On the occasion of the 2025 launch of Chance Eau Splendide, the French luxury house unveiled the outcome of an eco-design initiative applied to the bottle of its flagship fragrance franchise.
More than twenty years after the debut of the first Chance fragrance in 2002, the objective was to build on earlier progress — most notably the integration of 15% recycled glass — by reengineering the bottle’s metal components, all while preserving its iconic elegance.
The project, led by Sylvie Legastelois, Director of Packaging Creation and Graphic Identity at Chanel Parfums Beauté, involved more than three years of close collaboration between the brand’s packaging teams and around ten industrial partners.
Priority to aluminum
The objective was to replace the bottle’s two primary metal components with aluminum: the zamac cap — a zinc-based alloy — and the galvanized brass bands that encircle the bottle. The challenge lay in making the switch to a lighter, more readily recyclable metal while preserving the technical performance and refined aesthetics of the original materials.
Selecting aluminum halved the weight of the metal used for the cap and reduced it fourfold for the side bands. According to Chanel, this redesign lowered the total weight of the 100 ml Chance Eau Splendide bottle and its cap by 20%.
For the side bands, opting for aluminum instead of brass also removed the need for galvanizing and the chemicals it entails.
As for the cap, CNC machining of the cold-forged aluminum component made it possible to achieve the precise angles and radii required. “This innovation marks a first in the luxury packaging sector,” according to TNT Global, which, like Meiyume, contributed to this development.
The result is a primary packaging (bottle and cap) designed to be more than 95% recyclable, without compromising the original aesthetic and sensory appeal.
“Reimagining this iconic bottle was a significant technical challenge for our teams and partners. Thanks to sustained collaboration, the result is a design that is more beautiful, more refined, and more ethical. Chance Eau Splendide perfectly embodies our belief that sustainability can — and should — be beautiful. Rather than a constraint, it is an opportunity to elevate craftsmanship and redefine the standards of luxury,” emphasized Jeanette Coombs-Lanot, Director of Sustainable Development at Chanel Parfums Beauté.
Award-winning innovation
This work, combining eco-design and luxury aesthetics, was recognized with an Innovation Award at the Paris Packaging Week trade show in early February.
“At Chanel Parfums Beauté, our unique approach lies in integrated creation, where expertise, vision, and exacting standards interact without compromise. It is through this seamless collaboration across our packaging teams that Chance Eau Splendide has been able to redefine the codes of luxury,” concluded Sylvie Legastelois.
