SK-II Pitera Delivers Street Art Culture To The Beauty Industry

Our SK-II limited edition packs bring street art culture into the beauty industry. The unapologetic and disruptive design language speaks to new premium codes of aspirational beauty.

Skincare in Asia is a serious business, and SK-II is the industry leader. Its miracle ingredient, PITERA is considered to hold the secret to a healthy, radiant glow and has won the brand a loyal fanbase. Yet that fanbase skews older. SK-II partnered with Vault49 to recruit the next generation of luxury skincare consumers.

The product itself is truly effective. Yet to capture a new audience we needed to do more than communicate product benefits. We had to speak to the hearts and minds of young Asian millennials in order to unlock future growth. This begins with a range of limited-edition packs and retail environments.

Using strategic insights, we uncovered a big idea that would resonate with an Asian millennial audience: Individuality is the New Luxury.

Youthful consumers are choosing brands that celebrate self-expression and do not hold them to a confined beauty standard. Armed with this insight, we imagined a packaging range that is bold, attitudinal, raw, and unapologetic. We knew that to appeal to the next generation we would have to defy category conventions.

The three limited-edition packs share a collective spirit but capture different personalities. Together, they are winning over and recruiting the next generation of beauty fans and create a halo effect on the wider SK-II skincare line.

Graffiti is a hallmark of counterculture and a defiant symbol of self-expression. Yet an authentic application is essential. Vault49 was born from a street art background, so we instinctively understand the sweet spot between street art rawness and premium packaging cues. For each pack, we used hand-crafted techniques including “tapeography,” hand-drawn marker typography, and mixed media collage using Vault49 vintage street art posters. From there, each design was photographed, scanned, and meticulously composed onto the packaging.