A Finnish retail brand turned everyday beauty routines into a cultural conversation by making them visible exactly where they already happen: on public transport, in cars, and across social feeds scrolled on the move — ultimately changing how public beauty is seen and accepted.
What does beauty look like in a country where distances are long, mornings are dark, and full beauty routines rarely fit into daily schedules?
In Finland, the answer is increasingly: on the move.
This spring, Finnish hypermarket chain K-Citymarket launches #BeautyTakeAways, a cultural insight–driven beauty campaign built around a simple observation: almost everyone grooms or applies makeup on the move, in public spaces — yet more than half of Finns still find it irritating or inappropriate.
“You see makeup being applied in parking lots, buses, workplaces and public bathrooms, yet many people still feel it shouldn’t be visible. That contradiction immediately stood out to us as a fascinating and largely underused starting point for creative thinking,” said Laura Paikkari, Executive Creative Director at TBWA\Helsinki.
“Looking halfway ready, with only one eye done or makeup still in progress, doesn’t need to be hidden. There should be room for honesty, and we felt creativity could help make that space visible.”
The newly launched campaign tapped into a cultural tension and quickly became an international talking point, with earned media reach exceeding Finland’s population and social media driving a clear shift in attitudes toward public beauty routines.
Meeting people where beauty already happens
Finland’s geography plays a central role in the campaign’s insight. As a long, sparsely populated country, Finland is built around distance: commuting often means long drives or extended time on public transport. In this reality, beauty routines naturally migrate into these in-between spaces.
Media choices of the campaign mirrored behavior, placing the campaign on public transport, in car radio, and in social feeds people scroll while commuting, reaching people exactly when beauty routines already happen.
Rather than attempting to “solve” the issue, the campaign leans into the cultural tension itself. Through social-first content and relatable storytelling, #BeautyTakeAways highlights the inventive, sometimes humorous ways Finns get ready on the move: using phone cameras as mirrors, wearing hair rollers while shopping, or applying sheet masks while traveling to work.
Everyday ingenuity, shared
The campaign also inspired Finns to share hundreds of their own practical beauty tips, so called beauty takeaways, revealing the clever ways people simplify self care amid fast paced everyday life.
“We weren’t trying to change people’s behavior, just to acknowledge it. Public beauty was already happening everywhere. Once we stopped pretending it wasn’t, the conversation opened up”, said Mette Åström, Marketing Manager at K-Citymarket.
Record levels of UGC and EGC proved that the idea resonated broadly, not only with consumers, but even with K-Citymarket’s own employees.
In Finland — a country of long distances — beauty, it turns out, travels well.
Beauty habits hidden in plain sight: Research findings
Ahead of the campaign, K-Citymarket conducted a national study among Finnish women aged 18–80. The findings revealed a striking contradiction between attitudes and behavior:
Almost everyone applies makeup or grooms outside the home38% say they don’t have enough time for beauty routines in everyday life48% apply makeup in a car36% do so in public restrooms21% apply makeup on public transport13% have squeezed pimples in a public space17% have washed their armpits in a public restroom
And yet:
56% find it irritating to see someone applying makeup in a public spaceCREDITS
#BeautyTakeAways
Brand: K-Citymarket
Insight & Research: K-Citymarket Consumer Study (Feb 2026, n=1017)
Team K-Citymarket
Marketing Director: Henrik Wahlfors
Marketing Manager: Mette Åström
Digital Media Specialist: Maria Keski-Kasari
Content Manager: Liisa Wall
Project Manager: Susanna Niemi
Content Specialist (Social Media): Jessica Juujärvi
Team TBWA\Helsinki
Executive Creative Director: Laura Paikkari
Vice President, Retail: Taneli Mattelmäki
Project Director: Anne Vuori
Senior Copywriter, Creative Communications Strategist: Anni Nissi
Art Director: Tommo Killström
Content Creative: Erica Niiniaho
Creative Strategist: Aapo Kuortti
Creative Producer: Joni Hartikainen
Production Manager: Sami Ainetdin