Chanel's Lipsticks Color Trend Evolution From 1960 Until Today

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study characterizes the evolution of CHANEL lipstick colors from 1960 to 2020 using complete archival color charts. Because some early lipstick specimens are no longer preserved, the suitability of the charts as proxies was evaluated by comparing 146 surviving lipstick samples with their corresponding printed representations. Measurements were acquired in CIELAB using an X‐Rite VS450 noncontact spectrophotometer under 45°:0° geometry, with a 6‐mm measurement area, CIE standard illuminant D65, and the 10° standard observer. The mean CIEDE2000 color difference was 3.12 ± 2.63 (median 2.38; interquartile range 1.54–3.79; range 0.35–15.33); 64.4% and 85.6% of pairs had ΔE00 values ≤ 3 and ≤ 5, respectively. The complete set of 513 chart colors was then assigned Natural Color System (NCS) notations and analyzed by hue, blackness, and chromaticness. The results reveal a persistent predominance of yellowish‐red colors, recurrent highly chromatic reds, and comparatively few bluish‐reds. NCS blackness generally increased after 1972, with near‐black colors becoming prominent between 1995 and 2010. The number of colors expanded from 12 in 1960 to 55 in 2005 before subsequently contracting. Over time, several ranges occupied increasingly dense regions of the selected NCS representation, while differences in pearlescence, opacity, and finish provided additional lipsticks differentiation not captured by the present color‐charts analysis. These findings establish a CHANEL specific Color Time Line and demonstrate the value, as well as the limitations, of archival commercial color charts for longitudinal color research.