There's no doubt that Chanel Sublimage collection has been my most loved Chanel product over the past few years along with their Le Blanc collection.
Anyways, here are my thoughts on Sublimage L'Essence (serum) and the most recently launched Sublimage L'Extrait (oil serum/concentrate). I hope it will help with your decision whether you are contemplating getting one of them or are searching for detox skincare.

• Chanel Sublimage L'Essence Fondamentale (Ultimate Redefining Concentrate)
• Chanel Sublimage L'Extrait de Crème

Scent

Sublimage L'Essence and L'Extrait smell exactly like the rest of the Sublimage line. The scent is subtle and calming with a slight sweet hue. If you are not very tolerant of essential oil scents in general, then you are in a safe spot😊. I love the scent as it doesn't give me any headache and it smells quite luxurious compared to other Chanel skincare. Having said that, fragrance still isn't on the bottom of the ingredient list, so I suggest you do a patch test or get a sample beforehand if you have any fragrance related sensitivity.

Consistency

Sublimage L'Essence

Ultimate Revitalizing and Light-Activating Concentrate

Unlike their Le Lift V-Flash Serum, Sublimage L'Essence has a lightweight gel cream texture that penetrates into skin fast with a cooling sensation upon application.

It isn't deeply hydrating, but it gives a subtle hydration without being rich or heavy. If you have oily skin or live in a hot and humid climate, you can pretty much get away with just using L'Essence as a serum and moisturiser in one product.

Benefits

More than a serum, the new SUBLIMAGE L'Essence goes much further and delivers global detoxification benefits for ultimate radiance and skin quality. Smoother and more even, the skin regains a texture that perfectly reflects light. Its radiance is reborn. An exceptional daily skincare product that detoxifies in order to better regenerate with SUBLIMAGE La Crème. A sublime ritual for beautiful skin.

The alliance of two botanical treasures delivers ultimate global detoxification.

At the heart of the cells: Golden Champa PFA*, derived from the golden flower of the Himalayas, helps remove toxins, such as those responsible for the first signs of aging. The complexion appears freshly energised.

Within the epidermis: the light plant completes this detoxification by naturally and gently promoting skin renewal. Skin regains the ideal texture to reflect light beautifully.

Completely detoxified and powerfully re-energised with SUBLIMAGE L'Essence, the skin appears in a new light. Its original purity, quality and luminosity are naturally revealed. Smoother and more even, its radiance is reborn.

• Skin radiance: x2.5
• Skin luminosity: x2.7
• Self-assessment by 31 women after 1 month of use.

*Polyfractioning of Active Ingredients : A specific process to CHANEL that allows for the creation of ultra-pure cosmetic ingredients

A partnered action

Freed from toxins and impurities through the deeply detoxifying action of SUBLIMAGE L'Essence, skin is more receptive to the regenerating power of SUBLIMAGE La Crème, delivering exceptional anti-aging benefits.

SUBLIMAGE L'Essence is a combination of two natural treasures. The Golden Champa, which flourishes at the heart of the Himalayas. Better known as the "golden flower of the Himalayas", this precious botanical is renowned for its incredible detoxifying benefits. The Harungana plant from Madagascar also called the "light plant". Its secret: more than any other botanical, this plant holds the ability to optimise light energy for the growth and revival of other plants in nutrient-depleted soils. This unique gift leads to exceptional light-activating properties for skin.

Source

Sublimage L'Extrait

Intensive Recovery Treatment

When I first bought Sublimage L'Extrait without testing, I hadn't realised that it was an oil serum until I used it. It comes out of a bottle, rather looking more like a clear dense aloe vera gel.

It isn't runny and it doesn't even go on smoothly considering its high price, but it could be because it's also a part of the Sublimage line, which seems to be sort of their common characteristic.

Just like Sublimage La Crème Texture Suprême, there's a texture transition from a gel to oil. After spreading onto skin, the consistency quickly changes into an oil with just a short massage. At that stage, fingers glide onto skin very smoothly without a sticky feeling as if I put on a very fine silicone primer.

It certainly feels like an oil, but once you wrap your skin with the warms of both hands and give it a minute or two, there's another transition to an oil serum. The oiliness on the surface almost completely disappears and leaves skin satiny smooth without any discomfort.

Benefits

SUBLIMAGE L'Extrait is an Intense Recovery Treatment with proven effectiveness. In a single drop, it concentrates all the power of a natural treasure, whose quintessence has been extracted by CHANEL: Vanilla Planifolia. An intensive treatment with a precious oil texture to immediately repair and ensure recovery in 4 weeks*.

*Optimal skin recovery is ensured after four weeks of use.

• Instant repair of the skin barrier: 34%**.
• After the first week, the skin is intensely soothed: 53%***.

Day after day, it is protected, regenerated, firmer and more toned. After a one-month treatment, your skin has recovered. It is smoother, suppler and more luminous. It is renewed.

**Instrumental evaluation: measurement of the increased quantity of lipids in the stratum corneum.

***Self-assessment by 30 women after one week of use / Soothing = reduced signs of discomfort.

Active Ingredients

In every drop of SUBLIMAGE L'Extrait:

• At the heart of Enriched Planifolia PFA*, the flowers and fruits help to regenerate skin for action on all signs of aging.
• An extract of plant stem cells, derived from the leaves, activate the skin's natural recovery process.
• An infusion of vanilla flowers in a bath of precious oils obtained using a technique inspired by fragrance called enfleurage, creates a natural shield against the effects of time and the environment.

