Chanel Nº5 - 100 Surprising Years

To understand the creation of Coco Chanel’s Nº5 fragrance, think about the world 100 years ago. Chanel was the first female designer to put her name on a fragrance.

She was the first to insist the female fragrance moves away from single flower ingredient to a complex 80 ingredients- introducing for the first time the use of aldehydes which is a process of removing a hydrogen from an alcohol. She asked perfumer Ernest Beaux for “an artificial fragrance like a dress, something crafted. I am a seamstress. I don't want rose or lily-of-the-valley, I want a composed fragrance”

In 1937, Coco Chanel made headlines for starring in Chanel No. 5's first-ever publicity campaign, shot by photographer François Kollar for Harper's Bazaar USA.

A woman so visionary, her fragrance is still the best selling fragrance in the world today.

As she said, “A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future.”

We tip our hats to you Mme Chanel, as we celebrate 100 years of your vision and daring.