Katrina Rosales
Chanel No. 5 is one of the most famous perfumes in the world. Created by French fashion designer Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel and perfumer Ernest Beaux in 1921, it revolutionised the world of fragrance with its abstract construction and generous use of aldehydes. Chanel No. 5 is still popular today, over 100 years later. But how is it made?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Founder | Coco Chanel |
| Year of Launch | 1921 |
| Main Ingredients | Jasmine, Rose centifolia, Ylang-Ylang, Orris root, Iris root, Natural musks |
| Place of Origin | Grasse, France |
| Flower Producer | The Mul family |
| Bottle Manufacturer | Pochet du Courval |
| Bottle Material | High-end recycled glass |
| Refill Service | Available for select perfumes |
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What You'll Learn
Chanel's partnership with the Mul family
Chanel has been working with the Mul family, the largest flower producer in Grasse, since 1987. The partnership has allowed Chanel to control every aspect of its fragrance production, ensuring that quality is never compromised in the creation of its perfumes. The Mul family has been cultivating perfume plants since 1840, and their partnership with Chanel bolstered their operation. The family grows and supplies flowers for Chanel's fragrances, helping to maintain disappearing flower crops and ensuring the availability of jasmine, tuberose, and other flower harvests each year.
The Mul family's fields are located near the town of Grasse, which is known as the perfume capital of the world. The family's farm is home to the largest tuberose field in Europe. The process of growing and harvesting the flowers is laborious and time-consuming. Each November and December, the bulbs are removed from the soil, cleaned, separated, and dried. They are then reacclimatised to ambient temperature and replanted in rows, but they won't flower for at least a year. When they finally do flower, they are hand-picked early in the morning and placed in burlap bags before being sent for weighing and extraction.
The jasmine harvest at the Mul family's fields is a meticulous process. The flowers must be picked before 1 pm, while they are at their most fragrant. The harvesters move quietly through the fields, carefully plucking the individual flowers from the bushes. The flowers are then placed in baskets under a humid cloth to protect them from the sun. It takes 8,000 jasmine flowers to create one kilogram of raw material for Chanel No. 5. In addition to jasmine, the Mul family also supplies roses to Chanel. The roses used for Chanel No. 5 are Rosa Centifolia, which means "hundred petals" in English.
The partnership between Chanel and the Mul family is a blend of tradition and innovation. The family's long history of cultivating perfume plants ensures that the traditions of the region are safeguarded, while Chanel's involvement allows for the adaptation of new cultivation techniques to preserve the fragrant ecosystem. This collaboration ensures a consistent supply of high-quality flowers for Chanel's fragrances and helps to protect the cultural heritage of the Grasse region.
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Harvesting the flowers
Chanel has been sourcing jasmine flowers from Grasse, France, for nearly a century. The brand has worked with the Mul family, the region's largest flower producer, since 1987. The Mul family's farms span about 30 hectares of fields, harvesting jasmine, iris, geranium, and tuberose. Chanel's in-house perfumer, Olivier Polge, describes the brand as "the guardians of Chanel formulas", emphasising their commitment to maintaining absolute control over their ingredients.
Chanel's iconic No. 5 fragrance, created in 1921, features jasmine at its heart. The jasmine flower has always been central to this perfume, and its scent is very complex. The flowers are precious and challenging to harvest, with a very low yield. The process of harvesting jasmine in Grasse follows centuries-old traditions and techniques. Chanel sources its jasmine flowers from the Mul family, ensuring a consistent supply of this key ingredient.
The harvesting of flowers for Chanel perfumes is a meticulous and laborious process. In the case of the May rose, there is only a three-week window in spring when these flowers are ready for harvest. Each morning during this brief period, a team of farmers goes out to fill their burlap bags with the freshly picked blooms. The roses used for Chanel No. 5 are Rosa Centifolia, which translates to "hundred petals". The Chanel flower petal ratio is 1,000 jasmine flowers to 12 roses.
Once the petals have been harvested, they are placed in a large metal vat. Within this sealed vat, two thousand litres of hexane, a clear liquid solvent, are heated to 68 degrees Celsius. The roses change from pink to brown during this process. After extraction, the absolute—a highly concentrated liquid—is created by removing alcohol from the concentrate. This absolute is then used in Chanel No. 5 fragrances.
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The extraction process
Chanel's perfume-making process involves an intensive and laborious extraction process. The process begins in late spring, when the flowers are harvested from Chanel's fields in Grasse, France. The flowers used include jasmine, rose petals, iris, geranium, and tuberose. The roses used are Rosa Centifolia flowers, which have a hundred petals. Chanel has sourced its flowers from Grasse for nearly a century and has partnered with the Mul family, the region's largest flower producers, to ensure a consistent supply of high-quality blooms.
