CHANEL Skin Care Review

When you think of Chanel, you may initially think of designer handbags and luxury beauty products. But did you know Chanel also offers a variety of skin care products? In this review, we’ll discuss a few of the best selling products, key ingredients, Chanel Skin Care reviews from real customers, and more. 

OUR TOP SKINCARE PICKS

What are the best selling Chanel Skin Care products?

There are nearly 90 different Chanel Skin Care products that are divided into 15 different lines. As you can imagine, that’s way too many products to cover in one review! But don’t worry, below we’ll discuss three of the best selling Chanel Skin Care products: Sublimage Masque, Le Lift Creme, and La Mousse Anti-Pollution Cleansing Cream-to-Foam.

Chanel Sublimage Masque is a rich facial mask that is said to help target key signs of aging: wrinkles, loss of firmness, radiance and moisture, and unevenness of skin tone. This mask is recommended to be used one to three times per week, in the morning or evening. 

Chanel Le Lift Creme is an anti-aging face cream that is said to promote a recontoured, toned, and refined complexion. This cream can be applied to the face and neck both in the morning and at night. 

Chanel La Mousse Anti-Pollution Cleansing Cream-to-Foam is a facial cleanser with a rich cream texture that gently removes traces of makeup, sunscreen, and pollutants. It is claimed to help skin feel soft, deeply purified, and prepared for the next steps of your skin care routine.

What are the key ingredients in Chanel Skin Care?

One key ingredient that is found in the Chanel Skin Care Sublimage line is called “Enriched Planifolia PFA”, an extract from the Vanilla planifolia plant. Of all of the 117 varieties of vanilla in the world, researchers discovered that this specific species was the most beneficial for the skin. Interestingly, Chanel doesn’t describe the specific benefits of this ingredient or provide any research to back up the claims. The only thing they say about Enriched Planifolia PFA is that it “acts on all signs of aging”. 

The majority of the Chanel Sublimage Masque formula consists of emollients, both natural and synthetic. For example, this formula contains high concentrations of hydrogenated polydecene and octyldodecanol, which are both synthetic emollients. This mask also contains canola oil, jojoba seed oil, shea butter, camellia seed oil, and argan oil. The high concentrations of emollients in this mask will help your skin to feel soft, smooth, and moisturized.

While Chanel makes numerous claims about the anti-aging benefits of this mask, Enriched Planifolia PFA is really the only anti-aging ingredient in this mask. 

We’re pretty disappointed with the ingredients we found in the Chanel Le Lift Creme, primarily because alcohol is the third highest concentration ingredient in this cream. This type of alcohol is well known to cause skin dryness, irritation, and even disruption of the skin barrier, especially when used in high concentrations. Alcohol is combined with high concentrations of glycerin and dimethicone, which will temporarily reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles.

This is because alcohol tightens the skin, glycerin hydrates the skin and thereby plumps skin, and dimethicone forms a thin, invisible film that can help disguise signs of aging. However, these effects are temporary and will disappear once you wash off the product.  

Chanel La Mousse Anti-Pollution Cleansing Cream-to-Foam contains a pretty basic mix of surfactants, such as sodium palmitate, sodium stearate, sodium methyl cocoyl taurate, and more. A surfactant molecule contains one end that is hydrophilic (attracted to water) and one end that is lipophilic (attracted to oil). This allows surfactants to attract and suspends oils, dirt, and other impurities that have accumulated on the skin and wash them away. The cleanser also contains a blue microalgae that is claimed to help protect the skin against pollution, but we have to wonder how much protection this ingredient can offer since the cleanser is ultimately meant to be rinsed off. 

Something else to be aware of before purchasing Chanel Skin Care products is that many of their formulas contain parabens. Parabens are preservatives used to extend the shelf life of a product by preventing microbial contamination. Over the past 10 years, parabens have become criticized for use in cosmetics due to research that has revealed their potential relation to health concerns. However, there is also research that suggests parabens are safe as used in cosmetics. 

For instance, some research indicates that parabens are safe as used in cosmetics and preferred since they are gentle, non-sensitizing, and highly effective. Furthermore, these studies have demonstrated that parabens did not have any effect when compared to natural hormones in the body. Other research has concluded that parabens are problematic. The concern started when a 2004 study linked parabens in deodorant to breast cancer. This link seemed plausible since parabens can mimic human estrogen and it is known that high estrogen levels stimulate the growth of cancer cells. However, the study has since been discredited and the American Cancer Society has concluded that there is insufficient scientific evidence of parabens increasing breast cancer risk.

Where is Chanel Skin Care sold?

Chanel Skin Care products are sold on the brand’s website, as well as numerous third party online sellers such as Sephora, Amazon, and more. You can also buy Chanel Skin Care products from the Chanel counter at department stores such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, and more. You can use the store locator on the brand’s website to find a location near you that sells Chanel Skin Care products. 

Is Chanel cruelty free?

Chanel is not cruelty free. Chanel sells its products in mainland China where animal testing is still required by law.

Chanel Skin Care reviews

Unfortunately, there are very few Chanel Skin Care reviews on the brand’s website. In fact, some products don’t have any reviews at all. Perhaps this is due to the high price of Chanel Skin Care products, making them out of reach for many consumers. The handful of Chanel Skin Care reviews that are available are mostly positive, but like we said, we cannot really gauge what customers think of these products with so few reviews. 

On The Derm Review (see below), comments were mostly positive. One person wrote: “I have received a sample skincare pack of Chanel products. The Micellar Cleansing Water is so refreshing. Leaves cleansed skin soft and clean. Hydra Beauty Creme is easily absorbed and nourishes the skin. Leaving it feeling comfortable. And the CCcream finishes off the regime perfectly. Also has SPF 50 which is a comfort.Thank you Chanel, as always quality products.” 

Our Verdict

Chanel skincare have good formulations but they feel more like make up than skincare

Pros

• Advanced formulas
• Solid sensorial aspects, like texture and smell

Cons

• Lots of vanity ingredients that offer little long term value
• Lower concentrations of important ingredients

What are some alternatives to Chanel Skin Care?

If you’re looking for skincare products to address the signs of aging, we recommend Carrot & Stick. Carrot & Stick maximizes the use of powerful ingredients and minimizes the use of superficial ones, resulting in advanced skincare solutions that help promote healthy, more youthful-looking skin.