team of hairdressers and nail technicians does blow-dries, retro sets and express manicures, using only the new products.
In front of the big mirrors, the before/after moment becomes the heart of the evening: guests see the result on themselves, not on a product sheet. It's the most convincing demo there is.
Content designed for Reels
Photo: via Pinterest.
Hijacking an everyday place works really well on Reels right now: viewers recognise the setting in a second, and the twist of a beauty brand inside it makes them want to keep watching. A 1960s salon is all colour, gestures and transformations: exactly what the algorithm loves.
So we design the venue like a set: flattering light facing the mirrors, one chair kept for before/afters, dryers lined up for wide shots and a ready-made shot list for invited creators. The result: Reels in line with your campaign, in a setting nobody has seen at a launch before.
The salon after-party
Photo: via Pinterest.
As night falls, the dryers switch off and the music turns up: a DJ behind the till, alcohol-free drinks served in shampoo bowls, twist and yé-yé then more current sets. Guests dance with freshly done hair.
This is the moment the brand becomes a party people talk about, and all those blow-dries finally get put to good use.
And the gifting?
We finish with a retro hairdresser's case: the full range, a set of rollers, an engraved comb, a silk headscarf and an appointment card for next time. The salon to take home, and a gift made to be unboxed on camera.
Frequently asked questions
How do you organise a beauty range launch?
Start from how the products are used, choose a venue where guests can try them for real, invite press and content creators, and design every space to produce images. The agency then comes back with a concept and a quote detailed line by line.
Why launch beauty products in a hair salon?
Because it's the natural home of transformation: guests try the products in real conditions, the before/after effect is instant, and a retro setting gives the brand a strong, highly photogenic world.
Can you recreate a 1960s salon if the venue doesn't exist?
Yes. A period salon can be booked out, but one can also be built in an empty space with vintage or hired furniture, hood dryers, signage and bespoke decoration in the brand's colours.