Chanel Parfums Beauté will debut the world’s first 3D-printed mascara brush this June.

Chanel’s team will use six industrial printers, capable of producing up to 50,000 brushes a day, up to a target of one million brushes a month, 3D Printing Industry reports.

The press release states that brushes are made by “printing successive layers of a polyamide powder polymerized with a laser beam.” The brush was developed in partnership with the 3D printing specialist Erpro 3D Factory, according to Formes de Luxe.

The manufacturing process is protected by several patents for 3D printed makeup brushes — one of which was filed by Chanel in 2007, reports say.

The Benefits of 3D-Printed Packages

3D printing technology eliminates the need to build molds when developing new packaging and products — and the technology also helps brand manufacturers to create a better product. 

Chanel’s team tested numerous versions of the brush before deciding on a final design. Toronto Star Newspapers’ The Kit reports, “The forthcoming Volume Révolution de Chanel Mascara went through 100 rounds of trials until the shape was perfected,” Veronica Saroli writes.

The 3D-printed brush will feature individual strands that have a granular texture, which increases their surface area. This helps mascara to better adhere to lashes. There are also microcavities in the core of the brush, which are designed to hold a large amount of mascara. 

Last fall, Smashbox created 3D-printed lipstick. 

What — and who — will use 3D printing next, in beauty?

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