Authenticating Chanel No. 5: A Guide To Dating Your Bottle

Chanel No. 5 is a timeless, legendary fragrance in a radically minimal bottle. The scent formula was compounded by French-Russian chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux and was the first perfume launched by French couturier Gabrielle Coco Chanel in 1921. The bottle design has been an important part of the product's branding.

The first bottle, produced in 1922, had small, delicate, rounded shoulders and was sold only in Chanel boutiques to select clients. In 1924, when Parfums Chanel incorporated, the glass proved too thin to survive shipping and distribution, so the bottle was modified with square, faceted corners, its only significant design change.

The first stopper was a small glass plug. The octagonal stopper, which became a brand signature, was created in 1924, when the bottle shape was changed. The 1950s gave the stopper a bevel cut and a larger, thicker silhouette. In the 1970s, the stopper became even more prominent but, in 1986, it was re-proportioned so its size was more harmonious with the scale of the bottle.

The pocket flacon, designed to be carried in a purse, was introduced in 1934. The price and container size were reduced to appeal to a broader customer base.

To date your bottle of Chanel No. 5, look for the following:

- Bottles embossed with or having labels marked “Made in Occupied Japan” were made from September 1945 until April 1952.

- Enameled lettering, also known as serigraphy (instead of labels), on glass bottles started being used after the 1930s and was a regular feature in the 1940s.

- Look for a patent number on the base of the bottle, these patent dates were frequent in the 1930s and 1940s.

- Older bottles from the 1930s-40s would have lot numbers, bottle shape numbers or patent numbers embossed right into the glass base.

- By 1970, cosmetic companies were stamping coloured numbers on the bottom of their products. This stamping usually consisted of four numbers and was visible on the bottom of each item and is a “batch code”, which is used by the company to note what year and month the product was created.

- Older labels turn brown naturally, however, water and perfume can cause stains on labels over the years.

- The styles of the boxes or labels can also help determine age. Art Nouveau is generally 1900-1920s, Art Deco mid-1920s and some styles carried into the 1940s, psychedelic late 1960s-early 1970s.

- At the beginning of the 20th century, revenue stamps appeared on the imported scents coming into America.

- On bottles destined for the Mexican market, you may find labels with a number and the initials TDSP, this stands for Tratado sobre el Derecho Sustantivo de Patentes (Substantive Patent Law Treaty).

- Always look at all sides of a bottle. Some labels can be read from both sides, looking through the back of the bottle.

- Some perfume boxes or labels might have a warning label such as: “Warning–Use only as directed. Intentional misuse by deliberately concentrating and inhaling the contents can be harmful or fatal”. This warning was approved by the FDA starting in 1975.

- Any cosmetic, perfume or lotion labelled “hypoallergenic” dates to after 1975, when the FDA allowed companies to mark their products in this manner.

- The word “dram” to denote contents was used mostly during the 1930s and 1940s.

- Sealed perfumes which look to have some perfume missing have had their alcohol and water content evaporated, this is caused by heat, light, and poor storage as well as aging.

- Check out vintage advertisements for perfumes in old magazines. They will usually have a date on them and you can use these to compare your bottle to what is shown in the ad.

The design of the bottle has been an important part of the product's branding

The history of the perfume bottle design dates back to ancient times when perfumes were carried in simple clay vessels. However, as humans' appreciation for beauty evolved, so did the containers. The Egyptians, for example, often encased their fragrances in beautiful bottles made of precious materials. Fast forward to the 20th century, and France emerged as the centre of perfume and perfume bottle design, with renowned designers such as Lalique revolutionising the field.

Chanel No. 5's bottle design has evolved over the years, with the earliest versions featuring rounded corners, small square stoppers, and thin walls. The label was also small. Later designs introduced thicker walls, notched shoulders, and larger labels. The 1970s bottle featured the thickest stopper, with a rectangular, emerald-cut shape. The eau de parfum splash bottle introduced in 1986 had a simplified rectangular, emerald-cut stopper, and thicker walls.

The design of the Chanel No. 5 bottle has also been adapted for different formats, such as the refillable Eau de Toilette "Diffuseurs" sprays introduced in 1968 and the 1958 black and gold cologne sprays, which were designed by Chanel for the age of air travel.

The evolution of the Chanel No. 5 bottle design reflects societal changes and trends, such as the focus on sustainability and eco-friendly packaging in recent years. The bottle's design has also been influenced by functional factors like spill-proofing, grip, and durability. The choice of materials, such as glass, plastic, or crystal, has also changed over time, affecting the look and feel of the bottle.

The branding and design of the Chanel No. 5 bottle go hand in hand. The unique and iconic bottle design has become a powerful tool for enforcing the brand's identity and has helped establish a strong connection with consumers. The bottle's design, from its shape to its decorations, subtly communicates the brand's aesthetic and influences consumers' perception of the scent within.

