Know The Modern Woman in Perfumery; Chanel’s No. 5 Is New Again

It’s fair to say that the most famous perfume in the world (and one of the best sellers consistently) is Chanel No. 5, created in 1921. This perfume was created by Coco Chanel to capture the scent of a modern woman. Fused with a new ingredient, Aldehydes, which at the time was somewhat revolutionary, this scent, in many ways, changed the world of perfumery forever. It has a new iteration in keeping with its connection to modernity. Find out all about the story of this new Chanel No. 5 here in Know The Modern Woman in Perfumery; Chanel’s No. 5 Is New Again

One of the lesser-known things about Coco Chanel was that her modernity stretched across every aspect of her life. She grew up as a teenager in a convent, yet in many ways, she was not the archetypal good convent girl.  She had, it’s fair to say, a level of disregard for social niceties; she would have been seen in modern terms as a somewhat ‘racy’ female. A modern independent businesswoman, a lady of perfect dress, yet a lover and mistress. A person who was never afraid to break away from tradition. And in many ways, the original No. 5 stood for exactly that.

The fashion at this time in fragrance was for a one-flower elixir ( heavy animal musks were seen as scents for women of the streets) as well as a new trend of designers creating their own house perfumes, and so the scene was set. She set out to bring to life the scent of a woman rather than a perfume, which was a single-ingredient scent. It was about a perfume for independent, sophisticated, young, and dynamic women like her.

It’s important to remember that by this time, she already owned several boutiques around France, a holiday home and drove around in a Rolls-Royce, as well as being a Patron of the Arts, supporting other creatives as dynamic as she was.

However much society says we don’t like rebels, it is they who usually change things for the better. And so she did. She took women out of the corset, liberating them physically, gave them sports/leisure clothes, utilised jersey and took men’s tweed into womenswear. And so it was with this energy that she created a new scent: the ultimate luxury accessory.

The notes, as mentioned, included the new science of Aldehydes, but here, along with another bright spark, perfumer Ernest Beaux, they brought multiple flowers into play. They created an iconic floral-aldehyde fragrance for women, characterised by a powdery, complex blend of Rose de Mai, Jasmine, bright citrus, and a signature soapy sparkle from Aldehydes.

A complex, laden scent opening with the bright freshness of nuances across citrus with greeny citrus of Bergamot, sharp bright Lemon and woody green citrus of Neroli, alongside the famous clean, soapy Aldehydes, and the sensual creamy note of floral Ylang Ylang.

This selection falls into the heart of floral powdery magic with the delicious earthy powder of Orris and Iris flower, with the two most majestic floral notes, rich, sweet, and honeyed Rose and luminous, sweet, and luxurious Jasmine, acting as a foil to the richness of the Aldehydes. Alongside these two flowers is a faint green and fresh sparkle of Lily of the Valley to temper the sweetness of the other regal flowers.

Not only is the mix of the perfume significantly different from so many others of the scents of the time, but its base brings in almost forbidden fruits into play. Sultry animalic from Civet and warm, powdery longevity via Musk, both so associated before with loose women, make for part and parcel of its final fantastic flourish. Alongside the soft wood of Sandalwood, rich warmth of Amber, a creamy facet of Vanilla, grounding earthy longevity of Patchouli, hints of wet from Moss and a rooty grassy finish of Vetiver.

An intense, waxy, golden, rich aroma, manifold, powdery, and soapy floral-aldehyde facets make up this perfume. Its complex nature makes it an abstract scent, so modern when it initially blossomed and still loved by multitudes.

The bottle, its shape almost as famous as the juice inside, moved away from over-decorated fancy containers, over-elaborate crystal and took its lead from men’s toiletry bottles, square with a neck and head and rounded off shoulders, made in glass. And why its iconic name, well, the story goes it was the fifth version of all the trails the performer brought to her, and for her number five was an important and lucky number.

And now there is a new ‘little sister’ being added to this labyrinth story. She is like a young fresher sibling. The new Chanel No.5 L’Eau is a lighter, fresher, and, in keeping with its very DNA, is a young modern interpretation.

‘N°5 Eau de Toilette is a modern, abstract floral composition distinguished by its subtly woody facet. The fragrance asserts itself through its elegance and complexity.‘

Olivier Polge CHANEL In-House Perfumer-Creator

It opens with sparkling Aldehydes, followed by a floral bouquet of its all-important iconic blossoms, Rose, Jasmine, and Ylang-Ylang, and its base is a fusion of dry, warm wood with Sandalwood and rooty earth-grass of Vetiver. This infusion brings a woody, abstract floral to the fore with a slightly more intimate depth and drier, woody undertones. This more skin-intimate scent is, again, as it should be for this renowned scent, a modern interpretation of youthful scent. The fragrance here is presented in a sleek, redesigned bottle inspired by the original 1924 silhouette.

Only when a perfume is this iconic can it be allowed to have ‘sisters’ that echo its very heart back at it. Both are now the very essence of modernity, one a classic newness, another a contemporary version.

Chanel No.5 EDT is now available at Chanel.com here

If you enjoyed reading Know The Modern Woman in Perfumery; Chanel’s No. 5 Is New Again, then why not read The Mother, Love Haye and Everything Inbetween

.Cent Magazine, London. Luxury Mindset