CHANEL NO 5

INTRODUCTION

When couturier Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel launched her debut perfume No5, in
1921, it changed the whole world of fragrance. Perfumer Ernest Beaux produced a
portfolio of samples for Mademoiselle to try – and she chose the fifth proposal.
So No5 was born – and has since gone on to become the most recognized name in
perfumery, worldwide.
For the first time a coutoulier revolutionized the world of perfume by creating in
1921, her fragrance, the first of it’s kind.
The perfume captures the essence of Coco Chanel herself. She believed that a
woman’s scent should be as important as her style of dress, a woman should wear
perfume wherever she would like to be kissed.

Coco Chanel seeked in her own words“ A woman’s perfume with a woman’s
scent”

It has been on sale continuously since its introduction .The company estimates that
a bottle is sold worldwide every 30 seconds
But what is it that made No 5 such a huge success and is still the number one
perfume?
 HISTORY

Coco Chanel had wanted to develop a distinctly modern fragrance for some time
by early-1920. At this time, Chanel's lover was Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich
Romanov of Russia, the murderer of Rasputin. The duke introduced her to Ernest
Beaux on the French Riviera. Beaux was the master perfumer at A. Rallet and
Company, where he had been employed since 1898. The company was the official
perfumer to the Russian royal family, and "the imperial palace at St. Petersburg
was a famously perfumed court." The favorite scent of the Czarina Alexandra,
composed specifically for her by Rallet in Moscow, had been an eau de cologne
opulent with rose and jasmine named Rallet O-DE-KOLON No.1 Vesovoi.
In 1912, Beaux created a men's cologne, Le Bouquet de Napoleon, to
commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino, a decisive battle in
the Napoleonic Wars. Its success inspired Beaux to create a feminine counterpart,
whose starting point was the chemical composition of aldehydic multiflores
in Houbigant 's immensely popular fragrance, Quelques Fleurs(1912).
His experiments with the aldehydes in Quelques Fleurs, resulted in a fragrance that
he called Le Bouquet de Catherine. He intended to use the scent to celebrate, in
1913, the 300th anniversary of the Romanoff dynasty. The debut of this new
perfume was ill-timed commercially. World War I was approaching, and the
czarina and the perfume's namesake, the Empress Catherine, had both been
German-born. Timing and unfavorable associations, combined with Le Bouquet de
Catherine's hefty price tag, made it a commercial failure. An attempt to re-brand
the perfume, as Rallet No. 1 was unsuccessful, and the outbreak of World War I in
1914 effectively killed the product.
Beaux, who had affiliated himself with the Allies and the White Russian army, had
spent 1917–1919 as a lieutenant stationed far north, in the last arctic outpost of the
continent, Arkangelsk, at Mudyug Island Prison where he
interrogated Bolshevik prisoners. The polar ice, frigid seascape, and whiteness of
the snowy terrain sparked his desire to capture the crisp fragrance of this landscape
in a new perfume.
Beaux perfected what was to become Chanel No. 5 over several months in the late
summer and autumn of 1920.The most expensive perfume oil at that time was
jasmine due to the expensive distilling process. Chanel wanted to create an
expensive perfume, and as such No. 5 relies heavily on jasmine.. He worked from
the rose and jasmine base of Rallet No. 1, altering it to make it cleaner, more
daring, reminiscent of the polar freshness he had experienced during his war years.
 No 5 transforms the alchemy of scents with Ernest beaux innovative use of
aldehyde. aldehydes add layers of complexity which make no 5 ever more
mysterious and impossible to decipher
Aldehydes are organic compounds of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. They are
manipulated in the laboratory at crucial stages of chemical reaction whereby the
process arrests and isolates the scent. When used creatively, aldehydes act as
"seasonings", as aroma boosters. Beaux's student, Constantin Weriguine, said the
aldehyde Beaux used had the clean note of the arctic, "a melting winter note". A
laboratory assistant, mistaking a full strength mixture for a ten percent dilution,
had jolted the compound with a quantity of aldehyde never before used. Beaux
prepared ten glass vials for Chanel's assessment. Numbered 1–5 and 20–24, each
group a variation of the compound. "Number five. Yes,"
According to Chanel, the formula used to produce No. 5 has changed little since its
creation, except for the necessary exclusion of natural civet and certain nitro-
musks.
 THE FIRST OF ITS KIND

No 5 defied the conventions of perfume which glorified single flower fragrances.

