Maison
Chanel.
“Founded in 1910 by Gabrielle Chanel — the house that invented the modern abstract perfume with N°5 in 1921.”
The grammar of modern French perfumery — from N°5 to Les Exclusifs.
Specimen Card
Réf. CHANEL
In the collection
—
Bottles in stock
Status
Live inventory
- Founded
- 1910 · Paris
- In-house perfumer
- Olivier Polge (since 2015)
- Speciality
- Abstract florals · Aldehydes · Les Exclusifs
The Dossier
What to know about Chanel.
Chanel revolutionised perfumery in 1921 when Gabrielle Chanel commissioned Ernest Beaux to create N°5 — the first perfume built around aldehydes rather than a literal floral. It was the moment perfume stopped imitating a single flower and started smelling like an idea. Every modern abstract composition descends from that bottle.
The house operates two parallel universes. The main line — N°5, Coco, Chance, Bleu de Chanel, Allure, Coco Mademoiselle — defines mainstream luxury for entire generations. Les Exclusifs, launched in 2007, is the niche-tier collection: Sycomore, Coromandel, 1957, Misia, Boy and the rest — large 200 ml bottles, single-concept compositions, sold only at Chanel boutiques and a handful of curated retailers.
Since 2015 the house has been led by in-house perfumer Olivier Polge, who succeeded his father Jacques Polge after 35 years. Chanel still owns its own jasmine and rose fields in Grasse — among the only luxury houses to do so — and the May rose used in N°5 is grown exclusively on those fields.
Historical note
Gabrielle Chanel commissioned N°5 from Ernest Beaux in 1921, defining the modern abstract perfume. The Polge dynasty (Jacques 1978–2015, Olivier 2015–) has carried the in-house perfumer tradition since.
Notable releases
- N°5 ParfumAldehydes, May rose, jasmine, sandalwood — the foundational modern perfume
- Bleu de Chanel EDPCitrus, ginger, sandalwood — the global masculine reference
- Coromandel (Les Exclusifs)Patchouli, frankincense, white chocolate — the cult chypre-gourmand
- Sycomore (Les Exclusifs)Vetiver, cypress, sandalwood — the cleanest woody ever made