Nº1 De Chanel’s Revitalising Creams are refillable – a truly exciting first for the brand. The moisturiser features a patented design that allows an internal tub to be easily replaced. The brand estimates that refilling the product just twice is enough to halve its greenhouse gas emissions, as compared to using brand new tubs of cream each time.

Natural origin ingredients are a major trend in beauty today. Many brands are even quietly and retroactively updating the formulations of existing products to include such ingredients. Nº1 De Chanel benefits from having this approach from the get-go. It uses an incredibly high percentage of sustainably-sourced, natural origin raw ingredients in all its products: 97 per cent at its highest, and an impressive 94 per cent on average.

Because Nº1 De Chanel products use such high percentages of natural origin ingredients, the brand is careful in cultivating and making the most of these precious materials. For example, red ‘Czar’ camellia – the key ingredient anchoring the entire collection – is grown without pesticides or chemical treatments. It’s then used thoroughly in the products, and not just as lip service. The formulas contain up to 76 per cent of camellia derivatives, which are obtained from various parts of the plant like the petals, seeds and yeasts so as not to waste it.

The lid of the Revitalising Cream holds a quietly innovative secret: 90 per cent of it is made up of bio-based materials which include FSC-certified wood shavings (by-products of the paper industry) and camellia seed shells. It’s a piece of eco-design wizardry, made in collaboration with Sulapac, a Finnish startup that specialises in plastic alternatives. The two brands have also worked together before to design the caps of the Les Eaux de Chanel fragrances.

Save for unreformed hoarders, very few people actually hold on to cardboard packaging and instructional pamphlets. One of Chanel’s smart moves was to reduce, or even remove, the disposable aspects of packaging. Single-use plastics like cellophane wrapping have been scrapped; the paper leaflets have been replaced with a QR code that directs you to an online page with information; and all the boxes are now made from FSC-certified cardboard.

Glass is an important material in beauty. Its weight gives products the all-important physical feeling of a luxury item. It’s also environmentally valuable because, unlike plastic, glass is made from natural resources and thus recyclable. To wit, seven out of nine Nº1 De Chanel products are chicly packaged in glass jars and bottles. And even the two that aren’t – the Revitalising Lotion and Powder-To-Foam Cleanser – have bottles made from molecularly recycled materials.

Reducing the weight of packaging means a lower carbon footprint when shipping – especially important because Chanel’s skincare is all exclusively made in France. The brand managed to make the packaging of its N°1 collection lighter by using streamlined, circular designs. On average, everything in the collection is 30 per cent lighter, and closer in fact to 50 per cent on the Revitalising Eye Cream and Lip and Cheek Balm.

Here’s a tiny detail you might never have noticed: the inks used for printing on glass jars and bottles. For Nº1, Chanel opted for organic inks which are produced using lower temperatures and therefore consume less energy. This is applied to all the printed labels on glass jars and bottles. An example of peak ink-use reduction, though, are the Revitalising Lip and Cheek Balms, which actually don’t feature any printing on the glass at all.

All the lids on N°1 De Chanel products are now engraved to create the brand’s crossed C logo in a contrasting matte and satin finish. This replaces the traditional and more energy-intensive practice of printing on the logos. The result: a new look to the lids that’s as environmentally conscious as it is beautiful.

Nº1 De Chanel is available at all Chanel Beauty boutiques and counters, and its online store. To sample the products, head to this page.