Chantecaille

Chantecaille celebrates its 15th anniversary this year with the release of its new Rose de Mai cream. The ancient Rose de Mai bloom in May in the fields of Grasse, Provence; the flowers harvested for the Chantecaille line are the same ones Chanel collects to create its No. 5 perfume. These delicate pink flowers form the base of all Chantecaille skin-care products, selected for their extraordinary anti-aging properties and enchanting fragrance.

While many beauty brands will distill flowers several times—using the first distillation for essential oils, the second for perfume, and then the third or fourth for rosewater—this is not the case for Chantecaille. “We use the entire flower and the first distillation in our products,” says Chantecaille international artist Harvey Tsao, who oversees training for the company in Korea, Taiwan, and Australia. “Because we do so, you’ll notice subtle differences in the scent. It doesn’t smell the same every year, it depends on the harvest.”

Tsao champions a strict skin-care routine: “If you want good skin, follow your skin-care regimen day and night, no matter how tired you are. Climb on top of your beauty table, do whatever you have to do, and get it done. I don’t care if you skip flossing, just never skin care—that is the key.” The multi-functional Rose de Mai cream eases this process: it can be used as a day cream, night cream, or booster, infused with pure rose extract to brighten the skin, wild pansy extract for wrinkles, and sweet pea stem cells to detoxify. “The cream activates the skin’s own defence and helps it to repair itself,” says Tsao. “Plus, the fragrance elevates your mood.”

Tsao has worked for Chantecaille on and off for 14 years, and praises the company’s philanthropic efforts, which focus fundraising initiatives on a specific animal species each year. “I like this mindset and philosophy,” he says. “We take reserves from nature to make ourselves beautiful, so we have to find a way to give back and restore the balance.” This year the company chose nature’s pollinators, bees, and created a Save the Bees palette, donating five per cent of its sales to the cause. The giving venture is in many ways an acknowledgement of Chantecaille’s partnership with nature. After all, it is these tiny wonders that pollinate its cornerstone ingredient, Rose de Mai.