SK-II issues regular limited editions of its cult SK-II Facial Treatment Essence to appeal to and promote engagement with a younger audience. Often drawing on cultural references with messages of affirmation and empowerment, the special releases add regular and much-anticipated occasions to the annual beauty calendar. For the Andy Warhol X SK-II Facial Treatment Essence release, LOVE delved into the Andy Warhol archive, rediscovering his inclusive take on beauty to create a striking concept that marries brand and artist in a contemporary and compelling design.

A shared belief on beauty

Himself the owner of an impressive assortment of ointments and lotions, Warhol had a unique point of view on beauty, which he expressed in quotes such as “If everyone isn’t beautiful, then no one is”, “All is pretty” and “I’ve never met a person I couldn’t call a beauty”. This belief that beauty is in everyone perfectly mirrors SK-II’s empowerment ethos, making for an authentic central theme to the collaboration. 

To convey this inclusive messaging, LOVE created a design aesthetic that tapped into another of Warhol’s passions, his love of broadcast media. The artist was at the vanguard of developments in television, with his own MTV cable shows, and constantly questioned the relationship between art and mass media. 

An authentic connection in technicolor

The edition design draws on this fascination in the collaboration’s tagline “broadcast your beauty” and its visual execution, using Warhol’s iconic television technicolor test patterns across the packaging and campaign. Available in three different colorways, the limited-edition packs are emblazoned with his uplifting quotes and distinctive signature, as well as a QR code to unlock further ‘broadcasts’ from the brand.

The limited edition also includes exclusive gift sets that take the theme of broadcast even further, with one taking the shape of a 1990s VHS tape and another designed to look like a Warhol-era analog TV.

David Palmer, Executive Creative Director at LOVE: “From the outset, we were keen to uncover an aspect of Andy Warhol, or his work, which was less well known. He produced so many iconic and immediately recognizable pieces, but we want to share a different side to him. Something that hadn’t been mined and explored. Working with the Andy Warhol Foundation, we were excited to discover a real connection between SK-II and Andy Warhol, through their shared fascination with skincare.”