*PFA: PolyFractioning of Active Ingredients. A specific process developed by CHANEL to create Enriched Planifolia PFA, an ultra-pure cosmetic active ingredient.

Source

Full ingredients

COCO-CAPRYLATE/CAPRATE | GLYCERIN | AQUA (WATER) | SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL | CANOLA OIL | CAMELLIA KISSI SEED OIL | SUCROSE LAURATE | SUCROSE PALMITATE | VANILLA PLANIFOLIA LEAF CELL EXTRACT | VANILLA PLANIFOLIA FRUIT WATER | SECALE CEREALE (RYE) SEED EXTRACT | VANILLA PLANIFOLIA FLOWER EXTRACT | VANILLA PLANIFOLIA FRUIT OIL | GLYCYRRHIZA GLABRA (LICORICE) ROOT EXTRACT | PHENOXYETHANOL | BUTYLENE GLYCOL | TOCOPHERYL ACETATE | METHYLPARABEN | PENTYLENE GLYCOL | ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE | PROPYLENE GLYCOL | DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL | BUTYL METHOXYDIBENZOYLMETHANE | ETHYLHEXYL SALICYLATE | ADENOSINE | CARBOMER | TOCOPHEROL | POLYSORBATE 20 | PALMITOYL TRIPEPTIDE-1 | PALMITOYL TETRAPEPTIDE-7 | CITRIC ACID | CI 15510 (ORANGE 4) | CI 19140 (YELLOW 5) | IL26A

Effectiveness / How to use

Both Sublimage L'Essence and L'Extrait are concentrates that you can use underneath a moisturiser. Unlike most of the very lightweight serums on the market, they all give pretty good hydration that you can solely rely on them without layering any other serums on top or underneath. Although I've always felt that the Sublimage line has a limit to offer oily skin, I think that those with oily skin could actually use Sublimage L'Essence as an anti-aging two-in-one serum and moisturiser.

If you happen to have dry skin that actually needs more oil, Sublimage L'Extrait works brilliant as an oil serum or even as an intesifier over Sublimage L'Essence. Chanel suggests that you could use L'Extrait day and night, but it's best to be used at night either under Sublimage moisturiser or by itself. Although it doesn't seem to control any sebum production, I personally find it a very good hydrating primer before putting any make-up on as it gives such a nice glow with satiny silky finish. So I've been using it under my current go to tinted moisturiser La Prairie Transforming Cream SPF 30 during the day as it goes together beautifully.

• La Prairie Cellular Swiss Ice Crystal Transforming Cream Sunscreen SPF 30

If you want a true intensive Sublimage treatment, I highly recommend you to use a leave-on overnight mask such as Le Lift Masque de Massage and Sublimage Masque on top of Sublimage L'Essence and/or L'Extrait. In just one night, my skin looked brighter, well-rested and plumper. It may be a bit difficult to tell if it works when using just a product by itself, but over the past years, I've noticed that Sublimage L'Essence and L'Extrait seem to boost the efficacy of any anti-aging products that I decide to use together.

• Chanel Le Lift V-Flash Serum (Boosting Serum)
• Chanel Sublimage Masque (Overnight Regenerating Sleep Mask)

Verdict

The Sublimage line is the most expensive detox skincare on the market, yet it's really difficult for me to quit due to my stress driven insomnia that comes around once every one to two months. On top of that, I'm such a noodle lover that includes Korean instant noodles that my skin does require a detox regime after my occasional unhealthy food consumption😋. Although we are surrounded by so many unhealthy temptations, we need to keep ourselves on a relatively healthy track including diet and make-up for our skin's optimum health and for the best efficacy of the skincare that we use. Meaning, it's true that you will see the best results with Sublimage line when it's accompanied by a detox lifestyle too :). Even if you are very busy, try to be on a detox lifestyle at least one or two days a week, which will help combat skin looking dull by the end of the week😉.

• Chanel Sublimage La Brume (Mist)
• Chanel Sublimage La Crème (Texture Suprême)
• Chanel Sublimage La Crème (Texture Fine)
• Le Lift Firming Anti-Wrinkle Restorative Cream-Oil

Having said that, I'm still not yet convinced how many people would commit to pay over $650 (excl. tax) for 15mL Sublimage L'Extrait regardless of how innovative and luxurious the oil serum feels on skin. Nevertheless, Chanel has been coming out with the world's most expensive oil serum Sublimage L'Extrait and most expensive boosting serum Le Lift V-Flash both in a 15mL bottle. I wonder what's the next!😎

Where to Buy

• Nordstrom (Free shipping & samples)
• Saks Fifth Avenue (Free shipping & samples)

Recommendations

• Kahina Giving Beauty Prickly Pear Seed Oil (Dry/ Sensitive/ Eczema Skin)
• Dior Prestige Le Nectar (Oil Serum)
• Chanel Le Blanc Huile (Healthy Light Creator Oil/ Face oil)
• La Prairie Skin Caviar Crystalline Concentre & Skin Caviar Liquid Lift
• Sisley Supremÿa at Night/ Supremÿa la nuit
• La Mer Genaissance de La Mer The Serum Essence
• Sisley Face Masks