Antonio Mcgowan
Chanel No. 5 is a perfume launched by French couturier Gabrielle Coco Chanel in 1921. The scent formula was compounded by French-Russian chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux. The perfume is considered an important part of perfume history, and its scent is described as vintage and sexy, sensual, warm and soft. The perfume has been worn by celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, and its scent is described as a floral-aldehydic bouquet with notes of jasmine, ylang-ylang, May rose and sandalwood. The perfume's bottle design has also been an important part of its branding, with its simple and minimal design standing out from the overstated designs customarily seen on perfume counters.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Launch Year | 1921 |
| Creator | French couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel |
| Scent Formula | Compounded by French-Russian chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux |
| Bottle Design | Simple, clinical, pure transparency, an invisible bottle |
| Original Container | Small, delicate, rounded shoulders |
| Sold | Only in Chanel boutiques to select clients |
| Bottle Modifications | Square, faceted corners, octagonal stopper |
| Pocket Flacon | Introduced in 1934 |
| Advertisement | Coco Chanel was the first face of the fragrance |
| Fragrance | Floral-aldehydic, jasmine, ylang-ylang, may rose, sandalwood, citrus |
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What You'll Learn
Chanel No 5's scent and ingredients
Chanel No. 5 is a floral-aldehydic perfume with a woody-vanilla base. It was created by French-Russian chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux for Coco Chanel, who wanted a "woman's perfume, with the scent of a woman".
Beaux perfected the perfume over several months in 1920. He worked from the rose and jasmine base of Rallet No.1, altering it to make it cleaner and more daring. He experimented with modern synthetics, adding his own invention, "Rose E.B.", and notes derived from a new jasmine source called Jasophore. The formula also included increased quantities of orris root, iris root, and natural musks.
The key to the perfume was Beaux's use of aldehydes—organic compounds of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. When used creatively, aldehydes act as "seasonings", boosting the aroma of the perfume. Beaux's student, Constantin Weriguine, described the aldehyde used in Chanel No. 5 as having "a melting winter note".
The perfume was originally launched in three concentrations: Parfum, Eau de Toilette, and Eau de Cologne. The Parfum version is harder to find than the Eau de Parfum, but it is the closest scent to the original Chanel No. 5 worn by Marilyn Monroe. The Eau de Parfum is a different fragrance from the Parfum and the Eau de Toilette, composed in the 1980s by Jacques Polge as a modern version.
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The design of the bottle
The design of the Chanel No. 5 bottle has been an important part of the product's branding. Coco Chanel wanted a design that was simple and clinical, a stark contrast to the overstated designs that were customary for perfumes at the time. Chanel wanted her perfume to stand out, and so she opted for a bottle that was "pure transparency... an invisible bottle".
The original bottle had small, delicate, rounded shoulders and was sold only in Chanel boutiques to select clients. However, in 1924, when "Parfums Chanel" was incorporated, the glass was found to be too thin to survive shipping and distribution. This prompted the only significant design change to the bottle: it was modified with square, faceted corners. The bottle shape was inspired by the rectangular beveled lines of the Charvet toiletry bottles, which were favoured by her lover, Arthur "Boy" Capel. Others claim that the inspiration was drawn from a whiskey bottle or a glass pharmaceutical vial.
The bottle has remained the same since the 1924 redesign, although the stopper has gone through several modifications. The original stopper was a small glass plug, which was replaced by an octagonal stopper in 1924. This became a brand signature. The 1950s gave the stopper a bevel cut and a larger, thicker silhouette, and in the 1970s the stopper became even more prominent. However, in 1986, it was re-proportioned to be more harmonious with the scale of the bottle.
Over the decades, the bottle has become an identifiable cultural artifact, even commemorated by Andy Warhol.
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Chanel No 5's cultural significance
Chanel No. 5 is 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. Chanel No. 5 is considered a cultural phenomenon and has been described as the first and biggest perfume phenomenon. The perfume has been worn by cultural icons such as Marilyn Monroe, who wore the parfum version of the fragrance. Monroe is said to have claimed that she wore nothing else to bed.
The bottle design has also become an identifiable cultural artifact. Andy Warhol chose to commemorate its iconic status in the mid-1980s with his pop art, silk-screened Ads: Chanel. The bottle design was inspired by the rectangular bevelled lines of the Charvet toiletry bottles, which were favoured by Chanel's lover, Arthur "Boy" Capel. Chanel wanted a simple design that stood apart from the overstated designs customarily seen on the perfume counter.
Chanel No. 5 was also the first perfume in the floral-aldehyde group and the first by the quantity of aldehydes in its composition. Chanel No. 5 was created to appeal to the flapper and celebrate the seemingly liberated feminine spirit of the 1920s.
During World War II, Chanel used her position as an "Aryan" to gain control of Parfums Chanel and its most profitable product, Chanel No. 5. The perfume house was owned by the Wertheimer brothers, who were Jewish. Chanel petitioned German officials to legalize her right to sole ownership, claiming that the company "is still the property of Jews" and had been legally "abandoned" by the owners.
