You know that feeling when a commercial doesn't actually feel like a commercial? It’s rare. Usually, perfume ads are just weirdly intense actors whispering in French while wandering through a desert or a fountain. But the Lancôme La Vie Est Belle film directed by Emmanuel Lubezki in 2022 did something else. It wasn't just about selling a scent; it was about a specific kind of collective joy that, honestly, we all kind of needed at the time.
Julia Roberts has been the face of this fragrance since 2012, which is basically a lifetime in the beauty industry. Most brands swap out their "muses" every three years to keep things fresh. Lancôme didn't. They leaned in.
The 2022 film marked a massive shift in how the brand talked to us. Instead of Julia being this untouchable icon in a private bubble of luxury, the film placed her right in the middle of a shared experience. It’s vibrant. It’s loud. It’s surprisingly human for a high-fashion production.
What Actually Happens in the Lancôme La Vie Est Belle Film?
If you haven't seen it lately, or if you only caught the 15-second cut on YouTube before a video started, the full film is a cinematic loop of "passing it on." It starts with Julia Roberts on a balcony—classic Lancôme—but then it spreads. The camera moves through different groups of people, different cities, and different walks of life.
The technical skill here is actually insane. They used Emmanuel Lubezki, the cinematographer who won three Oscars in a row for Gravity, Birdman, and The Revenant. If you’ve seen those movies, you know he loves long, flowing shots that never seem to cut. He brought that same energy here. The camera dances. It feels like you’re moving through the crowd, not just watching it from a tripod.
Most people don't realize that the song in the background is a slowed-down, soul-infused cover of "What a Wonderful World." It’s performed by Sebastian, and it anchors the whole thing in this dreamy, slightly melancholic but ultimately hopeful vibe. It’s not the upbeat, saccharine version you hear at weddings. It has weight.
The film serves a very specific purpose: it’s the visual manifestation of the fragrance's name. "Life is beautiful." But not "life is perfect." There’s a distinction there that Lancôme has been trying to nail for a decade. The 2022 version was about "happiness is only real when shared," a sentiment famously captured in Into the Wild, and it resonates because it feels less like an ad and more like a short movie about human connection.
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Why the 2022 Refresh Changed Everything for the Brand
Before this specific Lancôme La Vie Est Belle film, the marketing was very much about Julia Roberts escaping. Escaping a fancy party, escaping the "strings" of society. It was about individual freedom.
But things changed.
The world got a lot lonelier for a few years, and the brand pivot reflected that. They moved from "individualism" to "collectivism." You see a wide range of diversity in the 2022 film that wasn't as prominent in the earlier iterations. It features authentic smiles—not "model" smiles. You know the ones. The crinkly-eye ones.
The Lubezki Effect
Lubezki’s involvement isn't just a fun fact for film nerds. It changed the lighting. Most perfume ads are heavily color-graded to look gold or blue. Lubezki uses natural light, or at least he makes it look natural. In the Lancôme La Vie Est Belle film, the light feels like a late afternoon in a city where everything is just starting to glow.
It’s warm. It’s inviting.
It makes the bottle—which they call "le sourire de cristal" or the crystal smile—feel like a part of that warmth rather than just a glass object on a pedestal. The bottle itself was actually designed back in 1949 by Armand Petitjean and George Delhomme, but it was considered too difficult to manufacture at the time. It sat in the archives for decades until the technology caught up.
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The Reality of the "Life is Beautiful" Message
Let’s be real for a second. Is life always beautiful? No. And people are pretty cynical about brands telling them it is.
Lancôme’s challenge with this film was avoiding the "toxic positivity" trap. If you make an ad that’s too happy, people roll their eyes. They hate it. But because the 2022 film feels authentic—thanks to the raw cinematography and Roberts’ genuine laugh (which is arguably the most famous laugh in Hollywood history)—it gets away with it.
It works because it focuses on the effort of joy. Happiness in this film isn't a passive thing that happens to you. It’s something the characters are actively creating and sharing with each other. One person starts a dance, another joins. One person smiles, it catches. It’s a ripple effect.
