Clé de Peau Beauté's inaugural L'éveil des Sens de Synactif event: a surrealist and immersive dining experience featuring Charles Kaisin's debut in Hong Kong

Clé de Peau Beauté hosted an extravagant affair titled L’eveil des Sens de Synactif, inviting Belgian surrealist artist and designer Charles Kaisin, who is known for creating whimsical dinner experiences, for his first-ever brand collaboration in Hong Kong.

Taking place from March 5 to 7 at The Peninsula Hong Kong, the mesmerising multi-sensory experience garnered fanfare across the city, with esteemed local movers and shakers Kimbee Chan, Candice Chan, Emily Lam-Ho and Eleanor Lam in attendance.

“It’s a big pleasure to work with Clé de Peau Beauté because it’s not [just] a brand—it’s a universe,” Kaisin tells Tatler. “What they have created is about sophistication, details, perfection, luxury and exclusivity.”

Belgian surrealist artist and designer Charles Kaisin collaborated with Clé de Peau Beauté for a whimsical dinner experience (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

In conceptualising the ethereal event, Kaisin took inspiration from the philosophy behind the collection. He also wanted the A-listers in attendance to bask in a magical sense of wonder: “For my design, I like this idea of inspiring others to be children again by discovering something completely new.”

Clé de Peau Beauté has gained invaluable insights from over 40 years of skin cell research. At the heart of the Clé de Peau Beauté Synactif skincare line is a pioneering and innovative six-step ritual that supports healthy lymphatic networks within the skin, eliminating impurities and repairing lymphatic functions. Powered by a purifying beautifier, a signature ingredient of the brand, the series of nine skin-revitalising products works in tandem, unlocking a journey of timeless regeneration that enhances enduring radiance, refined texture and sculpted face contours.

The event featured nods to Clé de Peau Beauté’s signature ingredients and the Synactif collection’s products at every turn (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

The Synactif collection (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

The event featured nods to Clé de Peau Beauté’s signature ingredients and the Synactif collection’s products at every turn. The brand’s signifying royal purple and gold hues dominate the space, while roses—a signature ingredient in the collection—are depicted through a lavish sculpture and floral arrangements. A delicate fragrance made of Rose Synactif also wafted through the opulent venue.

Emily Lam Ho and Elly Lam (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

Tansy Lau Tom, Leigh Tung Chou, Anne Wang Liu, Connie Wei Yang, Angie Ho Ting and Jacqueline Chow (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

Antonia Li, Adelene Chan, Candy Zhuang, Elly Lam and Natalie Chan Kwok (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

In one corner of the space, dubbed the Crème Zone, a golden throne with striking pillars served as the centrepiece, where the Synactif cream was displayed, inviting guests to experience its wonders first-hand. The luxurious cream improves skin firmness and reduces the appearance of fine lines to deliver a youthful and re-sculptured look from every angle.

Royal purple and gold hues fill the space, with roses showcased in sculptures and floral arrangements (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

The Synactif cream (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

Meanwhile, the dynamic duo of the Synactif eye cream and eye mask are also displayed. The eye cream provides deep hydration for the delicate eye area, leaving it with a plump, lifted look and feel; and the eye mask leaves the eyes instantly energised.

The Synactif eye cream and eye mask (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

The Synactif eye cream (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

The Synactif eye mask (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté) (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

The surrealist world of the Clé de Peau Beauté Synactif collection was then unveiled to guests at long tables decorated with an idyllic garden of purple florals. Kicking off the experience were bespoke flower-shaped origami bread baskets envisioned by Kaisin, followed by a multi-sensory three-course meal co-created with The Peninsula’s executive chef Xavier Boyer. Each course was an extravagant, carefully curated tribute to the Synactif collection’s philosophies of purification, regeneration and sculptural beauty.

A delicate fragrance made of Rose Synactif wafted through the opulent venue (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

Synactif cream, lotion and eye cream (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

The immersive dining experience began with The Awakening Purification; a spotlight on the power of water and the Rose Synactif to purify the skin. To translate this core principle of purification, servers entered the dining room in opulent custom-made rose headpieces. In unison, a light appetiser of Hokkaido scallops carpaccio and Kaviari Kristal caviar was served on refreshing artisanal plates made from ice embedded with delicate rose petals. The designer reveals he had looked to his personal routine for inspiration: he takes a cold shower and cold bath each morning for stimulation.

Servers entered the dining room in opulent custom-made rose headpieces (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

Each course was curated tribute to the Synactif collection’s philosophies of purification, regeneration and sculptural beauty (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

A multi-sensory three-course meal co-created with The Peninsula’s executive chef Xavier Boyer (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

A sense of luxury and indulgence filled the air, soon elevated by an enchanting performance by a soprano. Dressed in an elegant draped purple gown, the musical act was an ingenious play on the Synactif collection’s blend of science and artistry. Guests, still indulging in their starters, relished in this harmony of the senses.

The lights were then dimmed for the second part of dinner, named The Radiance of Regeneration. Reflecting the Synactif line’s promise to rejuvenate the skin by improving circulation, Kaisin looked to light and movement as inspiration. Optic fibres illuminated the top of plate covers as well as the avant-garde top hats donned by servers. Under this luminescent glow, guests were stunned by the enchanting rotating plate that served a main course of either a delectable Kagoshia A4 beef tenderloin or a slow-cooked cod fish with purple cauliflower.

Soon after, guests further immersed themselves into the riveting world of the Rose Synactif by awakening their inner artists. After crushing vibrant natural pigments in alluring shades of pink, attendees painted their own renditions of the Synactif collection’s rose motif—a poetic keepsake from the evening.

The dinner culminated in a moment of pure romance with The Revelation of Sculptural Beauty, where dessert was unveiled like a treasured secret. Each dish arrived beneath an elegant, custom-designed plate cover—its form echoing the luxurious gold packaging of Synactif cream. Delicate helium-filled golden balloons floated above, a poetic nod to the cream’s skin-lifting magic.

Balloons create a romantic moment during the third course (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

The full Synactif collection (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

Guests participated in a workshop, creating art inspired by the Synactif rose motif using vibrant pigments (Photo: Courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté)

In unison, the balloons romantically levitated the dish covers into the air to reveal a dark chocolate whipped ganache paired with a pink guava compote. Filling guests with feelings of awe, the memorable moment embodied the Synactif collection’s defining principle of sculptural beauty.

“Every time I create a project, I want guests to feel happy, to leave with bright eyes and exposure to something different,” Kaisin says. “I love the idea that we can open a little bubble of creativity [with the event] and that it’s something that you can keep all your life.”

Discover more about the Synactif collection in our store.