Hypothetically Speaking: Chanel Hydro Beauty Micro Serum

In my humble opinion, some big name companies (like Chanel, Dior, Guerlain etc.) should produce only make-up and fragrance (in cosmetics field of course), because that's what they do really well. Even though those products are grossly overpriced, at least you get a good quality product, and it is up to you whether you want to spent that much money or not. Skin care is quite a different thing. None of these companies seem to know (or may be want) how to do a well formulated skin care product. Mostly these products have very cheap basic ingredients, with fancy fragrance and beautiful packaging. You end up using a very mediocre product (at best, if not actually a harmful one) and paying for the brand name. I do not deny, that there are some good products out there from these companies, but they are so hard to find, that chances you will accidentally come across them, without wasting your money on some bad products first are very low. 

Packaging/Pricing:

30ml (1fl.oz) for 110$ at beauty counters of major department stores or online (like Nordstrom.com). Clear glass pump bottle will not keep ingredients safe from UV exposure, that breaks down antioxidants. But at least it is an air tight container. So as long as you do not keep it exposed to sun light, but, let's say, in the bathroom cabinet, it is fine.

Ingredients:

Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Isononyl Isononanoate, Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate, Pentylene Glycol, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Ginger Root Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance, Sodium Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl AcrylateCrosspolymer, Sodium Carbomer, PVP, Dipropylene Glycol, Amodimethicone, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hyaluronate.

Excellent (very beneficial ingredients, proven research)

Good (mostly beneficial ingredients, not extensive research available or just not quite outstanding properties)

OK (mostly thickeners, emulsifiers, mild preservatives, pH adjusters, all that is necessary formulation wise, but not a skincare per se) 
Bad (anything that shouldn't be in skincare, irritants and fragrance)

Discussion:

The good news: This is actually not an alcohol based serum, which seems to be a rare case among luxury brands. Also it doesn't have any other irritants except some fragrance (I would like to see this product completely fragrance free or at least fragrance being the last ingredient on the list though).

The bad news: This is a shockingly basic formula for the price tag. The main ingredient is glycerin, which is extremely inexpensive. This serum features green tea extract (an excellent antioxidant), but that's about it. Ginger root extract is not well researched, so I would not rely on it too much. And hyaluronic acid is the last on the ingredient list, which makes it pretty much useless.

A good product should have a good range of antioxidants, cell-communicating and skin-identical ingredients. This serum does not meet these conditions. The Hydro Beauty Micro Serum may work for someone who doesn't have much skin concerns (17-22 years old) and need very basic light hydration. Everyone else will not benefit from it.

Lastly, the so called "patented micro-droplet delivery" technology, which Chanel advertise as "a revolution in hydration, powered by micro-droplets". I believe, they actually refer to ingredient encapsulation process, which is rather innovative, but hardly unique to Chanel. It is one of the resent (~5 years old) technologies incorporated into cosmetics production, that allows to stabilize some ingredients and also to help them be delivered when and where needed into the skin. A great technology, but again, these days a lot of companies use it. Considering a rather plain composition of Hydro Beauty Serum, it will be very hard to enhance it above average level with a fancy technology.

Verdict:

Very overpriced for what it is. Not irritating, but just an OK product. Suitable only for very young skin, with no concerns about aging and sun damage. A little bit too fragranced for sensitive skin.

3 out of 5.