When, in 1921, perfumer Ernest Beaux presented five variations of ‘Chanel No.5’ to Gabrielle Chanel, he could not have imagined how his rich, decadent creation world forever change the world of fragrance. The brief was simple – to create a “woman’s perfume with a woman’s scent”, full of heady notes (over 80 to be exact) that broke all the traditional rules of fragrance at the time.
Fast forward to today, and the golden juice of ‘No.5’ still sits pride of place on the vanity tables of glamorous women all around the world. Its timeless, classic, and fiercely feminine scent is synonymous with luxury and tradition. As the perfume’s new face, French actor Marion Cotillard describes, “It’s more than a perfume. It’s a work of art”.
In the video below, shared exclusively with Savoir Flair, Cotillard takes us on an exclusive behind the scenes tour of Chanel’s perfume laboratory, where she meets in-house perfume creator Olivier Polge and discovers the secrets behind one of the world’s most iconic scents. Listen in.
