The last few years have seen a step change in Formula One. The racing hasn’t changed, but everything around it has: TV documentaries; movies; a social media whirlwind; new circuits; new formats; new fans. We have a sport that is more popular than ever, and more inclusive. And this is why we see a leading beauty brand partnering Aston Martin Aramco. Not so long ago, ELEMIS would not have been a name you might expect to see on the car. Today, while our partnership breaks new ground, it also seems like the most natural thing imaginable. ELEMIS Co-Founder and CEO Sean Harrington and Global Chief Partnerships Officer Amy Mansell, explain why.
Sean: The next milestone for our business
“Over three decades ago, I was one of the four co-founders of ELEMIS and, for a long time, it really was just four of us in a grassroots organisation. We’ve built up steadily from there. Along the way, there have been several milestones – of which our partnership with Aston Martin Aramco is the latest.
“We started the company from scratch in Britain. Our name was unknown, our product didn’t exist. The first decade was all about building the product in the UK via the spa industry, and then evolving it into retail and, eventually, e-commerce. After that, we launched in America and started again from zero and grew that business to where it is now. Most recently, we launched ELEMIS in Asia. Again, starting from scratch, building brand recognition from zero. It was tough to do that during the pandemic, but by this point we had accrued a lot of knowledge, experience and resource, which meant, when we built brand stores across Asia, we could do it in the perfect way, with the perfect platform.
“The next milestone is becoming Aston Martin Aramco’s global, exclusive skincare partner. Building the brand worldwide: not just in the UK, or the USA, or the Asian market, but giving us global exposure through F1. It’s the icing on the cake.”
It’s an opportunity to have a partnership with a brand that carries all the same hallmarks and attributes we’re proud to have.
Sean Harrington, ELEMIS Co-Founder and CEO
A game-changing opportunity
“I was looking for something unique: something that would be global and support our next stage of growth. Not just a sponsorship, or an advertising campaign or an influencer-driver programme, but something that would require engagement, and be a platform for what we want to do. Honestly, I was a little tired with many of the traditional ways of marketing and traditional ways of communicating with consumers. I felt there was a more involved level we needed to reach.
“We wanted to drive treatments and facials, we wanted to drive performance and equality, we wanted to deliver physical experiences. I was looking for a way in which we could support that via a partnership. I didn’t necessarily think I would find it in F1 – or any sport – or fashion, or jewellery, but meeting the Aston Martin Aramco team led us to that place. It’s an opportunity not just to have a partnership with global exposure, but also a partnership with a brand that carries all the same hallmarks and attributes we’re proud to have, with the authenticity and authority with which we wanted to collaborate.”
Harnessing a desire to win
“Aston Martin has the brand attributes of quality, of premium luxury. But the thing that really put the seal on the deal for me, was that, being a sports team, they’re driven to win. This single-mindedness is something we can learn from. It’s a benchmark.
“In our first meetings, our team really turned up, straining to be the best we could be, and on the other side of the table was a team firmly focused on how to win. Frankly, this was a whole new level for us. Less Drive to Survive, more ‘Drive to Thrive’. It was an electric cultural shock which, as a 35-year-old brand, we were ready to embrace.”
Activating the partnership
“Our partnership has already been very busy: we’ve had activations at the British Grand Prix and we’ve gone around Britain with activations in branches of John Lewis. The model is going to roll-out and repeat around the world. We’ll be doing tours of the AMR Technology Campus, and taking our pitstop spa treatments out into the world, carrying dual branding and showing off the very best we can offer.
“One thing we perhaps didn’t factor in when we started this partnership is that the majority of our audience didn’t have much experience of F1, and the majority of F1 fans weren’t necessarily too familiar with skincare and beauty products. What we’re doing together has acted as a catalyst. There has been an explosion of engagement and media and just a generally increased level of conversation. The physical interest has been remarkable. It’s been very stimulating.”
The potential for product collaboration
“We recently began launching product collaborations in the shape of Aston Martin Aramco travel sets, but we see a lot more opportunity down the line. We feel product collaboration, product development, dietary health and wellness supplements are in the future, driven by the programmes of the drivers – male and female. We want to better understand the high level of physical and mental athleticism and bring it into our brand. There are technology elements also. F1’s natural affinity with technology is interesting, and will help us develop our ranges of spa and beauty tools.”
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This works because F1 is changing
“Would this have been possible even five years ago? Honestly, I wish I’d seen the potential for it five years ago – but I think F1 has got to a different place now. I think of this as less of a watershed moment, more the beginning of a journey which, we hope, is going to be both pleasant and productive. It’s a beginning because F1 is changing: the work that Liberty Media and the teams are doing is something special. We’re seeing a rise in female fandom, younger drivers, increased levels of engagement. We’re here to make a difference, just as Aston Martin Aramco are.
