FLOWER POWER

Although flowers have featured in beauty potions since time immemorial, modern science continues to isolate and harness their most powerful properties. Here are the latest advances in skincare research on our favourite blooms, report Nafeesa Saini and Yanni Tan.

- Nafeesa Saini and Yanni Tan

CHANEL: THE CAMELLIA

A hundred years have passed since the inception of the Chanel No. 5 and in that time, the maison has earned a repertoire for harnessing the crème de la crème of flowers for its skincare. Its latest blockbuster beauty collection – the No. 1 De Chanel – serves as further proof of this. At the heart of the range is the camellia, the brand’s emblematic bloom and Gabrielle Chanel’s favourite flower.

Since 1998, Chanel has been cultivating the flower in open-sky laboratories in Gaujacq village in the southwest of France. The camellias are grown in the ground using agricultural practices that place minimal pressure on the environment. The project is a collaboration with camellia expert Jean Thoby, whose botanical conservatory garden is home to the two mother plants of Camellia Japonica Alba Plena.

Chanel’s research uncovered the benefits of the red camellia extract from the “Czar” species of the Camellia Japonica. The odourless flower possesses an enduring quality demonstrated by petals that remain unaffected by water or the cold. Hand-picked at full turgescency, they contain protocatechuic acid, a powerful and nutritive molecule unseen in the camellias previously analysed.

More specifically, this species shows a remarkable ability to support skin vitality, and this attribute has been translated into the No.1 De Chanel range that addresses the first stage of skin ageing. Rich in antioxidants, it rejuvenates skin and preserves its youthfulness.