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Chanel

ApplicationParis, FranceFounded 1910· One of 686 Application companies tracked by AMPulse

The luxury brand famously adopted 3D printing to mass-produce a unique, intricate mascara brush.

CEO / Founder
Leena Nair
Team Size
10000+
Stage
Active
Total Funding
Undisclosed
Latest Round
Debt
Key Investors
Privately owned by the Wertheimer family (Alain and Gérard Wertheimer)

Technology & Products

Key Products

Chanel's key products include haute couture, ready-to-wear, accessories, eyewear, fragrance, beauty (skincare and makeup), fine jewelry, and watches.

Technological Advantage

The use of 3D printing allows for the creation of complex geometries, like a honeycomb brush structure, that are not possible with traditional manufacturing methods. This leads to a superior product that holds the optimal amount of formula. It also allows for rapid prototyping and design iteration, eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming molds.

Patent position

Chanel has filed 15 patent families across all years, with 60% of families filed in the US. AMPulse analysis

Filing momentum
3 families filed 2022–2024, 2 in 2019–2021
Filed in
US 60%EP 40%WO 33%CN 20%

15 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Chanel's 3D-printed mascara brush offers a unique and intricate design that provides enhanced makeup application, demonstrating innovation in a traditional industry.

How They Differentiate

Chanel differentiates itself through its strong brand heritage, commitment to luxury and quality, and its innovative use of technology in product design and manufacturing, as exemplified by the 3D-printed mascara brush.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Consumers of luxury cosmetics

Industry Verticals

Cosmetics, Luxury Goods

Competitors

Dior; L'Oréal; Estée Lauder

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Reported revenues of $19.3 billion in 2025, an increase of 2% from 2024. Operating profit of $4,712 million, up 5% vs 2024. Free cash flow increased 44% year-on-year.

Major Milestones

2007: Filed the first patent for a 3D-printed mascara brush., 2018: Launched the world's first mass-produced 3D-printed mascara brush with 'Le Volume Révolution de Chanel'.

https://www.chanel.com

AM patents

AM-relevant patents linked to this company.

Patents
23
Granted
9
Families
15

Leading domains: process (23), material (11), equipment (3)

Filings by year: 2024: 1 · 2022: 4 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2

  1. METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A COSMETIC PRODUCT APPLICATOR BY ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING2019138180 · WO
  2. CURVED-BRUSH APPLICATOR FOR A COSMETIC PRODUCT2026125265 · WO
  3. METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A COSMETIC PRODUCT APPLICATOR BY ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING111801217 · CN
  4. Applicator for cosmetic product comprising a movable part having at least one chain of open loops12575663 · US
  5. Manufacturing method of cosmetic applicator, applicator, packaging box and applicator kit including this applicator101668450 · CN

Funding rounds

  • Debt Financing$758M2024-07Source: Luxury Tribune/Bloomberg

Why this company matters

AMPulse analysis, not a company disclosure

Chanel, the Paris-based luxury house, became one of the first major cosmetics brands to deploy additive manufacturing for mass production when it launched the Le Volume Révolution de Chanel mascara brush in 2018. The application demonstrates how polymer multi-jet fusion (MJT) can produce intricate geometries that traditional molding cannot achieve, while still meeting the scale and quality requirements of a global consumer product.

The brush is produced using a laser-sintering process on polyamide powder, a method that enables a honeycomb internal structure designed to hold and release mascara formula more evenly. Chanel filed a patent for the 3D-printed wand in 2007, indicating a decade-long development cycle before commercial launch. The company partnered with Erpro Group's Erpro 3D Factory to industrialize the process.

Targeted at luxury cosmetics consumers, the brush sits within Chanel's broader beauty portfolio alongside skincare, fragrance, and makeup. The brand's adoption of AM for a high-volume applicator signals a shift in how heritage luxury firms can integrate digital manufacturing without compromising on design complexity or brand cachet.

Chanel's competitive moat lies in its brand equity and willingness to invest in long-cycle R&D for novel production methods. The primary risk is that similar AM-based applicators could be replicated by mass-market competitors like L'Oréal or Estée Lauder, eroding the exclusivity of the innovation. Privately held by the Wertheimer family, Chanel reported $19.7 billion in revenue in 2023.