Mascara is not a one-size-fits-all product, at least not at Chanel. At its Marais store in Paris, the brand is offering an ultra-personalized service for its 3D-printed mascara collection. We tested the service, where packaging has a key role to play.
Acronym for Express Your Ego, E.Y.E. takes the concept of makeup personalization to new levels. With the help of the beauty advisor and a dedicated app, E.Y.E. allows the consumer to source the mascara brush that best meets her lash makeup expectations. The 30-minute consultation at the Marais store, by appointment only, includes a beauté du regard treatment: make-up removal, eye-contour care and makeup application. Using the dedicated app, the advisor chooses from three effects: natural, volume or faux lash... and enters details regarding the client’s lashes (density, length and shape) as well as the shape of her eyelids. The app then shortlists two mascara brushes from among the collection of 10 3D printed applicators (dubbed N°1 to N°10) and the choice of formula, either classic or waterproof. Via the app, the beauty advisor takes “before” photo of the eye area. The client applies the mascara in keeping with the advisor’s tips—one eye for each brush—after which a comparison is made with an “after” photo. Although the consultation is free of charge, the E.Y.E. mascara retails for 50 euros and comes nestled in a cloth-sheathed case marked with the Chanel logo.
A 3D printed brush
The E.Y.E. range of 10 exclusive brushes is Chanel’s next step after the launch of the Volume Revolution mascara in 2019, which marked the first mascara brush produced via additive manufacturing on an industrial scale. Like its predecessor, E.Y.E.’s brushes are 3D printed by Erpro 3D Factory. And like Volume Revolution, the applicator is made of a castor-oil based polyamide.
The service is slated to roll out to a limited number of Chanel beauty boutiques: Moscow, Dubai, Stockholm and Hong Kong.
