Chantecaille: The Glacier Eye Shade Trio

A limited-edition eye palette supports polar ice causes

Never a beauty brand to shy away from its ethical and environmental responsibilities, Chantecaille is releasing a limited-edition Glacier Eye Shade Trio (£62) on Sunday February 1 to raise both awareness of and money to support action protecting the world’s rapidly melting glaciers.  

“When I heard about the biggest sheet of ice ever to fall from a glacier in Antarctica in May last year I became interested in the issue,” says founder Sylvie Chantecaille. From 2010 to 2013, Antarctica shed 480bn metric tons of ice – melting at an alarming rate. The result is set to be submerged coasts, increased storms, droughts, floods and ultimately the displacement of entire populations.

Previously Chantecaille has focused on raising money to support endangered animals, but, says the founder, “We’re focusing on the planet this spring because if we don’t have a home for animals, what is the point? This issue affects wildlife too, and the first animals to feel the effects are polar bears, which need ice to walk on to hunt. Without it, they starve.”  

Aiming to raise $30,000 (through donating five per cent of the proceeds from the eye-shade set), the independent cosmetics company is partnering with Extreme Ice Survey, an innovative photography project that merges art and science to give a “visual voice” to the planet’s changing ecosystems. “Their mastery of time-lapse videos allows anyone watching to understand quickly what is going on,” says Chantecaille.

The palette itself has three shades. The taupe Polar Light is inspired by an Antarctic summer-night sky. Arctic Dust, a warm lilac grey, reflects the colour of the ground as the ice disperses. Lastly, Iceberg is loaded with iridescent gold pearl shades. A highlighting shimmer is embossed on each shade, and all three are encased in a silver-coloured compact with a striking glacial image on the lid. “Each shade can be blended and layered,” says Chantecaille. “The look is simple and modern.”

Customers will need to look sharp to snap one up, though. “Our 15-year-anniversary trio – which celebrated earth, sea and air with an elephant, turtle and butterfly – sold out in the first month.”