A TikTok showing the contents of Chanel’s $825 advent calendar has gone viral after users chastised the company for what they say are paltry products included in the pricey holiday item.
Chanel revealed its first-ever advent calendar in late October as part of its year-long celebrations in honor of the 100th anniversary of its famous fragrance, Chanel N°5, the company announced.The calendar contains 27 boxes, some of which contain N°5 perfume, and N°5 bath soap. The company is the latest to join a slew of other luxury beauty brands releasing advent calendars for the holiday season, including Dior and Giorgio Armani.
Chanel’s website refers to the calendar as a “collector’s item…filled with mysterious delights and surprises.” But TikTok user Elise Harmon disagrees.
Harmon said in a TikTok video that she bought the calendar in a store, not online, and had no idea what was inside. In her initial unboxing video, which now has over 9.1 million views, Harmon’s tone quickly shifts from excitement to disappointment as she opens one box to find a small sheet of stickers.
“Okay, this has to be a joke,” she says.
There were a few beauty products included in Harmon’s set, like two miniature lipsticks and hand cream.
“I’m pretty sure this is enough cream for my left arm,” Harmon said, referring to a small jar of body cream in box #30.
Harman expressed feeling let down after opening some of the boxes.
“When you’re buying from a brand like Chanel that is coveted and known for quality and luxury, and you receive something that’s like gumball status and free things that they had given away months prior, it’s questionable,” Harmon said in a video.
Chanel did not respond to Coins2Day’s request for comment.
Harmon did not respond to Coins2Day’s request for comment.
In a description of the product on their company website, Chanel listed items in the advent calendar including embroidered stickers, a mirror and a bookmark.
Other items that Harmon opened in her Chanel advent calendar videos included a small cloth dust bag, a flipbook, a money clip and a magnet shaped like a Chanel perfume bottle.
“But…these are just the complimentary samples that you get when you place an order,” one TikToker user commented.
After her videos began to get millions of views, Harmon claimed that her account had been blocked by Chanel’s TikTok account. Users began to comment on Harmon’s videos that Chanel deleted its TikTok account entirely. Chanel denied allegations that it blocked Harmon or deleted it’s TikTok account and claimed it had never been active on TikTok, according to a statement the company sent to Women’s Wear Daily.
“We have never blocked access to the Chanel TikTok account to anyone, because it is simply not active. It has never been activated, no content has ever been published, it has no subscriber and no subscription. The page therefore appears empty to anyone who visits it,” the brand said.
Chanel’s Instagram account, however, is active, and users did not hesitate to share their criticisms of the company’s advent calendar in the comments of Chanel’s most recent Instagram post.
“Not y’all charging 800 dollars for free samples and magnets,” wrote one Instagram user.
“Justice for the people who bought those advent calendars,” another person wrote.
Chanel’s president of fashion, Bruno Pavlovsky, told WWD on Monday that the brand had not expected there to be so much controversy over the calendar.
“This controversy is a bit of a shame because it was not what Chanel intended. Chanel thought it would please some of its customers by offering this type of product. Evidently, we see that you have to be careful and therefore, in future, we will certainly be much more cautious,” he said.
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