Traditionally, respectable women wore perfumes that smelled like singular flowers
while courtesans and other racy ladies stuck to more brazen smells such as musk or
jasmine to attract men. By choosing a scent that blended the sensual allure of
jasmine and musk with indefinable flowers and aldehydes, Chanel made a scent
that questioned the notion of perfume indicating social standing, helping to
demonstrate the paradox — voilà! — that women could be simultaneously "sexy"
and "pure." Additionally, it's no secret that Mademoiselle Chanel was once a kept
women who used money from her lovers to help fund her business ventures.
Considering that, her opinions on sexuality and female empowerment were
considered unconventional at the time, which make the characteristics of Chanel
No. 5 seem all the more fitting. No 5 made the sentimental names of the perfumes
of the time seem instantly out of date. It receives its name because mademoiselle
chanel liked the fifth sample Ernest Beaux presented to her, according to some she
also chooses the number five because of its magical, luck giving qualities. For the
first time a perfume is presented in a simple laboratory flagon, pure, austere, as
bare as a vial. The minimal lines of the no 5 bottle distinguish it from the mannered
bottles of the 20’s, its’s sobriety ensures it’s timelessness. By some accounts its
stopper, cut like a diamond, is inspired by the geometry of the place Vendome. The
original bottle adapts imperceptibly to its time. Chanel envisioned a design that
would be an antidote for the over-elaborate, precious fussiness of the crystal
fragrance bottles then in fashion popularized by Lalique and Baccarat. Her bottle
would be "pure transparency ...an invisible bottle". It is generally considered that
the bottle design was inspired by the rectangular beveled lines of
the Charvet toiletry bottles, which, outfitted in a leather traveling case, were
favored by her lover, Arthur "Boy" Capel.[3] Some say it was
the whiskey decanter he used that she admired and wished to reproduce in
"exquisite, expensive, delicate glass".[1]:103

The first bottle produced in 1922, differed from the Chanel No. 5 bottle known
today. The original container 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. The
 bottle was modified with square, faceted corners, its only significant design
change.[1]:104 In a 1924 marketing brochure, Parfums Chanel described the bottle
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."[1]

Unlike the bottle, which has remained the same since the 1924 redesign, 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 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.

Chanel No.5, the first fragrance by the way to ever advertise at the Super Bowl,
has also pioneered powerful perfume campaigning.
The bottle, over the decades, has itself become an identifiable cultural artifact, so
much so that Andy Warhol chose to commemorate its iconic status in the mid-
1980s with his pop art, silk-screened, Ads: Chanel
 CONTROVERSY

So, let's be real: Not everything about the history of Chanel No. 5 is sexy, and it's
no secret that Mademoiselle Chanel had some very questionable opinions and
alliances throughout her lifetime. Some of these controversial traits are made
evident by her relationship with Pierre and Paul Wertheimer, who
financed Parfums Chanel. In 1924, Mademoiselle Chanel entered into an
agreement that removed herself from involvement in all fragrance business
operations, providing her with 10 percent of all French sales in exchange for
licensing her name. Realizing the true money-making potential as Chanel No. 5
quickly became a best-selling perfume, Chanel fought to regain control of her
fragrance line, and would do so for decades to come.

