You don’t have to be deeply immersed into the beautyverse to know what Caudalie is about. Chances are, you have seen their sleek, minimalist bottles lining the shelves of Sephora—or perhaps come across one of the many TikToks extolling the benefits of its numerous cult-favourite star products, from the Caudalie Beauty Elixir to its newly-reformulated Premier Cru The Cream. Having been established 30 years ago, it’s safe to say that the brand has a strong foothold within the beauty sphere; an unwavering one at that, bearing in mind that 2025 saw a staggering 37% increase in travel retail sales. Despite this, it’s clear to see that co-founder Mathilde Thomas has no plans to rest on her laurels.
“Caudalie was clean before clean became cool,” she asserts. It’s a Wednesday night, and Mathilde has just landed in Singapore. Perched on a high-chair with a glass of wine in hand, she holds court before a multitude of Club Vogue members and guests. The topic of discussion at hand? Everything there is to look forward to from the industry—including Caudalie, naturally. “I can’t say too much, but 2026 is the year where we take the first step into an all-new category.”
And that’s far from all. Below, the full lowdown on what you’ve missed, from what French girl beauty looks like in 2026 to Mathilde’s thoughts on the ingredients and technology set to shape the field over the next five years.
Thank you so much for being here with us, Mathilde. To kick off this panel, maybe we can start on a more personal note: tell us about when your interest in skincare began.
I’ve always had a great nose. I’ve been passionate about scents for a while, so I knew I wanted to work with perfumers. The best piece of advice I’ve ever received was from my father—he said, “If you have a good nose, you should work in the field. Follow your passion.” Then Dr. Joseph Vercauteren came to our family vineyard at Château Smith Haut Lafitte in France, and he told me that grapeseeds contain the most powerful antioxidants in the world. The rest, as they say, is history.
Do you remember what was the first product you created?
Of course. It was a moisturiser.
On that note, tell us about the latest product from Caudalie.
We’ve recently revamped our Premier Cru collection. The whole range is backed by our exclusive Caudalie and Harvard Longevity Patent which works alongside a new natural plumping filler to target and eradicate multiple signs of ageing. It also contains Caudalie’s patented viniferine, which is an anti-dark spot active ingredient that is 62 times more effective than vitamin C.
Is there anything you can tell us about what Caudalie is hoping to develop in the future?
I can’t say too much, but 2026 is the year where we take the first step into a new category.
If you were reaching for the stars here—which category would you want Caudalie to expand into, and why?
Probably body care. You know, there’s only so much skin on your face. Ideally, we would like to extend the Caudalie philosophy to your whole body and produce more efficacious, clean and rational solutions.
Now that you’ve brought it up, I have to ask: how would you say that Caudalie navigates the lack of clear and proper regulations surrounding clean beauty?
That’s easy—by creating our own. We came up with our manifesto for this. So in 2005, I came across a research paper linking parabens to breast cancer. That was when we decided to do something revolutionary, which was to come up with a No-List. We removed and banned over 70 controversial ingredients, with the key six being: parabens, phenoxyethanol, sodium laureth sulfate, phthalates, animal ingredients and mineral oils.
That’s amazing to hear. And I think it definitely shows considering the broad range of consumers that use Caudalie, from teenagers to pregnant women. If you were to recommend a specific product for Singaporean audiences, what would it be and why?
Oh, the Caudalie Beauty Elixir for sure. It’s such a multi-functional and versatile product. You can use it to hydrate, to tighten pores and even to set make-up. And because it’s so hot in here, let me share a great hack with you: on supremely humid days, spray it on the back of your neck. The skin will cool down immediately. It also has this great fragrance which smells of orange blossom to really lift the spirits.
Would you say that the Caudalie Beauty Elixir is a skincare essential for the quintessential French girl?
Of course. Though I’d say that French girl beauty has really changed over the years. They’ve moved into their clean girl era [Laughs]. It’s less cigarettes, and centered more on taking care of themselves. They’re doing pilates, and drinking a glass of wine, and using their Caudalie products. As a mother, I have to say I like this version of French girl beauty a lot more.
French girl beauty has changed drastically, which is also a reflection of where our industry is at now. On a closing note, what would you say are the ingredients, technology and trends that are set to shape the field over the next five years?
Longevity. We’ve worked with a longevity expert before, Dr David Sinclair, and it’s just fascinating to see what goes into maximising your healthspan. Looking at the way things are going, I feel that it will be a sector that is going to keep just keep growing.
Check out Caudalie’s full range of products here.
