In the Chanel universe, everything is just that little bit chicer. It seems everything they touch turns to gold – or bouclé – forever purveyors of the utmost luxury. Even with banal beauty products (think self-tanners, scrubs and the like), Chanel chic-ify it, rendering rather paltry objects into things of beauty. But the age-old saying, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ need not apply here, because for Chanel, its insides are just as good, if not better. This is the case with their new CC Cream Correction Complète Super Active SPF 30.

Riffing on an old but much-loved classic, their cult CC Cream has had an update with a surprisingly Australian twist. For Chanel, it always comes down to sourcing the best of the best, even if it means looking beyond their own borders. Stumbling across our humble shores, the all-new protective formula delivers an unprecedented amount of hydration thanks to a local hero, the murunga plum. Sourced in the Northern Territory and extolled for its immense stores of vitamin C, the French house looked to the native ingredient for its glow-boosting prowess (and we couldn’t be prouder).

French with an Australian heart, the new CC Cream Correction Complète Super Active SPF 30 is a cream for the everywoman. It’s skincare. It’s makeup. It’s for everyone. There are no binding partisan skin rules – mature, acne, oily dry. It’s one cream for the collective goal: deeply moisturised, protected and radiant skin (with a hint of coverage).

A universal beauty cream for that second-skin finish, its formula combines active skincare ingredients, subtle pigments and UV filters in a single application. It’s an all-rounder beholding many superpowers. Five, in fact.

The Chanel CC Cream

Its first superpower: evening out skin tone, but the Chanel way – discreetly. The fluid, fine formula gently glides over skin to deliver coverage with a Chanel-approved level of discretion. But just because it is discreet doesn’t mean it isn’t hardworking. A quiet-achiever, it reduces blemishes, dark spots, redness and dilated pores by 39%2. Plus, offers buildable coverage, meaning you can bulk where needed, taking you from a natural guide to a more sophisticated glow.

Secondly, lavish hydration. A new form of hyaluronic acid has been honed and works in optimised affinity with the skin to reactivate its natural hydration mechanisms. Super emollient, skin immediately appears smoother, plumper and more supple, just like its had a bring drink of the finest spring water.

Next, daily correction. Along with this new form of hyaluronic acid, its other active ingredient, murunga plum extract, work together to smooth and re-plump the skin. After just one month, signs of ageing are corrected and fine lines are diminished by 20% (a big feat for a cream that moonlights as makeup).

Then, absolute protection, keynote to the harsh Australian climate. And what better way to protect ourselves than with ingredients from our own land. Boasting the highest concentration of vitamin C ever found in a fruit, and rich in vitamins A and E and polyphenols, the addition of the murunga plum acts as a natural antioxidant shield against environmental aggressors. Plus a clever complex of sun filters protects skin from UVA and UVB ray; it’s the French antidote to slip, slop, slap.

And its final beauty power, the glow (always important). Thanks to our local, vitamin C-rich hero, natural glow is boosted by +13%, leaving the skin luminous and radiant, even as the day goes by.

A multi-tasker that combines form with substance, it bridges the gap between skincare and makeup, making life that little easier (and more radiant).

Inside Melanie Grant’s stylish Double Bay studio

Here, Melanie Grant, CHANEL’s Skin Expert, tells us exactly how to use Chanel’s new skin star and explains why it’s so special.

what marks the chanel cc cream different to others?
The Chanel CC Cream is a beautiful skincare-makeup hybrid that offers a soft focus coverage while plumping and protecting the complexion.

Can you explain why its five superpowers are important to our daily skin health?
Strong, healthy, radiant and resilient skin is forged through a number of vital factors. The five super powers of the CC Creme being unifying, moisturising, corrective, protective and radiance boosting work synergistically to reinforce the integrity of the complexion and work from a preventative standpoint to keep it firm, nourished, hydrated and bright.

Where does the CC Cream sit in our daily skincare routine?
The CC Cream is incredibly unique in that blurs the traditional boundaries between skincare and makeup. Formulated with naturally derived active Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid and UV Filters it sits perfectly alongside your active morning serums and creams, best applied as the final step in your regime to harness it’s ability to protect against environmental aggressors and perfectly improve tone, texture and bestow a healthful radiance to the complexion.

How and when should you apply the Cream? Are there any tips or suggestions when it comes to application of the product?
I love applying the CC Cream by decanting a pea sized amount and warming between my finger tips before applying from the centre of the face outwards using a gentle “pressing” motion to work it into the skin. Applied over your serums as the final step in your morning regime, it blurs imperfections while still allowing the skin to breathe.

Can it be used as a stand-alone moisturiser, or do you recommend pairing it with other products?
Depending on your skin type and concerns, the CC Cream can of course be used on it’s own as a stand alone moisturiser. Particularly for normal, dehydrated and devitalised skins, it’s new generation Hyaluronic Acid offers consistent hydration over a 12 hour period, ensuring the complexion is kept plump, quenched and nourished over the course of the entire day.

Can it be used solely as SPF?
My approach to caring for skin is to always opt for preventative measures wherever you can. Layering your sun care will always yield the most comprehensive coverage, so while the CC Cream offers potent protection against UVA and UVB rays, it is always best to add in any additional care that you can. I love the CC Cream applied as the final step in my morning regime, over my serums it gives the skin such a beautiful, healthful glow without looking like you are wearing a trace of makeup.

Can you please explain the importance of SPF in both skincare and makeup?
The dire effects of the sun on our complexion are second to none. Prolonged sun exposure has long been frowned upon but really, it’s the repetitive incidental exposure daily that over time causes the most harmful assault on our collagen, elastin and tone and texture of our skins. I’ve always said “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” and the CC Cream perfectly embodies this. It considers the barrier function of the skin with non-comedogenic lipids and next generation hyaluronic acid to quench and plump fine lines, potent antioxidants naturally derived from the remarkable Murunga Plum to brighten the skin and shield from free radicals and most importantly, offers broad spectrum SPF 30 protection.

Recently, there has been a shift into hybridised makeup-skincare. Why do you think this is so, and why is this important in the current beauty narrative?
For me, it’s never been about having a lot of products, just a couple of really potent, purposeful ones to work hard on your behalf. The CC Creme is the perfect example of this: it unifies the skin tone and conceals imperfections while delivering potent antioxidants, replenishing the skin’s Epidermal Water Content with Vectorised Hyaluronic Acid and shields the complexion from age-accelerating harmful UVA and UVB rays. We live in a dynamic, fast paced and results- driven culture so we all want to achieve the optimal effect with minimal output – the CC Creme is the ultimate cosmetic multi-tasker.

This Cream is actually quite close to home, with a local ingredient as its hero. Can you please explain what this ingredient is, where it comes from, what it does and why it’s so important for our skin?
Murunga Plum Extract really is a most wonderful skin care ingredient! It is proven to contain the richest Vitamin C content in the world and it comes from our very own Australia. Vitamin C is an imperative ingredient for all skin types and concerns as it is vital for skin immunity and most importantly, collagen synthesis. Vitamin C also works to brighten the complexion and ensure it is both firm and radiant, while shielding the skin from free radical damage, environmental aggressors and oxidative stressors that accelerate the ageing process.