An opportunity to seize control presented itself at the onset of World War II, when
the fragrance was being manufactured in Hoboken, NJ using materials imported
from France. Since the Wertheimer brothers were a Jewish family, their business
and ownership was susceptible to Nazi seizure. In 1941, Chanel supposedly wrote
to German officials in an attempt to use her "Aryan" position as a way to regain
sole ownership of her fragrance line from "the property of Jews." Much to her
surprise, the brothers had cleverly turned ownership over to a Christian
businessman before the onset of Nazi control, which made Chanel's plea a failed
attempt. After the war, the brothers were given back their ownership, and
renegotiated their agreement with Chanel to grant her two percent of worldwide
perfume sales worldwide, making her one of the richest women in the world.
 FIVE UNIQUE INTERPRETATIONS

THE ORIGINAL

N°5 is an abstract fragrance.

A floral bouquet of May Rose and Grasse Jasmine propelled by aldehydes.

30 ML $340
 The sensual N°5

N°5 Eau de Parfum shares an olfactory signature with the Parfum.

The floral aldehydic bouquet is enhanced with Citrus notes and voluptuous
Vanilla.

In 1986, Jacques Polge, CHANEL Master Perfumer since 1978, reinterpreted his
predecessor's olfactory signature to create an even more generous version of N°5:
the Eau de Parfum.

35.5ML $80
 The woody N°5

N°5 Eau de Toilette is a floral-woody fragrance, a vibrant interpretation of N°5.

The floral aldehydic bouquet is intertwined with the strength of Sandalwood.

In 1924, she launched N°5 Eau de Toilette.

50ML $85
 The airy N°5

N°5 EAU PREMIÈRE shares an olfactory signature with the Parfum.

The Jasmine notes of the floral bouquet delicately reveal Ylang-Ylang from the
Comoros.

In 2008, Jacques Polge, CHANEL Master Perfumer since 1978, offered a more
luminous interpretation of N°5 with the creation of N°5 EAU PREMIÈRE.

50ML $107
 The fresh N°5

N°5 L’EAU is a vibrant abstract floral.

Radiant Citrus top notes soar with aldehydes, followed by a floral whirlwind of
Jasmine, Rose and Ylang-Ylang, and then the dynamic liveliness of Vetiver and
Cedar.

In 2016, Olivier Polge, CHANEL In-House Perfumer Creator, reinvented N°5 by

50ML $105
 ADVERTISING AND ENDORSEMENTS

1921: The New Woman.

The earliest advertising for No. 5 was strictly via word of mouth; Coco would
invite women who would now be called ‘tastemakers’ to smart dinner parties,
where she’d spritz them with this iconic perfume. In 1921, the cartoonist Sem drew
this now-iconic tribute to No. 5: depicting Mademoiselle Coco herself gazing
rapturously up at the classic bottle, dressed in the easy, figure-flattering style
which Chanel popularized. She is the epitome of The New Woman, and No. 5 is
her chosen perfume.
 1937: Coco Chanel, “An artist in living.”

This ad, which appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, features Madame Gabrielle Chanel as
the face of the fragrance. In contrast to the sleek lines of the 1921 sketch, she’s
depicted much more sumptuously here—portraying herself with a grand
sumptuousness that would have been like sweet nectar to a world still feeling the
effects of a Great War and Depression. With her “Faultless instinct for drama,”
Coco Chanel was not just the creator; she was the living epitome of the brand.
 1954: Marilyn Monroe.

You can’t talk about No. 5 without talking about Marilyn Monroe; in an interview
with Marie Claire, she answered the classic “What do you wear to bed?” question
with “Why, Chanel No. 5, of course!” Suddenly, the fragrance was associated with
the most glamorous movie star in the world—and sales skyrocketed. The funny
thing is that Marilyn didn’t become an official Chanel spokesperson until
2013 with this ad for No. 5—meaning that the most successful celebrity fragrance
endorsement of all time didn’t, at the time, cost the brand a cent.
 1957: “Every Woman Alive…”

Post-Marilyn, many other actresses were more than happy to be the “face” of the
fragrance, ushering in the era of celebrity advertising. Actress and model Suzy
Parker was one of the first; in this ad shot by Richard Avedon, she’s portrayed as
the perfect No. 5 woman of the ’50s: vibrant and happy, distinctly upper class,
immaculately turned out. The slogan, “Every woman alive loves Chanel No. 5″
would remain throughout the ’60s.
 1966: Youthful Rebirth.