Once the petals have been harvested, they are placed in a large metal vat. Inside the vat, the petals transform into a waxy, solid state. Then, 2000 liters of hexane, a clear liquid solvent, are added, and the mixture is heated to 68 degrees Celsius. Once the desired temperature is reached, the vat is opened, revealing that the roses have turned from pink to brown. The Chanel flower petal ratio is carefully calibrated: 1,000 Pegomas jasmine flowers to every 12 Pegomas roses.
The flowers are then immersed in three consecutive baths of intense solvent and distilled down to their absolute, the final concentrate used to create the fragrances. This concentrate is a very strong liquid that is used sparingly in the final product. The extraction process is repeated several times until the perfume is ready to be bottled. Chanel No. 5, one of the brand's most iconic fragrances, is then poured into 30ml bottles and labelled.
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The distillation process
Chanel's perfume-making process involves a delicate and intricate distillation procedure. This process is integral to creating the iconic fragrances that Chanel is known for. The distillation step is a critical stage in perfume creation, where the essence of the flowers is extracted and concentrated, capturing their aromatic compounds.
The flowers used in Chanel perfumes, such as jasmine, rose, and ylang-ylang, undergo a meticulous harvesting process. The flowers are hand-picked at the Mul Family Estate in Grasse, France, an area renowned for its rich soil and fragrant ingredients. The harvesting period is short and intense, particularly for the May rose, which is only available for three weeks in the spring.
Once harvested, the flowers are rushed to the extraction plant to prevent wilting. Here, they undergo a unique transformation. The petals are placed in a large metal vat, where they turn into a waxy, solid state. This vat is then sealed, and 2000 liters of hexane, a clear liquid solvent, is added. The solvent is carefully heated to a temperature of 68 degrees Celsius, causing the roses to change from pink to brown.
The next step involves a series of extractions to isolate the fragrant compounds. Chanel's in-house perfumers immerse the flowers in multiple consecutive baths of intense solvent, gradually drawing out their aromatic essence. This process is repeated several times until a concentrated absolute is obtained. The absolute is the heart of the fragrance, a potent liquid that will be used to create the final perfume.
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The bottling process
Chanel's bottling process is an intricate and meticulous affair, with each step carefully executed to ensure the iconic fragrance is bottled and presented to the world in a way that reflects its luxury status.
Once the bottles are created, the delicate task of filling them with the precious fragrance begins. Chanel No. 5 is carefully poured into the bottles, ensuring precision and accuracy in every step. Each bottle is then sealed with a pump and a push button, completing the physical bottling process.
However, the bottling process doesn't end there. Chanel's attention to detail extends beyond the liquid perfume. The bottles are then adorned with elegant and sophisticated labels, bearing the legendary name "Chanel No. 5." The labels are designed to complement the crystal-clear bottle, creating a seamless and luxurious presentation.
Chanel's unique service of refilling certain perfumes, including specific sizes of Chanel No. 5, is an integral part of their bottling process. This service allows customers to reuse their bottles, reducing energy consumption and waste. The refilling process follows specific requirements, ensuring the bottle is well-preserved and the original pump and push button are intact.
Finally, the bottles are carefully packaged for distribution. Chanel is committed to reducing energy use and emissions during transportation and continues to work on greener solutions. The bottling process concludes as the perfume bottles embark on their journey to Chanel boutiques and retailers worldwide.
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Frequently asked questions
Chanel No. 5 was launched in 1921 by Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel and is considered to have changed the world of fragrance. It was created by perfumer Ernest Beaux, who presented Coco Chanel with a portfolio of samples, from which she chose the fifth proposal.
Chanel No. 5 is made from a combination of jasmine, rose centifolia, and ylang-ylang, with other ingredients including orris root, iris root, and natural musks. The jasmine is sourced from the Grasse region in the south of France, where it has been grown for centuries.
Chanel No. 5 is made by harvesting jasmine and rose petals from the fields of Joseph Mul in Pegomas, France. The flowers are then immersed in baths of solvent, distilled, and turned into a concentrate. Alcohol is then extracted from the concentrate to create an absolute, which is used in the final fragrance.
Chanel No. 5 stands out from other fragrances due to its abstract construction and generous use of aldehydes, which give the fragrance a champagne-like sparkle. It is also known for its complex and fresh flavour, and its elegant style.
