2 days ago
YSL Beauty and PEAQ blur the lines between wellness and beauty
Wellness is no longer a side quest – it's the main story. As explored in our luxury issue, the concept of luxury is shifting from exclusivity to emotional, physical and sensory well-being. This shift is increasingly visible across sectors, including beauty. A recent example, the sensory-filled activation by YSL Beauty and PEAQ, a social wellness club in the Middle East.
The collaboration reflects how wellness is moving beyond traditional hospitality – embedding itself into daily routines, personal care, and beauty rituals.
'We weren't interested in creating a branded moment for the sake of branding. The idea was simple: what if beauty was already part of your recovery? Not something added on, but something integrated,' says Alwee Villarosa, Creative & Brand Strategy Director, Internaut.
'We're always asking: how do we turn routines into rituals?' says Ali Hassoun, PEAQ's founder. 'When you combine movement, scent, and intention, you're not just caring for the body – you're shifting the emotional tone of the entire day. That's the kind of awareness we were after. Not fleeting attention, but lasting association. When a product becomes a part of how you feel – that's when it lives beyond the campaign.
Integrating beauty into recovery
Working with creative agency Internaut, ComCo Middle East & Africa, and Jack Taylor PR, PEAQ designed an activation built around YSL Beauty's Libre L'Eau Nue, an alcohol-free fragrance centered on softness with notes of lavender and orange blossom.
'The message was quiet but clear: wellness isn't just internal. It's in the mood you set, the rituals you build, and the space that holds you,' mentioned Villarosa.
The scent was diffused during Lagree cooldowns, while the hydration bar carried the same fragrance notes. Instructors led breathwork and visualisations inspired by the scent, creating an immersive and sensory environment.
The Libre L'Eau Nue shower gel, body oil, lotion, and fragrance were placed strategically in the changing rooms, not with signage or fanfare. It was simply part of the ritual. Something you instinctively reached for after class and was aimed to be a moment of rest.
'We didn't present the range as a display. We embedded it,' said Josie Delfin Perret, Head of Hospitality, ComCo Middle East and Africa.
She continues, 'The goal was emotional connection – not just exposure. We wanted people to feel something, and to connect that feeling to the scent. Calm. Softness. A sense of return. Not a hard sell, not product placement. Just memory, formed through repetition and atmosphere.'
In the Lagree sessions, instructors paired scent with breath, and guiding members through a visualisation that felt like a reset. A warm summer evening. A softer pace. A moment of pause. The perfume became more than a fragrance. It became the anchor to that state of mind,' added Josie Delfin Perret, Head of Hospitality, ComCo Middle East and Africa.
A sensory approach to marketing
This activation reflected a broader shift in how people define wellness. It's about how you feel in your environment. The atmosphere you create, the textures you reach for, the energy you carry with you. The intersection of beauty and wellness now includes fragrance, skincare, self-expression in recovery.
'We want PEAQ to be the point where beauty and wellness meet. Not as two separate industries, but as one lived experience,' says Hassoun.
It came from a wider shift in how people are redefining wellness.
It's no longer limited to movement or nutrition. It includes what you apply to your skin, how you recover, how you express yourself. There's a growing awareness that fragrance, skincare, and self-presentation are all part of well-being. This was an opportunity to show that in a lived, embodied way.
YSL and PEAQ partner for Lagree and Libre
Influencers and creators were part of the activation, but the focus was on community. The event was open to the public, and intentionally designed around PEAQ's regular members – people who already move through the space, know its rhythm, and engage with its rituals.
'Everyone experienced it the same way . That made all the difference. They weren't promoting an idea. They were participating in something they already care about. Their content reflected that – it felt personal and grounded, not staged,' comments Hassoun
By centring real community members, the campaign created resonance over reach; beauty wasn't being advertised it was being used. In doing so, the activation moved beyond product placement and became a memory trigger – a fragment of someone's day, not a performance for the algorithm.
The roll-out of YSL Beauty and PEAQ
The activation was promoted mainly through Instagram – using reels, stories, and formats that felt intimate and unfiltered.
'We weren't interested in content that looked branded. We wanted it to feel lived-in. That's how we like to show up online: present, unfiltered, and in rhythm with the space. The goal wasn't to flood the feed, but to make people feel like they were in the room. Watching something unfold in real time, not watching an ad,' said Hassoun.
Partnered with ComCo Middle East & Africa to lead media outreach, influencer curation, and campaign amplification. Their team ensured we had the right voices in the room – creators, tastemakers, and wellness figures whose presence felt aligned with both the product and the space.
The Internaut, the creative agency, led visual direction and digital storytelling. They shaped how the experience would live online – subtle, sensory, and grounded in how the activation actually felt. From campaign assets to real-time content, they captured all the raw moments.
Jack Taylor PR, brought YSL Beauty to PEAQ.
'They helped build a bridge between two brands that believe in mood, presence, and intentional rituals,' comments Hassoun.
Together, the teams translated a physical, atmospheric experience that brought the world of beauty and wellness together.