As a result of pretty but conservative ads like the one above, by the mid-sixties,
No. 5 was considered the fragrance of rich aunts—not something that the pretty
young things wanted to wear. That changed with Ali McGraw, who fronted the
Chanel No. 5 for the Bath campaign. Her wide-eyed, It-Girl beauty brought the
fragrance to the youth—and kept it there. Because let’s face it, these images could
be from a campaign shot today.
 1972: Catherine the Great.

When you think about No. 5, chances are that you think of this ad; Catherine
Deneuve and Chanel created some of the most iconic and enduring images in the
history of beauty. There are no slogans and no ad copy: just her face, the bottle, her
name and the brand. No. 5 has become synonymous with elegant French beauty.
These Avedon-shot images are the reason why
 1986: A Classic, Reinterpreted.

Carole Bouquet, a former Bond girl, became the face of the brand in the eighties.
Chic, French and gorgeous, she represented the brand in brightly colored print
campaigns and romantic television ads(directed by visionaries like Ridley Scott).
The No. 5 advertisements of this time were simple, with minimal writing and bold
visuals; they were all about showing women how this classic perfume fit into their
modern life.
 1997: Chanel Goes Pop.

Andy Warhol did a series of prints featuring the iconic No. 5 bottle, and in the late
nineties, Chanel bought the rights to use them in their advertising campaigns. The
result: a world famous, indelible advertising campaign that gave the heritage
perfume a much-needed dose of pop art cool.
 2005: Nicole Kidman.

Nicole Kidman became the face of Chanel No. 5, instantly imbuing it with her
elegance and movie star glamour. The print and now-famous TV ads were shot
by Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann, who turned both into a genuine
spectacle—this campaign was a sumptuous visual feast that equated the fragrance
with beauty, romance and star power. If you want to be an icon, this ad says. You
should be wearing Chanel No. 5.
 2012: Brad Pitt is Inevitable.

The needle swung back to simple, minimalist ads as Brad Pitt became the first man
to front a No. 5 campaign. Stark in black and white, with the bottle in color, the
perfume—and therefore the woman who wears it—is positioned as the star here,
with Brad as the gorgeous accessory. This is underlined further in the oft-joked
about television commercial; the story is about the Chanel No. 5 woman and the
romantic, adventurous feelings she inspires in the object of her affection, rather
than about Brad Pitt himself.
 2014: Gisele.

Supermodel Gisele became the face of No. 5 in this simple, yet utterly iconic ad.
Reclining in a lit-up number 5 wearing a simple black dress and lots of diamonds,
Gisele is naturally beautiful, confident and glamorous—the perfect No. 5
woman for the decade. Mademoiselle Chanel would no doubt approve.
 POPULARITY TODAY

Part of Chanel No. 5's enduring success stems from its status as an "aspirational
purchase," which allows women of different income levels to get a "whiff" of the
wealth and exclusivity that the Chanel brand continues to represent.

The Chanel brand itself is remarkably good at telling stories that reinforce
Mademoiselle’s Chanel's mythical aura. They've even released a video titled "The
Self-Portrait of a Perfume," where the narrator (a.k.a Chanel No. 5) says, "I am a
consciousness, a way of walking, of thinking, of dreaming, of being true to one's
self." Considering that the perfume is branded as a way of life rather than a luxury
product, it's no wonder that it's continued to be popular with a wide range of age
groups for over 90 years.

No 5 resists the whims of fashion and the passage of time….As if

https://youtu.be/tRQa33dqyxI
https://www.chanel.com/us/fragrance/

https://stylecaster.com/beauty/vintage-chanel-no-5-ads/#slide-11

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanel_No._5

https://fashionista.com/2016/11/chanel-perfume-no-5-history