Ep 04: Caudalie Founder Mathilde Thomas

Parisian women are world-renowned for having that je ne sais quoi—rumpled hair that lands just so, barely there makeup and healthy-looking skin synonymous with classic beauties like Francois Hardy, Brigitte Bardot and modern day muses like Lea Seydoux and self-taught makeup artist and YouTube star, Violette. When you think about the French lifestyle (noshing on cheese and croissants and drinking red wine daily) without ever gaining a pound, you know they’re on to something.

In this episode, we explore that very French Paradox with Mathilde Thomas, co-founder of Caudalie Paris.  (The woman has literally written a book on the subject!) For the uninitiated, Caudalie is an all-natural skincare line started in 1995 at a centuries-old vineyard that Thomas’ family owns in Bourdeaux, France called the Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte.  The star ingredient, a polyphenol called resveratrol, is extracted from the seeds and skin of grapes. A natural antioxidant, the active has been proven to be even more powerful than vitamin E (whoa!). Much the way drinking a glass of reservatrol-rich red wine a day has been known to help stave off heart disease, so too does applying the cream have benefits for your skin.

Twenty years after its birth, Caudalie’s most iconic product, Beauty Elixir, sells every 30 seconds around the globe. Discover why celebrity makeup artists have been relying on it to create a dewy glow for the past 20 years (they basically built a cult following.) Editors and fans clamour for the brand’s luxe spa services, too, like the cabarnet body scrub. Available on almost every continent, Thomas is now launching a new concept spa that will re-invent the treatment experience. Titled L’Appartment Caudalie, the first location, in the Upper East side of Manhattan, is a four-cabine skincare sanctuary where you might even brush shoulders with a supermodel. Find out who we encountered on our day at the spa, what Jill did to mortify herself during the interview and more inside secrets in episode 4.

Products Mentioned in this episode: Caudalie Beauty Elixir  Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum; Caudalie Concentrated Brightening Essence; Province Apothecary Custom Facial; Skinceuticals Resveratrol B E; Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick.

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