In 1813 Chevreul was appointed professor of chemistry at the Lycée Charlemagne, and subsequently undertook the directorship of the Gobelins tapestry works, where he carried out his research on colour contrasts.
Pri sedemnajstih letih je odšel v Pariz v kemijski laboratorij farmacevta in kemika L. N. Vauquelina, zatem pa je postal njegov asistent v Narodnem muzeju naravne zgodovine ("Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle") v "Jardin des Plantes".