Chanel No. 5 Perfume Extrait
Pairs well with
Chanel No. 5 Perfume Extrait
Details:
- Parfum/Extrait concentration
- Original formulation
- Launched 1921 by perfumer Ernest Beaux
- Ideal for collectors, vintage fragrance lovers, or display
Fragrance Notes:
- Top Notes: Aldehydes, Bergamot, Lemon, Neroli
- Middle Notes: Jasmine, Rose, Lily of the Valley, Orris, Ylang-Ylang
- Base Notes: Vetiver, Sandalwood, Cedar, Vanilla, Amber, Civet, Musk
In-Depth Summary
“A woman must smell like a woman, and not a rose.” — Coco Chanel
Chanel No. 5 was born from an extraordinary brief. Coco Chanel asked Ernest Beaux to create a fragrance with tenacity, versatility, and abstraction — one that no other perfumer could copy. Beaux complied by sourcing ingredients so rare and expensive that imitation was nearly impossible: jasmine from Grasse, France; Rose de Mai; and superior ylang-ylang.
What set No. 5 apart was its landmark use of aliphatic aldehydes at a full one percent overdose — a chemical that lends sparkle to fragrance, described as fatty, watery, tallowy, like the scent of a snuffed candle. Beaux used it boldly “to let all that richness fly a little.” The result was a scent draped in fur: feminine elegance and restraint on the surface, with an animalic extremity lurking beneath.
The extrait concentration is the purest and most intense expression of No. 5 — the version closest to Beaux’s original vision, with the deepest projection of the animalic base and the most complex aldehyde opening. A rare and significant collector’s piece.