Beauty & Wellness Briefing: The changing in-flight amenities opportunity

Around 2.9 million airline passengers across 45,000 daily flights flew in and out of U.S. airports every day in 2023, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

These numbers are part of air travel’s post-pandemic rebound: Global passenger traffic is set to surpass 2019 numbers for the first time in 2024, according to the Airport Council International (ACI), an advocacy group for airports. Specifically, North America is estimated to reach 2.2 billion passengers, or 104% of the 2019 number, this year. 

Reaching these flyers has continued to be a focus for brands through retail and amenities partnerships. However, few are as unique as the newest collab to roll out on American Airlines in the coming weeks for North American flyers in first, business and premium economy cabins. 

For the first time, the airline juggernaut’s new in-flight amenities model will feature a rotating selection of personal care products curated by Thirteen Lune, a beauty retail darling that launched in 2020 with products made by BIPOC-founded brands for shoppers of all backgrounds. 

Thirteen Lune co-founder Nyakio Grieco told Glossy she’s been in talks with American Airlines about the project for about two years. She hopes the rotating planned rollout of Thirteen Lune products will keep regular travels satiated with newness every few weeks, she said. 

“[Thirteen Lune and American Airlines] came together with a shared mission of moving the needle for diversity and inclusion, but also for the element of discovery,” Grieco told Glossy. “The opportunity to curate kits where we can not only highlight our own brand, but also introduce the American customer to a diverse range of products is a dream come true.”

The first drop will include three kits. Premium economy and business passengers will receive hand and body lotion from celebrity facialist Joanna Vargas’s namesake range and lip balm from Relevant, Grieco’s skin-care brand that she launched six months ago at Thirteen Lune. First-class passengers will also receive a hand towel from Relevant and a hydrating face mist from Joanna Vargas. Each Thirteen Lune-branded bag is different and also includes ear plugs, a sleeping eye mask, a toothbrush and toothpaste.

“As a frequent business traveler myself, I know you get the same kits over and over again, so the exciting thing about this partnership is that these [limited] bags will become collectible,” said Greico, who described the AA partnership as “long term.”

The kits were created with Formia, an amenities manufacturer that outfits hotels and planes around the world with mini products. Formia is also responsible for Diptyque for Qatar Airways, Bvlgari for Emirates and Grown Alchemist for Delta. 

For her part, Vargas created bespoke formulas specifically for America Airlines packed with hydrating ingredients, like hyaluronic acid and shea butter, as well as light, gender-neutral scents. “I worked very hard to make the scent uplifting; you don’t want anything overpowering [on a plane],” she told Glossy. As for the products, “I tried to convince [American Airlines] to do a sheet mask, but they didn’t go for it,” Vargas told Glossy.

Vargas has a pre-existing relationship with Formia, which offers her products as amenities at the Hong Kong Four Seasons where she has a spa. “[The American Airlines partnership will allow me] to reach new customers and introduce my brand to a whole new audience,” Vargas said. “I have a cult following, but it’ll be exciting to reach a wider audience than I have been able to achieve on my own.” 

American Airlines does not share passenger numbers or flight counts, so representatives declined to share with Glossy how many kits they plan to distribute. Thirteen Lune declined to share the products it plans to distribute through the partnership in the future.

The Thirteen Lune kits replace products from D.S. & Durga housed in Shinola-branded bags, which launched together for American Airlines in 2021. The new Thirteen Lune kits are part of a larger makeover of American Airlines’ amenities offerings, which also includes new bedding, revamped menus and upgraded seats on some planes. 

Thirteen Lune joins other brands recently launching revamped in-flight amenities kits. For example, Therabody announced its partnership with United Airlines at the end of 2023. The Therabody-branded amenity bags feature eye serum, face spray, hand cream and cleansing towelettes. The brand also created inflight wellness videos featuring topics like breathwork and meditation, and has provided Therabody device placement in United Polaris lounges for customer use before and after flights. In addition, United MileagePlus members earn miles on Therabody purchases. To date, United has distributed more than 5 million kits, a rep from Therabody told Glossy.

Executive moves: 

• Maesa, the beauty incubator behind celeb-backed lines like TPH by Taraji and Flower by Drew, has tapped Molly Kennedy as its new vp of marketing. Kennedy will work on Kristin Ess Hair, as well as other brands like Koze Place home fragrance. Kennedy was previously a senior director at Unilever. 

• Mercedes Mincks is the new svp of North American sales for Revolution Beauty, a U.K.-based trend-driven beauty company that sells color cosmetics at Ulta Beauty and DTC. Mincks was previously the vp of wholesale at Forma Brands.

News to know:

• International skin-care brand L’Occitane announced Monday its plans to go private. Owner Reinold Geiger aspires to purchase all distributed L’Occitane stock after 14 years of trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

• Blue Bird Climate, a company offering CPG life-cycle analysis and environmental compliance support for brands, has been acquired by rePurpose Global, a circular solutions juggernaut that works with more than 300 brands and retailers worldwide. 

• Buy-now, pay-later lender Affirm is doubling down on the financing of elective medical procedures. The fintech leader, which partners with retailers to finance e-comm purchases, began adding medical providers to its roster last year. It will continue to add cosmetic treatments, dental services, medical devices and veterinary services to the procedures it finances. 

• Bath & Body Works opened its first London store at the Westfield London shopping center in White City where it joins Sephora, SpaceNK and Boots.

• Unilever has agreed to pay $2 million to resolve a class action suit against Suave that claims the conglomerate sold aerosol deodorants contaminated with benzene, a chemical linked to cancer. 

• Private equity firm West Lane Capital Partners has purchased Mented Cosmetics for an undisclosed sum. 

• Experiment skincare, known on TikTok for its neon green reusable sheet mask, closed a $3.3 million seed round with Greycroft investment firm. Katherine Power, a partner at Greycroft, is the entrepreneur behind Merit, WhoWhatWear and Versed. 

• Kenvue, the parent company to brands like Neutrogena and Aveeno, broke ground on its new 290,000-square-foot global headquarters in Summit, New Jersey. 

In the headlines:

The number of people sickened with potentially counterfeit Botox injections has risen to 22 across 11 states. A $10,000-a-month “wellness social club” has opened in Manhattan. The U.K. government is cracking down on organized retail crime. At least three women are believed to have contracted HIV through “vampire facial” procedures at an unlicensed New Mexico medical spa, marking the first documented cases of HIV transmitted through cosmetic needles. 

Need a Glossy recap? 

Sephora is expanding its recycling and refillables programs. The secret sauce behind Aesop’s cult-status hand wash. Answers to environmental compliance FAQs with leading beauty industry-focused attorneys. Dolce & Gabbana Beauty’s CEO is out to conquer designer cosmetics. How Babor used personalization to boost e-commerce conversions by 82%.