Prime Highlights:
- Pininfarina celebrates its 95th anniversary by collaborating with Lancôme to create Les Exceptionnels, a limited-edition collection that transforms everyday beauty products into collectible works of art.
- The collection showcases three iconic Lancôme products, Absolue Longevity The Soft Cream, Absolu Rouge lipstick, and La Vie Est Belle Eau de Parfum, redesigned with premium materials and artisanal craftsmanship.
Key Facts:
- Each product features high-end materials like gold, ceramic, and crystal, handcrafted by renowned French artisans.
- The collection is produced in limited quantities, making it exclusive and collectible for beauty enthusiasts.
Background:
Pininfarina is celebrating its 95th anniversary by teaming up with Lancôme to create a special limited-edition beauty collection called Les Exceptionnels. The partnership is also during the 90th anniversary of Lancôme, celebrating two legendary brands with craftsmanship and classic design.
The line has Absolue Longevity The Soft Cream, Absolu Rouge lipstick, and La Vie Est Belle Eau de Parfum. It is concentrated on the enhancement of materials and production, as well as the experience, transforming ordinary beauty products into items of collection.
Pininfarina assisted in the realization of the ideas of L’Oréal, and their designs were adapted to the beauty world. The studio collaborated with Lancôme on the idea, materials, and production, exploring traditional artisanal techniques to make every work. Some details were redesigned to allow for methods like crystal blowing instead of standard glass molding.
The collection is built around three noble materials, gold, ceramic, and crystal, crafted by renowned French maisons. Lalique handled the crystal, Bernardaud produced the porcelain elements, and Ateliers Godard applied hand-finished gold leaf. Each piece combines visual and tactile contrasts, pairing gleaming gold with satin ceramic and crystal with matte finishes. Production is strictly limited, with each item made in runs of 500 to 1,000 pieces.
La Vie Est Belle features a crystal bottle set on a white ceramic base adorned with Lancôme’s Agora Rose motif in gold. The curved base lets the perfume bottle gently “dance” on a surface, reflecting the joyful spirit of the fragrance. The cream jar commemorates the initial ceramic design of 1965, and the lipstick is designed in Versailles gold and features that give a tribute to the history of Lancôme.
The same attention is paid even to the packaging, which opens like a jewelry box made of high-quality paper. The perfect example of how Pininfarina’s design skills and Lancome’s backgrounds merge to produce true works of art that will outlast even in the areas where they are not otherwise practiced, would be Les Exceptionnels.
