Hermès is having a big moment in Shanghai. One week after opening the Hermès in the Making exhibition at the Shanghai Exhibition Center, the house teamed up again with Twenty Knots to stage the launch of its new complexion hero, Hermès Plein Air Luminous Matte Skincare Foundation. This event reinforces the growing importance of the Hermès Plein Air line, as the brand introduces its first ever foundation in 2026.
Hermès in the Making arrives in Shanghai
The Hermès in the Making exhibition runs from May 17–24, 2026 on the North Square of the Shanghai Exhibition Center in the Jing’an district. Conceived as an immersive look into the house’s craftsmanship, it brings together artisans from around 10 métiers to present live demonstrations, workshops, films and talks around objects designed to last and be repaired.
Within this dense cultural program, Hermès adds the Hermès Plein Air foundation launch in Shanghai, strengthening its local presence at the crossroads of exhibition, storytelling and high end beauty.
Hermès Plein Air: the house’s first foundation
Launched globally in January 2026, Hermès Plein Air Luminous Matte Skincare Foundation is described as the house’s first foundation, expanding a complexion collection that Hermès began building in 2022. According to brand materials, the formula contains 82% skincare ingredients and 71% ingredients of natural origin, offering a light cream texture, buildable medium coverage and a “luminous matte” finish with up to 16 hours of wear.
The shade range includes 34–35 shades, structured into five intensity levels (from light to deep) and three undertones (cool, neutral, warm) to cover a broad spectrum of skin tones. In Europe, the 33 ml bottle is priced at 125 euros, while in the United States it retails at 145 dollars on hermes.com.
A launch built as a brand experience
The LinkedIn post highlights that Twenty Knots supported Hermès on this Shanghai launch, directly following Hermès in the Making. While detailed scenography is not publicly described, the positioning of the product – somewhere between skincare and makeup, nature and luxury suggests an immersive, highly sensorial setup aligned with the “plein air” identity already used in Hermès’ complexion tutorials.
In a very sophisticated Chinese complexion market, the stakes are high: Hermès must prove its credibility in makeup with a meticulously formulated first foundation, while anchoring the launch in a broader narrative of craftsmanship and durability already carried by Hermès in the Making.
From craftsmanship to skincare grade complexion
With Hermès Plein Air, the house extends to the face what it already does in leather goods and fragrance: precise formulations, careful materials and a story that focuses on sensation rather than dramatic transformation. Key actives including niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and white mulberry extract are designed to nourish, hydrate and brighten the skin over time, combining immediate makeup payoff with long term skincare benefits.
In Shanghai, the back to back scheduling of a craft focused exhibition and a skincare foundation launch shows how Hermès treats beauty as a natural extension of its core métiers, with the same emphasis on formula, gesture and longevity.
Production Credits: TWENTY KNOTS
