THE BEAUTY EDIT at Zhang Yuan, Shanghai

The Beauty Edit is not a beauty exhibition in the ordinary sense. It is an annual occasion held in honour of the spirit of niche beauty.

JOYCE BEAUTY, with more than half a century behind it and a reputation as a pioneer of the multi-brand boutique, brought together leading industry figures, beauty podcasters and writers to present the substance and the energy of niche beauty. The intention was to build a temporary sanctuary charged with artistic feeling, where the boundaries of the everyday recede and visitors can find the quiet stories of craft behind the houses they most admire. What we hold in regard is not scale but the pursuit of beauty in its purest form, and the persistence that ideals require.

Who takes part

Between ten and twelve global niche houses in skincare, personal care and fragrance are selected, each of which must meet a demanding standard: an official mainland China debut; genuine originality, whether in the founder's story, the science, the efficacy or the design; excellence in raw materials; a coherent brand philosophy running from supply chain to channel strategy to communications; a sound reputation at home and abroad; and real readiness for the Chinese market.

The Beauty Edit is not simply a place where products are displayed. It is where the character of a brand becomes legible, and where discerning consumers help shape what beauty becomes next.

If nature could speak

The curatorial theme takes the perspective of the natural world. Natural elements and products are combined in a highly considered exhibition language, in advocacy of natural beauty.

The setting

An artistic salon offers an immersive and carefully conceived experience in keeping with the refinement the theme asks for, a space where art installations and natural elements meet. Each exhibiting house is given a bespoke display plinth so its products are shown with both emphasis and presence. Visual merchandising guidelines hold the whole to one aesthetic register while leaving room for each brand's own expression, and brands are encouraged to bring imaginative props of their own.

Zhang Yuan

Zhang Yuan sits at the heart of West Nanjing Road and is the largest, best preserved and most architecturally varied shikumen quarter remaining in Shanghai. Its history reaches back to 1882, when it was celebrated as the city's foremost public garden for culture and entertainment, and it has long played the part of an advocate for cultural progress. The Beauty Edit sets out to open a new path within the beauty industry and to explore the possibilities of niche beauty alongside consumers, an advocacy that sits closely with what Zhang Yuan stands for. Zhang Yuan is also working to become a new benchmark for the central city and a new marker of Shanghai's development, which meets the international outlook The Beauty Edit holds. And because Zhang Yuan brings retail, culture, art and dining together in one place, it offers ground on which commercial value and cultural atmosphere can both be present.