We all know Gabrielle Chanel was a determined innovator – she made her name for liberating women’s movement after all. Back in 1927, the designer began shrinking the package sizes of her skincare and makeup lines so that they could be more easily carried about on-the-go, as a nod to women increasingly taking to travel at the time.

The French house’s upcoming Les Beiges collection (its annual summer range designed to create a healthy, radiant glow) was inspired by Chanel’s prescient move. Many of the range’s staples, such as the Water-Fresh Complexion Touch, Healthy Glow Cream, Illuminating Oil and Eyeshadow Palette have been revisited and repackaged in limited-edition travel sizes, while the popular Rouge Coco Flash lipsticks now include two new shades (Destination, a shiny rose beige, and Escapade, a warm sienna red).

And of course, the hero product of the Les Beiges range is the Healthy Glow Gel Touch Foundation, which has recently been updated with jasmine extract and oil to create a highly moisturising formula that reportedly acts as a protective layer against pollution, UV rays and oxidation. The lightweight cushion foundation is accompanied by a new sponge applicator in the shape of a teardrop for effortless application.

The Les Beiges Summer-To-Go Collection will be available from May 15 at Chanel’s online shop as well as its Fragrance & Beauty boutiques and counters

Last year, Dior Beauty made waves when it launched its first water-based, alcohol-free perfume in the innovative J’adore Parfum d’eau, which is described to possess the potency of a traditional perfume while being more delicate in texture. The maison is expanding on that delicate approach with a new trio of scented body care products named “Les Adorables”, comprising a body cream, a body gel and a matching body scrub.

The scrub contains cotton extract as well as 24K gold particles, and upon contact with water, it emulsifies from a gel into a milky fluid that gently exfoliates the skin. The body cream is enriched with jasmine wax and cotton nectar and is said to be subtly scented with notes of the J’adore Parfum d’eau, while those looking to add some shine to the skin can opt for the shimmering body gel, which contains the aforementioned gold particles as well as jasmine extract to create an iridescent sheen.

The Body Cream ($162 for 150ml) is available now at all Dior Beauty Boutiques and Counters, on the Dior Beauty Online Boutique, Sephora and Sephora.sg, while the Shimmering Body Gel ($130 for 100ml) and the Shimmering Body Scrub ($162 for 150ml) are available exclusively at Dior Beauty stores and online shop

Cartier’s Les Heures Voyageuses is part of its High Perfumery offerings and a key work in that collection is l’Heure Perdue, a childhood-inspired fragrance based on vanilin (the primary component of the vanilla bean). That vanilla-focused fragrance was first created by Cartier’s in-house nose Mathilde Laurent back in 2015.

Eight years on, Laurent returns once more to experiment with the ingredient with the maison’s latest perfume launch, Oud Vanille (pictured). If the earlier l’Heure Perdue was characterised as exquisitely sweet, Oud Vanille skillfully clashes powdery sweet vanilin with the more woody and animalistic oud for a highly textured fragrance.

The Oud Vanille Les Heures Voyageuses Fragrance ($490 for 75ml) is available now at all Cartier boutiques and online shop 

Two years after Hermes debuted its Rose Hermes range of blushers, the maison is set to welcome three new iridescent shades to the collection. If you’re not familiar with this range, it’s known for its diaphanous touch, designed to lend a subtle hint of pink to the skin.

The trio that joins the Rose Hermes family this year are 35 Rose Dore (a radiant coral pink with gold inflections); 7 Rose Ambre (a silky, slightly beige pink with a pearlescent shimmer); and 8 Rose Cuivre (a distinctive crimson pink with gold inflections). The refillable, long-lasting formula contains vitamin E and mulberry extract (yay to more antioxidants), and is enriched with emollients and mineral powders for light and comfortable application.

There’s more pink in store for fans of the colour: the Rose Hermes collection will be joined by a new lip product known as the Rose Confetti Rosy lip enhancer. Available in the shade 27 Rose Confetti (a playful pink with hints of blue) with a glossy finish, the lip enhancer’s texture is said to be buttery smooth, having been inspired by Hermes’ proprietary Milo lambskin.

