This face ampoule, created 50 years ago, wakes up the skin in 3 minutes.

Born in Monaco in the ’70s, the Lift & Lumière Coup d’éclat ampoule has left the French Riviera for Parisian bathrooms. Let’s take a closer look at this little vial that awakens features for an instant glow.

Suspended between a memory of evenings at Monte-Carlo Beach and our Right Bank dinners, theAmpoule Lift & Lumière Coup d’éclat has the grace of a good story. Invented in 1975 on the Rocher by Paul Lacroix and Henri Mas, founders of Laboratoires ASEPTA, it promised a fresh complexion all night long, slipped into an evening clutch or cabin vanity. Today, this single-dose ampoule has been given a new lease of life, and continues to seduce women who live their lives at top speed, but like to keep it under wraps.

From Monaco to Parisian vanities

The original idea was simple: an easy-to-carry, go-anywhere lifting and radiance serum capable of smoothing features in 3 minutes. Initially designed for the elegant women of Monaco, the ampoule soon found its way into the drawers of French pharmacists, before traveling to over sixty countries. Today, one is sold every 30 seconds, making Coup d’éclat the best-selling face ampoule in pharmacies and parapharmacies in France.

A small vial for special occasions

Its strength lies as much in its content as in its form. The single-dose ampoule format is reassuring: break, apply, massage – and that’s all there is to it. The new galenic formula, milky and silky, deposits a delicate veil on the skin. Naturally-derived mineral pearlizers catch the light with no glittery effect, for that famous discreet glow that city dwellers are looking for.

Backstage at fashion shows or on TV, make-up artists use it as a base to set make-up and brighten spotlight-weary faces. Features relax, skin texture appears smoother, complexion more even. The effect is more than instantaneous: the brand claims anti-wrinkle and firming action for up to 8 hours, ideal for lasting through a day of meetings or a long night of partying.

Well-chosen assets in the formula

Behind this apparent simplicity lies a fairly dense formula. A patented complex of Tara gum andred algae forms a tensing film that helps tighten features and reinforce the skin barrier.Almond seed extract acts on micro-relief to visibly smooth the skin’s surface, while sorghum juice supports this effect.

Acmella oleracea, often dubbed the “botox-like plant”, helps to relax skin micro-tensions and soften expression lines. Around it, a small circle of comforting active ingredients: Imperata cylindrica for hydration, provitamin B5 and sorbitol to soothe,hyaluronic acid salt to plump. The result, on the skin, is felt more than seen: a more supple surface, less taut features, a clear radiance from the very first minutes.

How to incorporate it into your routine

In the morning, apply an ampoule, smoothing from the center of the face outwards, then leave on for a few moments before applying foundation. For an impromptu dinner party, mix a few drops with your make-up base to boost luminosity and prolong wear. After a short night’s sleep, the ampoule can be used as a shot of freshness, followed by a simple veil of powder.

Its positioning remains soft for a product in this category, and we like to have it “in reserve” for those days when we want to feel particularly well-groomed: photo shoot, date night, evening with friends in a Parisian palace… or simply a rainy Monday morning.