For beauty lovers, browsing the cosmetics section at the airport can be almost as much a part of travelling as the trip itself.

There are perfumes to smell and lipsticks to swatch, often followed by boarding the plane wearing far too many fragrances at once.

Some beauty brands available at Malta International Airport’s Dufry store aren’t available in physical retail outlets elsewhere on the island. These include Kylie Cosmetics, Rituals, Urban Decay, and Benefit.

While some products can be ordered online, bought through local online sellers or shipped to Malta through intermediary services, cosmetics are one category where buying online is not always ideal as foundation shades, lipstick colours and fragrances can be difficult to judge without seeing, swatching or smelling them first.

So why can travellers find these brands at the airport, but not necessarily in Malta’s domestic retail market?

WhosWho.mt puts the question to Dufry.

According to the travel retailer, one of the main reasons is that beauty brands often operate under specific distribution agreements and travel retail strategies.

“These agreements may allow products to be sold exclusively through duty free and travel retail channels, while limiting or excluding their distribution in the local domestic market,” Dufry tells this newsroom.

The airport environment also offers brands a constantly changing international customer base. Dufry noted that airport stores cater to travellers from numerous countries, making travel retail an attractive channel for brands looking to showcase exclusive products, limited editions or wider product portfolios that may not be offered through local retailers.

There are also more conventional commercial considerations at play.

“Product availability can also depend on various commercial factors, including licensing arrangements, market demand, supplier strategies, and the commercial decisions of individual brands regarding where and how they wish to distribute their products,” Dufry says.

For Malta’s beauty enthusiasts, that means a pre-flight wander through the cosmetics section can offer something beyond killing time before boarding. Just perhaps avoid testing five perfumes at once before getting on the plane, as from my experience, a headache is the last thing you need before a flight.