The new Rose Hermes blush shades ($126 each; $69 for refills) and Rose Confetti Rosy lip enhancer ($116; $69 for refills) will be available from May 15 at Hermes boutiques, counters and online shop

The Melbourne-based label’s cerebral Othertopias collection (read: imagined places that blur the lines of what is or isn’t real) has just ushered in its fifth instalment, Gloam Eau de Parfum. Like all other creations in this range, this spicy floral fragrance was helmed by Aesop’s long-term fragrance collaborator Barnabe Fillion, and it was designed to conjure what the brand calls the “dreamscape, where imagination enters, and the waking world recedes”. Gloam’s top notes are pink pepper, cardamom, orange flower, with middle notes of saffron, jasmine sambac and mimosa, while iris, patchouli and copaiba round off the base notes.

Gloam Eau de Parfum ($255 for 50ml) is available now at all Aesop stores and online shop 

The French label’s signature Double Serum was first created in 1985 and has gone on to be the Clarins’ best-seller thanks to its innovative two-serums-in-one formula that was inspired by the oil–and–water composition of our skin and designed to act on the skin’s five vital functions – hydration, nutrition, oxygenation, regeneration and protection.

That said, the original serum could be a tad rich for those with oily skin. Now however, there is a new option in the Double Serum Light Texture, a far more lightweight sibling, making it perfect for those of us living in the tropics. The skin finish of the latest formula is reportedly 50 per cent lighter than its predecessor, thanks to the introduction of a new lipidic phase that enables perfect diffusion of the key ingredients (turmeric extract as well as more than 20 other plant extracts) without leaving an oily residue.

The Double Serum Light Texture ($177 for 50ml) is available now at all Clarins stores

Retinoids have been trending for the past several years – and for good reason. The vitamin A derivative is considered by dermatologists to be the best evidence-backed topical ingredient for reducing the visible signs of ageing, though it can be a little tricky to get used to in the beginning due to its potency. If you’re looking to up your eyecare game, Drunk Elephant has reformulated its popular Shaba eye cream to include 0.1 per cent vegan retinol, while other key ingredients include a hefty 3 per cent caffeine and copper peptides.

The A-Shaba Complex Eye Serum ($98 for 15ml) is available from June 1 at Sephora.sg and Sephora stores

Those looking to get onto the “cloud skin” TikTok trend have a new option: Burberry Beauty’s Beyond Wear Perfecting Matte Foundation. The brand describes it to be a lightweight 24-hour “active wear” foundation offering an ultra-sensory, creamy texture that despite its matte finish, promises to be moisturising to the skin. The foundation was inspired by the English maison’s famous trenchcoats and their ability to protect the wearer, and as such, its formula was designed to create a thin, water-resistant yet breathable film that helps to shield from external factors such as water, sweat and heat. There are 19 shades in all but here’s hoping for more in future.

The Burberry Beyond Wear Perfecting Matte Foundation ($90 for 30ml) is available now on Sephora.sg, Sephora stores and BHG Bugis Counter

Fans of the English perfume house can look forward to four new fragrances under its new Highlands collection. Said to be inspired by the raw beauty of the Scottish Highlands, the four fragrances are musky Wild Achillea (notes of white musk, nettle, wild archillea and vetiver), the soft powdery Mallow On The Moor (notes of violet leaf, mallow and heliotrope), the woody sensual Highland Heather (notes of cypress, heather and amber) and the woody aromatic Melancholy Thistle (notes of thistle, English ivy and coolwood).

The latter in particular can be layered with the other colognes in the collection to create a more textured wall of fragrance, and in keeping with Jo Malone London’s commitment to sustainability, The Highlands collection is manufactured in the UK, with the colognes produced in a location that harnesses solar power and runs on 100 per cent renewable electricity.

The Highlands Collection (all $130 for 30ml) is available exclusively at all Jo Malone stores and online shop, Sephora and Sephora.sg

Biore has just launched a new sunscreen named UV Aqua Rich Aqua Protect Mist, but it’s not just any usual sunscreen mist. The Japanese skincare giant claims it’s a non-aerosol spray that is formulated with the brand’s Aqua Protect Mist Technology which enables the sunscreen to be spread easily and more evenly on the skin (as compared to being dispensed via traditional aerosol sprays).

The new sunscreen is formulated with squalane (a great moisturising ingredient) and is said to be lightweight, quick-drying and reportedly will not leave a white cast.  And even better – the design of the bottle also allows it to be used upside down and on the whole body (including the scalp), making application a fuss-free process.

The Biore UV Aqua Rich Aqua Protect Mist ($22.10 for 60ml) is available now at pharmacies, NTUC FairPrice, Don Don Donki, Welcia BHG as well as Biore Official Stores on Shopee and Lazada