Ask anyone that knows me, and they’ll confirm that I am somebody who very much centres my life around scent. And no, I’m not just talking about a penchant for lighting candles. I surround myself with great fragrances. I like all of my skincare to be scented (to the horror of other beauty editors), I have fresh flowers stationed on my desk at all times, I buy special fabric softener in a bid to amplify my daily scent, and I rely on perfumes throughout the day to keep me going. It sounds dramatic, I know, but scent and fragrance is without a doubt one of the most important things for my general wellbeing.
It goes without saying, therefore, that perfume is one of my favourite things in life. I own an obscene amount of different fragrances, each one evoking a different emotion and feeling. I reach for fragrance in the same way I imagine other people select their outfits in the morning and ask myself similar questions: What is the weather like? How am I feeling? What is important to me today? While some might tell me my perfume collection is excessive, to me, it’s almost essential. Having said that, a couple of months back, I decided it was time to give my perfume wardrobe a clear out and part ways with the fragrances that were either gone off or no longer serving me. I find the process cathartic and surprisingly easy. Except for when it came to one particular category: Chanel.
As a beauty editor who specialises in things that smell great, I can say with confidence that Chanel fragrances are without a doubt the most special, beautiful, and unique around. Chanel perfumes are, to put it plainly, works of art. And it’s likely we all have a memory of one of Chanel’s classic scents—perhaps Coco Mademoiselle was the scent that defined your early twenties, maybe Chance was your go-to holiday perfume, or it could even be that one whiff of No5 takes you straight back to your childhood. There’s no arguing it, Chanel fragrances are iconic.
If you’re the sort of person that likes your perfumes to smell unique and a little different, you’d be forgiven for thinking Chanel was not the fragrance brand for you. After all, Chanel perfumes are amongst the best-selling across the globe. But what if I told you there’s a whole bunch of Chanel fragrances that probably are for you—and you’ve likely seen them all over Instagram.
If there’s one thing you should know about beauty and fashion insiders, it’s that they don’t like smelling like everyone else. It’s a silly thing to have to admit, but when you work in the industry, you become precious and possessive over your fragrance choice—you want to feel as though it was created especially for you. It’s of no surprise, therefore, that Chanel’s lesser-known fragrance collections are a fashion-girl favourite. In fact, I can barely scroll through my Instagram feed without seeing a chic bottle of Chanel sat on someone’s shelf.
The fashion sets go-to, it seems, is Les Eaux de Chanel—a collection of six fragrances inspired by destinations beloved by Gabrielle Chanel herself. They’re seasonal, fresh, and almost impossibly easy to wear. Besides that though, they possess that certain je ne sais quoi that all Chanel fragrances possess. They have a richness to them that you won’t find elsewhere, are long-lasting, have people asking after your perfume all day long and, importantly, look great on the shelf.
Like escapism in a bottle, I challenge you to pick up any Les Eaux de Chanel bottle and not fall head over heels straight away. Oh, and unlike Chanel’s other more niche fragrance lines, they’re eau de toilettes, meaning that if you don’t like the typical headiness of perfumes, you’ll be pleased. They make for the perfect lightweight spritz (just with the iconic longevity of Chanel).
If you do want something a little stronger and more powerful though, the Les Exclusifs de Chanel fragrance collection proves another hit amongst the fashion and beauty pack. More intense fragrances that are blended with true craftsmanship, the price point on Les Excluxifs scents is noticeably higher which naturally means you don’t come across them quite so often on strangers on the street or at dinner parties. If you make a Les Eaux de Chanel or Les Exclusifs de Chanel perfume your signature scent, I feel safe in saying you’re very unlikely to run into anyone else wearing the same fragrance as you. And, in my opinion, that’s what sets a nice fragrance apart from a great fragrance.
Next up, everyone deserves at least one Chanel fragrance—these are the 5 best.
