P E R F E C T PA RT N E R S
CO S M ET I C S E M P I R E
TA K E S A S TA N D FOR E N DA NG E R E D W I L DL I F E The Cha nteca i l le fa m i ly is passionate about cosmetics a nd nat ure. So much i n fact t hat t hey have ma naged to merge t he t wo i nto i nspir i ng projects a nd products t heir c ustomers ca n ta ke active pa r t i n.
BY HEDVIG VON MENTZER
PHOTO: PHILIPPE CHANTECAILLE
Sylvie Chantecaille has been a trailblazer for decades. Her courage and creativity has taken her across the Atlantic, into major corporations and helped her build an empire that cares about the environment as much as she cares about her customers’ skin. Not only did she start one of the first “natural” skincare companies – back in 1998 when it wasn’t even trendy – but she wanted the results of conventional skincare at the same time. Thanks to extensive research and technological innovation, the products are capable of nourishing the skin and the body while incorporating centuries-old traditions to revitalize the spirit as well. Chantecaille caters to modern women who demand high-performance, health-enhancing products that are both efficient and effective. Companies such as Chantecaille recognize the importance of nature. After all, it is the source of raw materials, so it’s vital for the continued production to take care of the environment. Sylvie Chantecaille realized that she wanted to incorporate her passion for animals and their welfare into the business when she noticed a dwindling number of butterflies in her garden. “I’m a serious gardener, and every year we used to have a massive migration of butterflies during the month of August in our East Hampton garden. When we started seeing only one or two a week, it prompted me to look into why they were disappearing. I created a gorgeous set of butterfly eyeshadows, which supported the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary and it opened my eyes to the 30
exciting possibility that there was a way to use my day job for a cause I was so passionate about. After our Monarch palette, I kept discovering new issues and challenges against our world’s animal species and ecosystems that prompted us to start the annual palette for charity,” says Sylvie Chantecaille. “The real surprise for me was that we were able to do it, and that it happened so quickly- everyone was immediately interested in helping the charities we partnered with. We took the energy, efficiency, and skill we put into making the perfect product, and added a story and cause to it. After our second philanthropy collection for coral, I realized that people clearly wanted to know more, and to help more. They were interested not just in the product, but the stories. They wanted to know how to help, and what was being done.” The three Chantecaille children now work in the company and their scope, like their mom’s, has always been about more than corporate work. Sylvie shares her passion with her daughters Olivia and Alexandra, her son Philippe and husband Olivier. Together, the family brings a dedication to enhancing wellness, supporting the environment, championing for animals, and a consuming passion for quality, purity and form. Which causes to support is a very organic process, according to Alex Chantecaille. “It’s usually driven by issues we feel strongly about that are also quite pressing. The only ‘requirement’ is that it be about endan-
