The sun is a warm, insistent pressure on the back of my neck as I shelter beneath a gargantuan shrub bursting with fuchsia camellias. The slightest movement brings a spray of blooms closer to my face, leaving behind a trail of condensation. A bee meanders past, landing on the waxy surface of a leaf overhead. It is possible to imagine that spring has arrived in Gaujacq, a commune located in the south-west of France. And yet, there are signs that today is an anomalous occasion. A wooden bench feels swollen and damp under my touch, while every step I take is accompanied by a distinctive squelch—signs that heavy rain has just swept through. “We’re having a spot of good weather today,” remarks Jean Thoby, international camellia expert and owner of the botanical conservatory garden I am standing in.
The land in La Chalosse is associated with frequent rainfall and non-existent winds. The fact that the sun has chosen to emerge today feels fortuitous; a blessing befalling us as we traverse the sprawling grounds of Thoby’s Plantarium: the home to 2,000 varieties of camellia, including two seedlings from the mother plants that were purportedly ordered by Gabrielle Chanel more than a century ago.
“My parents were nursery owners in Nantes, where they had developed more than 200 varieties of camellias. They were asked by Chanel if they wanted to study these camellias from a phyto-chemical point of view,” explains Thoby. He is eclipsed by a towering stretch of Camellia Alba Plena, one of the breakthroughs he achieved with the Chanel research team that presently serves as the star of the brand’s iconic Hydra Beauty line. As he speaks, I am handed a snow-white bud. It sits in my cupped palms, bursting with vitality and light. I think of Gabrielle Chanel and how she was drawn to the simplicity and elegance of the camellia, pinning it to her belt where it soon grew to become the maison’s emblem. “And the rest, as they say, is history,” finishes Thoby.
From farm to face
The Camellia Alba Plena garnered the attention of the Chanel research team because of its resistance to winter frost. “To describe the camellia flower, I’d give you three words: freshness, resilience, and longevity,” says Thoby. “Or, a short description: In the middle of winter, the floral immaculacy warms hearts.”
Indeed, the camellia is one of the few blooms that continues to blossom in winter; a beacon of perseverance that brims with poetry and valour, making it the perfect symbol for a label as storied as Chanel’s. And yet, its significance and inclusion within the brand’s beauty arm goes beyond symbolism.
“Every part of the camellia is precious. The field of possibilities is wide open if you consider plants in their natural environment,” asserts Nicola Fuzzati, director of innovation and development for cosmetic ingredients at Chanel. “By studying the Camellia Alba Plena, for instance, the Chanel team established its exceptional hydrating powers, and in 2011, made it the principal active ingredient of the Hydra Beauty skincare line. We are convinced that the way we look after these plants and respect the synergies between the different components of the soil, such as its microbial life, flora and fauna, is expressed through the quality of the plants and the active ingredients created from this plants.”
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The same can be said for Chanel’s extraordinary anti-ageing range: the N°1 de Chanel. Red camellia extract and ceramides lie at the core of its line-up. Dubbed ‘the Czar’, its oil is harvested in Chanel’s open-sky laboratory in Gaujacq, and it is revered for its revitalising properties that prevents and diminishes the appearance of several major signs of ageing. The appearance of wrinkles are visibly reduced with sustained use, while dryness is eradicated in light of its decadent, buttery-soft texture.
An incubator of innovation
Curiously enough, the utility of the red camellia doesn’t stop there. I am shown exactly how in the phyto-analysis laboratory just a quick car ride away from Thoby’s conservatory; a vibrant space bustling with all manner of machinery and pipettes comprising the raw materials of four types of camellias cultivated there: Camellia Alba Plena, Kuro Tsubaki, Mathotiana Rubra and Nuccio’s Cameo. Perched amid a multitude of vials is the N°1 de Chanel Rich Revitalising Cream, with its signature emblazoned lid cleaved cleanly in half.
“The packaging of our N°1 de Chanel Cream is made of 90 percent bio-based materials from renewable resources. Camellia oleifera seed shells are one of them,” Fuzzati points out. In his hands, a roughened, granite-like kernel, and its heft is evident the second I pick it up. According to Fuzzati, they are ground and calibrated to form the glossy cap that sits atop the N°1 de Chanel Rich Revitalising Cream. In its naturalistic form, the kernel of the camellia flower serves the purpose of protecting the plant. There is beauty in the fact that the seed shells function in the same way even when remade, shielding the house’s patented elixir from contamination and taint.
I mention this to Fuzzati, who assures me that none of it is a coincidence.
There is a deliberateness to everything that Chanel does, a purposefulness and commitment to all messaging the maison sends out. It is clear in the cuisine served throughout the trip, a rotation of sustainable, vegetarian-leaning fare that showcases the brand’s dedication to reducing their carbon footprint. It is evident, too, in a visit to its camellia farm, a 70-hectare marvel devoted to preserving local ecosystems as well as biodiversity conservation.
Some might consider this unwavering show of persistence a breath of fresh air in a time dominated by micro-trends. To the house, however, it is simply an adherence to its codes of quality and impeccable craftsmanship that has been in place since 1883—and will continue to hold in the years to come.
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“All in a day’s work,” Fuzzati declares cheerfully. The sentiment is reflected back to me as I begin the trek out of the facility, shoes caked in dirt and grime. “It is a sign that you’ve worked hard today,” a Chanel spokesperson declares, gesturing to my mud-encrusted boots. “Take it as a point of pride. You’ve done something great.”
Perhaps that is the secret to building an imperishable legacy. Work tirelessly towards your goal and greatness is sure to follow after. Chanel, after all, is living proof.