“New opportunities are being revealed through the work of Jessica Hawkins, our new brand ambassador, and that of the F1 ACADEMY drivers coming through. Jessica driving an Aston Martin Aramco F1 car on the roads in Riyadh touches the surface of something bigger. Her story is an inspiration to so many, particularly the younger end of the audience, who need inspirational characters they can relate to. It’s a very exciting moment, it has real energy and it’s going to build. We want to be at the forefront of that. That’s why we’re here.”
Amy: A changing demographic
“Our decision to partner with Aston Martin Aramco was a bold and unexpected move into a place where beauty brands have not traditionally played. What we saw was an opportunity to engage with a global, fast-growing and emotionally-engaged audience. 41 per cent of F1’s fan-base is now female – the demographic has shifted significantly off the back of Drive to Survive.
“We’ve divided our activities between on-track and off-track events. As an example, we recently held a panel discussion which was phenomenal. We had Jessica there, with Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham, content creator Priscilla Anyabu and our Co-Founder and Global President Noella Gabriel. It was amazing to have a room full of women in motorsport, talking about driving meaningful change and what that means for everyone.”
Representation drives participation, and participation drives progress.
Amy Mansell, Global Chief Partnerships Officer
Women in motorsport
“The feedback from peers after the event was interesting: a female-focused event like this isn’t something that has much history within this community. From that we went a step further, inviting fans along to our Monmouth Street store. It’s still early days in our partnership with Aston Martin Aramco, but this sort of fan engagement is something we want to build upon, to show the female fanbase that there is a space for them within motorsport and they have a perfect right to occupy it.
“This turned into a phenomenal evening. There were treatments and skin consultations at Monmouth Street; there were glasses of bubbles and some nice nibbles along the way. The thing that sticks with me was a note on LinkedIn from one of the attendees. She thanked us for championing inclusion in a space that hasn’t always felt built for her, and demonstrating what it looks like when brands take that seriously. She said that, as a woman of colour, she hadn’t always felt like she belongs in that community, but felt this event celebrated people like her.
“I’ve written about this elsewhere, because that sort of firsthand account and feedback is real goosebumps stuff. It confirms that what we’re doing is making a difference.”
Pop-up spa and pitstop treatments
“The events that we’ve done at the track have been interesting too. We’re continuing with a pop-up spa and our pitstop treatments within the Paddock Club environment. They’re very popular and fully booked – I think it’s been fully booked at everyone Grand Prix we’ve done so far.
“At the British Grand Prix we also launched our Skin Spa, which offers the same pitstop treatments from a pop-up Airstream trailer. That was a fan offering outside at Silverstone, and is now touring the UK.”
Exploring female empowerment
“Where are we going next? One thing we’re looking to do more of is content focused around women in motorsport. There are a lot of untold stories. Out in the wider world, we have a lot of upcoming activations. At the Singapore Grand Prix we’re going to be very busy. There’s a female-empowerment cocktail event, and our formula-powered car will be making an appearance: it’s a car constructed from jars of our award-winning pro-collagen marine cream.
“It’s taking place at the Pan Pacific, which is one of our partner hotels, in its phenomenal garden, right next to the Marina Bay Street Circuit. We have a guest list of 170 women of influence from the region, ranging from politicians to retail partners. We’re going to be celebrating the breaking down of barriers within motorsport.
“You’ll see lots more of this from us: more events; more panel discussions. I think it’s a bold statement, challenging some outdated perceptions regarding who belongs in motorsport – whether that’s in the paddock, in the grandstands or on the grid. It’s a real movement, seeing real change, and we’re proud to be leading that charge. I’ve been involved in motorsport for 20 years and, personally, this is the role of my dreams – because it’s not very often you got an opportunity to show up for the female demographic in the way that we are doing now.”
Driving progress now and in the future
“We are growing our male audience, which is wonderful because our skincare is for everyone, but we are a female-focused brand, and everything we’re doing is done with purpose. It’s therefore unsurprising that we’ve worked particularly closely with Aston Martin Aramco driver squad member Jessica Hawkins, but we plan to take it further into the team to reveal some of the personalities, and then deeper into the fan base.
“It’s interesting working with Jessica and hearing her talking about driving change. She has a lot of energy and represents everything that we stand for. She’s become our first official brand ambassador, which makes it even more special, and I can’t think of anyone better within motorsport to represent us, promote that inclusion, and inspire a younger generation. How we show up in this partnership is different to how a tech brand or a B2B brand would show up. It’s about people; it’s about experiences and it’s also about women. Bringing Jessica on board is such a great fit. Representation drives participation, and participation drives progress.
“Beyond Jessica, we’re working with Aston Martin Aramco to drive more content around the untold stories of women behind the scenes in the team, with a particular focus on STEM. It’s an important area for us: as a business that’s all about engineering and product development, there’s a great deal of synergy there. If we can highlight impactful stories, we can help drive inclusivity. There is so much opportunity. We are only a few months in, and the potential for what we can do in the coming years is what excites me the most.”
To learn more about Aston Martin Aramco’s ground-breaking partnership with ELEMIS, click here.
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