Lance Carson
Chanel is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. The brand is well known for its iconic perfumes, including the legendary fragrance Chanel No. 5, which was first created in 1921. But where is Chanel perfume made? The answer lies in the fields of Grasse, France, where Chanel sources its flowers for perfumery. Chanel has worked with the Mul family, the largest flower producer in Grasse, since 1987, to control every aspect of its fragrance production. The process of creating Chanel perfumes is intensive and laborious, with attention to detail paramount from plantation to packaging.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of the first Chanel perfume launch | 1921 |
| Perfumer | Ernest Beaux |
| First Chanel perfume | No.5 |
| Year of the first men's fragrance launch | 1995 |
| Perfumer for the first men's fragrance | Henri Robert |
| Current award-winning perfumer | Olivier Polge |
| Owner of Parfums Chanel | Pierre Wertheimer |
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What You'll Learn
Creation of Chanel No. 5
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. Chanel No. 5 was unique from the other fragrances available at the time, which tended to be mostly flowery scents with jasmine, lilac, and rose. Instead, Chanel No. 5 had a more abstract construction and made generous use of aldehydes, which give fragrance a champagne-like sparkle.
According to legend, Chanel No. 5's unique composition may have been the result of an "overdose" of aldehydes in the bottle, although it is unclear if this was accidental or intentional. Chanel was seduced by the scent, famously proclaiming, "Yes, that is what I was waiting for. A perfume like nothing else. A woman's perfume, with the scent of a woman." Beaux's student, Constantin Weriguine, described the aldehyde used in Chanel No. 5 as having a clean note of the Arctic, "a melting winter note."
The design of the Chanel No. 5 bottle has also been an important part of the product's branding. Chanel envisioned a design that would be a departure from the over-elaborate, precious fussiness of the crystal fragrance bottles then in fashion. Instead, her bottle would be "pure transparency... an invisible bottle." It is believed that the bottle design was inspired by the rectangular bevelled lines of the Charvet toiletry bottles used by her lover, Arthur "Boy" Capel.
Chanel No. 5 has since become one of the most iconic fragrances in the world, with fans including Marilyn Monroe, who famously wore the perfume to bed. The perfume has been featured in some of the most memorable advertising campaigns of the past century, including one featuring French actress Catherine Deneuve in the 1970s.
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Marilyn Monroe's endorsement
Chanel No. 5, the debut perfume by Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel, was launched in 1921. Chanel No. 5 has since become the most recognised name in perfumery worldwide.
In 1960, Monroe further expressed her love for Chanel No. 5, saying: "What do I wear in bed? Why, Chanel No. 5, of course..."
Chanel has celebrated Monroe's love for Chanel No. 5 by creating a film dedicated to her love for the perfume. In 2024, Chanel also released a limited-edition No. 5 L'Eau Drop Bottle inspired by Monroe's 1952 quote. The bottle was designed to embody the modernity of the new formula and moment. Chanel's in-house perfumer, Olivier Polge, described the fragrance as a "fresher, more casual version of No. 5".
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Coco Chanel's Swiss parfumerie
During the Second World War, Coco Chanel closed her fashion business, leaving only jewellery and parfumerie for sale. She moved to Switzerland, where she established a rival Swiss parfumerie to create, produce, and sell her "Chanel perfumes". This was due to her resentment at having been exploited by her business partner, Pierre Wertheimer, who had gained control of Parfums Chanel and its successful line of Chanel perfumes.
Chanel No. 5, created by perfumer Ernest Beaux, was the first perfume launched by Chanel in 1921. It has since become the most recognised name in perfumery worldwide. Chanel No. 5's unique construction and generous use of aldehydes set it apart from the flowery fragrances of its time. Legend has it that Beaux, or his assistant, accidentally put an 'overdose' of aldehydes in the bottle, creating the scent's signature champagne-like sparkle.
