At Chanel’s Research and Innovation Centre in Pantin, France, we discover how the luxury brand develops and creates its most important skincare and make‐up collections
Beauty can be expressed in many different ways. But Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s original vision of beauty is that it is conveyed through the entire being. This took off with the creation of the iconic Chanel No 5 perfume, which revolutionised the fragrance world in 1921. Since then, women have been at the centre of all of the beauty creations from the French luxury brand. In 1924, the maison introduced its first make-up collection, and followed with its first foray into skincare products three years later. These milestones are crucial to Coco Chanel’s vision of holistic beauty.
To give shape to these creations, Coco Chanel created Société des Parfums Chanel in 1924 to oversee the creation, production and distribution of fragrances and perfumes. She then invested in a laboratory-factory in Pantin, France, where her visionary ideas came to life thanks to the scientific expertise and know-how of the
house’s artisans and producers.
In 1972, Pantin became the historical birthplace of Chanel research and development dedicated to skincare and make-up. Tatler Singapore had the opportunity to visit this hub in November last year, as part of the brand’s Global Integrative Beauty event, which is an opportunity for participants to be immersed in the Chanel savoir‑faire.
Located approximately 30 minutes from Paris, the Pantin Research and Innovation Centre is an epicentre where researchers combine the latest cutting-edge technology with artisanal methods, science with innovation, and knowledge with expertise to conduct research on new ingredients, formulations and manufacturing processes.
During the event, we got a taste of the research and development that go into creating each product. Participants were first given lab coats embroidered with their names, before the Chanel team delivered presentations and offered insights on various topics, from its research programmes to its open-sky laboratories around the world. During one hands-on activity, participants were asked to identify three unlabelled creams from the Chanel Sublimage collection by feeling their textures. Fabric materials and cue cards with keywords such as “thick” or “enveloping” were provided as guidance. This offered some perspective on the importance of sensorial feel to the Chanel product experience.