Breaking Down the Cast and the Vibe
While Julia is the star, the supporting cast in the film was chosen to represent a global audience. You’ve got different ages, different ethnicities, and different styles. It’s a far cry from the 1990s era of beauty ads where everyone looked like they were from the same square inch of Paris.
- The Setting: It feels like a generic "world city." It has bits of Paris, bits of New York, bits of London. It’s intentionally universal.
- The Fashion: Gone are the stiff, restrictive ballgowns of the previous ads. Julia is wearing a shimmering, feathered dress that looks like she could actually move in it.
- The Fragrance Connection: The iris is the "backbone" of the scent, and while you can't smell a film, the visuals use soft textures and sparkling light to mimic the gourmand (sweet) notes of the perfume.
Honestly, the Lancôme La Vie Est Belle film is a masterclass in staying relevant. When a scent has been a top-seller for over ten years, the biggest risk is becoming "grandma's perfume." By hiring a cutting-edge cinematographer and focusing on communal joy, Lancôme managed to make a legacy fragrance feel like it belongs to Gen Z and Millennials just as much as it did to the people who bought it in 2012.
How to Experience the Film's Aesthetic in Real Life
If you’re a fan of the vibe Lancôme created, you don’t have to just watch the video on a loop. The "La Vie Est Belle" philosophy is actually something the brand pushes through various "Happiness" pop-ups and installations globally.
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Specifically, look at the bottle design if you have one. Notice the "wings" of grey organza tied around the neck. In the film, these represent the wings of freedom. It’s a small detail, but it’s the kind of thing that makes the physical product feel like a souvenir from the film itself.
The scent profile—iris pallida, jasmine sambac, orange blossom, and patchouli—is heavy. It lingers. Much like the film’s "What a Wonderful World" soundtrack, it starts strong and stays with you.
Actionable Steps for Fragrance Fans
If the film sparked your interest in the scent or the brand’s aesthetic, here’s how to actually engage with it without just being a passive consumer:
- Check the Batch Code: If you already own the bottle and want that "film-fresh" scent, check your batch code. Perfumes are reformulated occasionally. The version promoted in the 2022 film is the classic Eau de Parfum, but there are now "Iris Absolu" and "En Rose" versions that offer different spins on the same theme.
- Layering for Longevity: To get that "radiant" feeling the film portrays, try layering. Use a scent-free moisturizer before spraying. The oils in the moisturizer give the fragrance something to "grab" onto, making that iris note last through a whole workday.
- Sustainable Refills: One thing the 2022 film campaign emphasized was the move toward sustainability. The bottles are now refillable. If you have an old one, don't toss it. You can buy a refill bottle that uses significantly less glass and plastic, which is a way more "life is beautiful" move for the planet.
- Watch the Director's Cut: If you can find the behind-the-scenes footage of Lubezki working with Julia Roberts, watch it. It’s a fascinating look at how they use giant gold reflectors to create that specific "golden hour" glow that defines the whole campaign.
The Lancôme La Vie Est Belle film isn't just a commercial. It's a high-budget piece of art that happened to have a perfume bottle in it. Whether you love the scent or find it too sweet, you have to respect the craft that went into making a 60-second clip feel like a genuine moment of human connection. It’s a reminder that even in a world full of digital noise, a real smile and a good song still have the power to stop us in our tracks.
Next Steps for Your Fragrance Journey
- Audit your collection: See if your current scents are "beast mode" (loud and long-lasting) like La Vie Est Belle or more "skin scents." Knowing your preference helps you avoid blind-buy regrets.
- Explore the "Gourmand" family: If you liked the sweetness associated with the film's vibe, look for notes of praline, vanilla, and tonka bean in other brands.
- Refill your bottle: Visit a major beauty retailer to check out the new refill stations. It saves money and reduces waste, keeping the "beautiful life" sentiment actually sustainable.