In 1947, Wertheimer and Chanel renegotiated the 1924 contract that had established Parfums Chanel. Chanel was paid $400,000 in cash, which represented wartime profits from the sales of Chanel No. 5. She was also assigned a 2% royalty from the sales of No. 5 and granted limited commercial rights to sell her "Chanel perfumes" in Switzerland. In exchange, she closed her Swiss parfumerie and sold the rights to the name "Coco Chanel" to Parfums Chanel.
Chanel has continued to launch new fragrances over the years, including its first men's fragrance, Chanel Pour Monsieur, in 1995. The company also introduced the popular Bleu de Chanel and Chanel No.5 L'Eau, a modern take on the classic fragrance. Today, award-winning perfumer Olivier Polge, the son of Jacques Polge, creates fragrances for the brand, carrying on the legacy of Chanel parfumerie.
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Parfums Chanel's ownership
Parfums Chanel was established in 1924 when Coco Chanel entered into a 10-percent partnership with the Wertheimer brothers, Pierre and Paul, directors of the perfume house Bourgeois, and Réophile Bader, founder of the Paris department store Galeries Lafayette. The Wertheimers agreed to manage the production, marketing, and distribution of Chanel No. 5 and received a 70 percent share of the company, while Bader received 20 percent for brokering the business connection. Chanel licensed her name to Parfums Chanel for 10 percent of the stock, removing herself from involvement in all business operations.
During World War II, the Wertheimers, who were Jewish, left France for the United States in mid-1940. Foreseeing the Nazi occupation policy of the seizure of Jewish businesses, Pierre Wertheimer, the majority partner, designated Felix Amiot, a Christian French industrialist, as the "Aryan" proxy whose legal control of the Parfums Chanel business proved politically acceptable to the Nazis. Chanel, meanwhile, was rumoured to be a Nazi collaborator and attempted to assume business control of Parfums Chanel in 1941, but was thwarted by an administrative delegation. After the war, Wertheimer returned to Paris and regained formal administrative control of Parfums Chanel. Chanel, in Swiss exile, established a rival Swiss parfumerie to create, produce, and sell her "Chanel perfumes".
In 1947, Chanel and Wertheimer renegotiated the original 1924 contract. Chanel received her share of the wartime profits of Chanel No. 5, amounting to two percent of all worldwide sales, or $25 million a year, making her one of the richest women in the world. In 1965, Pierre's son, Jacques Wertheimer, assumed his father's management of the parfumerie. After Jacques Wertheimer bought the controlling interest of the House of Chanel, his son, Alain Wertheimer, assumed control of Chanel S.A. in 1974.
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Chanel's men's fragrances
Chanel's first men's fragrance, Chanel Pour Monsieur, was introduced in 1995 and created by Henri Robert, who took over from Ernest Beaux as the in-house perfumer. Since then, Chanel has introduced a full line of men's fragrances, including the leathery and virile Antaeus and the aromatic-woody BLEU DE CHANEL.
BLEU DE CHANEL is described as an aromatic-woody fragrance with ambery and musky notes. Chanel's men's fragrances also include the Allure Homme line, which features the Allure Homme Sport and Allure Homme Sport Eau Extrême, as well as the Égoïste and Platinum Égoïste fragrances.
Chanel No. 5, while not specifically a men's fragrance, has been famously endorsed by Marilyn Monroe, who, in 1960, famously said, "What do I wear in bed? Why, Chanel No. 5, of course...".
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Frequently asked questions
Chanel perfumes are made in France.
The first Chanel perfume, Chanel No. 5, was created by perfumer Ernest Beaux for Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel.
Chanel No. 5 was launched in 1921.
Chanel perfumes are known for their "'abstract' construction, featuring more aldehydes than other fragrances, which gives them a champagne-like sparkle.
Chanel No. 5 is the most famous Chanel perfume, but the brand has since launched many others, including Bleu de Chanel, Chanel No. 19, Coco Mademoiselle, and Allure.
