Chanel says it has made an industry breakthrough by creating the first cream based on camellia flower micro-droplets.
The new ingredient will be used in its Hydra Beauty Micro Crème, a hybrid oil-creme that is said to provide a plumping effect and moisturise the skin.
The Japanese flower (also called tsubaki) has long been used as an anti-ageing treatment for the skin and hair.
But the premium beauty brand says it partnered with French start-up Capsum to create the patented technology used to create the micro-droplets.
Capsum specialises in encapsulating active oils in beads. The research company includes Skin Caviar by La Prairie and a partnership with AmorePacific within its portfolio.
The camellia flower
"This is an example of successful co-development between Chanel and a start-up," said Christian Mahé, Senior Vice-President of Chanel Beauty Research and Innovation.
"This microfluidics innovation platform is capable of broadening the scope of possibilities to develop tomorrow's cosmetics".
The brand says a new manufacturing proccess had to be devised to produce the Hydra Beauty Micro Crème in order to prevent the individual droplets of camellia oil from splitting when mixed with the cream.
Chanel’s latest product will join its 11 sku Hydra Beauty range.
"The little black dress, the two-tone shoes, the camellia, that transcend time and are regularly reinterpreted.”
The camellia has been a main component of Chanel's iconography since Coco Chanel reportedly first admired the flower after reading La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas.
As well as used in her private home, the brand has encorporated the flower continuously within its jewellery and fashion collections since the 1920s.
Karl Lagerfeld previously told Vogue that Chanel has “strong icons such as the tweed jacket, the little black dress, the two-tone shoes, the camellia, that transcend time and are regularly reinterpreted.”
