SK-II is a global luxury skincare brand celebrated for its high-quality products and boundary-breaking branding strategies. The brand’s hero ingredient, Pitera, offers consumers beautifully lush skin with just a few drops. The product is so effective it has been likened to an actual miracle. SK-II skincare has always been a creative and clever brand, with a heavy emphasis on artistry and collaborative relationships. The brand’s latest initiative is the SK-II Artist Series: Power of Pitera, helmed by Carol Lim, SK-II creative director and co-founder and half of the creative duo of Opening Ceremony. This is the largest undertaking in the brand’s journey of blending beauty and art. From sculpture and painting to photography and modern dance,SK-II recruited the help of a range of artists to interpret the story of SK-II’s Pitera product. Starting on November 9, SK-II showcased its first exhibit as part of the artist collective in Shanghai, with an interactive art exhibit.
Pitera was born out of a sake brewery in Japan with an observation of an old Toji’s youthful hands contrasted his wrinkled face and unlocked the secret to the Power of Pitera. To honor the product’s origins, SK-II enlisted illustrator Ram Han to reenact this moment.
“I get my inspiration from my personal experience and fantastical, mystical memories from my childhood. When I heard SK-II’s discovery story, it left a deep impression on me. I wanted to render this legendary discovery story of Pitera™ in a surreal dreamscape that reenacts the wonder of that exact moment of chance of observation,” Han says.
Pitera’s story was also told by design magazine Toilet Paper, with a more provocative aesthetic. Toilet Paper magazine played with the power of Pitera, drawing inspiration from the idea that just one drop contains a miracle. “We thought, what if a single powerful drop becomes like magical elements that would be alive in the image? We want to capture the essence of that and marry it with our signature visually provocative aesthetic,” the magazine said of their submission.
The next experience in this artist series will be the opening of SK-II’s first-ever art-inspired flagship in Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Ikebukuro in Tokyo this December. Part of these experiences is about showcasing art and beauty because they so seamlessly blend and cross paths in culture and every day life. The other aspect is about altering the shopping experience in the beauty industry. Beauty can be interpreted in such diverse ways especially depending on the city and culture you are immersed in. Showcasing the various ways Pitera’s story can be reimagined offers insight into SK-II’s open mind.