The scent formula was compounded by French-Russian chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux

Chanel No. 5 was the first perfume launched by French couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel in 1921. The scent formula for the fragrance was compounded by French-Russian chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux.

Ernest Beaux was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1881. His parents were French expatriates, and he spoke both French and Russian fluently. His brother, Edouard, worked for Alphonse Rallet & Co. of Moscow, the foremost Russian perfume house and purveyor to the Imperial courts. Ernest Beaux began his career at Rallet, apprenticing as a laboratory technician in the soap works from 1898 to 1900. After serving in the French military, he returned to Moscow in 1902 and started his perfumery training at Rallet under the guidance of their technical director, A. Lemercier. He finished his perfumery education in 1907, earned a promotion to senior perfumer, and was elected to the board of directors.

In 1912, Ernest Beaux married Iraïde de Schoenaich, who gave birth to their son, Edouard, the following year. During the Russian Civil War, Iraïde escaped from Russia through Finland with her infant son. They reached France by sea following a dangerous two-month-long voyage, during which Iraïde fell in love with another man. Ernest divorced her and took custody of their son, while Iraïde moved to Nice to work with her lover. Ernest later married Yvonne Girodon, with whom he had a daughter, Madeleine.

In 1920, with the help of the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia, a companion of Coco Chanel, Ernest Beaux arranged a meeting in Cannes to present his current and former works to Chanel. She chose the fifth vial, numbered one through five and twenty through twenty-four, and decided to name the scent Chanel No. 5. Initially, only 100 flacons of Chanel No. 5 were produced, which Chanel gave away for free to her best clients on Christmas 1921. The demand was such that she decided to launch the perfume officially for sale in her shops in 1922.

Ernest Beaux left Chiris in 1922 to head a sales agency for his friend Eugene Charabot in Paris. However, Chanel No. 5 did so well that Bader and Wertheimer, owners of Galeries Lafayette, bought the rights to it from Coco Chanel on April 4, 1924, and founded Les Parfums Chanel, for which they hired Ernest Beaux as chief perfumer. In his new function, Ernest Beaux created many famous perfumes until he retired in 1954. He died in his Paris apartment on June 9, 1961, aged 79.

Ernest Beaux is renowned for Chanel No. 5, not only the most famous perfume in the world but still one of the best sellers. It is a wonderful perfume, audacious and perfectly composed, rightly hailed as a masterpiece. It would be hard to overestimate the influence of Chanel No. 5, and although it wasn't the first aldehydic bouquet, Chanel No. 5 is often held to be the founding work of the genre.

The first bottle was produced in 1922 and differed from the bottle known today

The first bottle of Chanel No. 5 was produced in 1922 and differed from the bottle known today. The original container had small, delicate, rounded shoulders and was sold only in Chanel boutiques to select clients. The bottle was inspired by the rectangular beveled lines of the Charvet toiletry bottles, which were outfitted in a leather travelling case and were favoured by Coco Chanel's lover, Arthur "Boy" Capel. Some also say that it was inspired by the whiskey decanter he used.

In 1924, when "Parfums Chanel" was incorporated, the glass proved too thin to survive shipping and distribution. The bottle was modified with square, faceted corners, its only significant design change. The new bottle was described in a 1924 marketing brochure as:

> "the perfection of the product forbids dressing it in the customary artifices. Why rely on the art of the glassmaker...Mademoiselle is proud to present simple bottles adorned only by...precious teardrops of perfume of incomparable quality, unique in composition, revealing the artistic personality of their creator."

The bottle has remained the same since the 1924 redesign, though the stopper has gone through numerous modifications. The original stopper was a small glass plug. The octagonal stopper, which became a brand signature, was created in 1924 when the bottle shape was changed.

The bottle was modified with square, faceted corners in 1924

> "the perfection of the product forbids dressing it in the customary artifices. Why rely on the art of the glassmaker...Mademoiselle is proud to present simple bottles adorned only by...precious teardrops of perfume of incomparable quality, unique in composition, revealing the artistic personality of their creator."

Some claim that the inspiration for the new bottle design was drawn from a whiskey bottle, while others say that it was inspired by glass pharmaceutical vials. In choosing the design for her perfume's bottle, Chanel was looking for something simple, even clinical, to stand apart from the overstated designs customarily seen on the perfume counter.

The first pocket flacon was introduced in 1934

The first pocket flacon of Chanel No. 5 was introduced in 1934. The pocket flacon was designed to be carried in a purse, and its size and price were reduced to appeal to a broader customer base. The pocket flacon was part of a strategy to grow the market by selling the perfume at military post exchanges. This move proved successful, and Chanel No. 5 became a souvenir that soldiers coveted for their sweethearts back home.

The pocket flacon was not the first modification to the original 1921 bottle design. The original bottle had thin glass and rounded shoulders and was sold only in Chanel boutiques to select clients. In 1924, the bottle was modified with square, faceted corners to better survive shipping and distribution. The 1924 redesign has remained largely the same since then, with only the stopper undergoing several changes.

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