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Chanel No 5's advertising campaigns
Chanel No. 5's advertising campaigns have been iconic and groundbreaking since the perfume's launch in 1921. The earliest advertising for the fragrance was strictly via word of mouth, with Coco Chanel hosting sophisticated dinner parties where she would spritz her guests—later known as 'tastemakers'. The first print advertisement for Chanel No. 5 appeared in Harper's Bazaar in 1937, featuring Coco Chanel as the first face of the fragrance. In the 1950s, the perfume's advertising took a more dynamic turn, with actress and model Suzy Parker leaping through a Chanel No. 5 bottle to convey the fragrance's joie de vivre.
In the 1960s, Chanel No. 5's advertising campaigns centred on the tagline, "Every woman alive adores Chanel No. 5". During this time, the house enlisted famous actresses and models as the faces of the fragrance, including Ali MacGraw, Jean Shrimpton, and Catherine Deneuve. The campaign featuring Deneuve portrayed a stronger, more independent woman, reflecting the aspirations of women in that era.
The 1973 television campaign for Chanel No. 5 marked the fragrance's first TV spot, directed by renowned photographer Helmut Newton. In the 1980s, former Bond girl Carole Bouquet became the face of Chanel No. 5, appearing in vibrant print advertisements and romantic television commercials directed by Ridley Scott and Baz Luhrmann. The advertising during this period was straightforward, with minimal wording and vivid imagery, focusing on how the classic scent could fit into the lives of modern women.
In the 1990s, Chanel No. 5 continued to collaborate with famous actresses and directors for its advertising campaigns. The brand worked with director Luc Besson and ex-professional swimmer-turned-actress Estella Warren on a commercial that reinterpreted the tale of Little Red Riding Hood. Chanel also purchased the rights to a series of prints by Andy Warhol that incorporated the iconic No. 5 bottle, infusing the legacy perfume with a dose of pop art cool.
In 2003, actress Nicole Kidman became the face of Chanel No. 5, starring in a cinematic advertisement directed by Baz Luhrmann. The two-minute commercial, titled "No. 5 the Film", was described as "a two-minute trailer for a film that has actually never been made, not about Chanel No. 5 but Chanel No. 5 is the touchstone". The advertisement cost £18 million to produce, with Kidman being paid US$3.7 million for her participation.
In 2012, Chanel No. 5 made waves by choosing actor Brad Pitt as the first male celebrity to front a campaign for the fragrance. The advertisement took a minimalist approach, positioning the perfume as the hero of the story. In 2013, Chanel ran a campaign featuring a recorded interview with Marilyn Monroe, in which she famously revealed that she wore only Chanel No. 5 to bed. The campaign included Ed Feingersh's photograph of Monroe splashing herself with the perfume.
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Chanel No 5's various iterations
Chanel No. 5 is 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. The design of its bottle has been an important part of the product's branding. Over the years, Chanel No. 5 has been released in various iterations, including different concentrations and limited-edition bottles.
The original Chanel No. 5 perfume, also known as the parfum or extract version, is the purest and most concentrated form of the fragrance. It is known for its rich, vintage scent and has been described as sexy, sensual, warm, and soft. The parfum version is harder to find than the more commonly available Eau de Parfum (EdP). The EdP, introduced in 1986, is a diluted version of the original parfum, with a lower concentration of fragrance oils. It has a fresher and cleaner scent while still retaining similarities to the original. The EdP has been described as a powdery-floral fragrance with notes of ylang-ylang, rose, oakmoss, and aldehydes.
In addition to the parfum and EdP versions, Chanel No. 5 has also been released as an Eau de Toilette (EDT), which typically has a lower concentration of fragrance oils than the EdP. The EDT has been described as having a sparkling-champagne scent, with a slightly bitter opening and floral notes.
Chanel No. 5 has also been released in limited-edition bottles, such as the crimson red crystal glass bottle launched for Christmas in 2018. This limited edition was available in three different concentrations: Eau de Parfum, Parfum, and L'Eau.
Over the years, Chanel No. 5 has undergone various iterations, including different concentrations and limited-edition bottles, but the original parfum version remains iconic and sought-after for its vintage scent.
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Frequently asked questions
Chanel No 5 is a perfume for women that was first launched in 1921. It was the first perfume released by French couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel.
The perfume was formulated by French-Russian chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux.
The scent is described as clean and powdery, with notes of jasmine, ylang-ylang, may rose, sandalwood and aldehydes.
Chanel wanted a scent that would make its wearer smell like a woman, and not like a rose. She chose from a series of numbered samples, opting for a blend of 80 natural and synthetic ingredients.
Chanel wanted a simple bottle design that stood apart from the overstated designs of the time. The original bottle had small, delicate, rounded shoulders and was sold only in Chanel boutiques. In 1924, the bottle was modified with square, faceted corners to better survive shipping and distribution.
