Chanel N°5 (for women)
Designer: Chanel Olfactive Group: Floral AldehydeThe perfume became famous thanks to many celebrities who wore it, among which Marilyn Monroe. Chanel N°5 is often connected to her name because during an interview in 1954 she said that in bed she wore only ‘some drops of Chanel N°5'. That statement became a superb advertising slogan and a reason for millions of women around the world to choose this perfume. The current Chanel N°5 face is Nicole Kidman.
Ernest Beaux created two series of perfume samples numbered 1-5 and 20-24 and asked Coco Chanel to choose one of them. Madame Chanel chose the sample no. 5 and thus the perfume got its name. Superstitious, Chanel presented her new perfume on the fifth day of the fifth month of 1921.
Working on creation of this perfume, Ernest Beaux created and for the first time used the synthetic component – aldehydes. In his formula the aldehydes are accompanied by fragrances of rose and jasmine. The fragrance of aldehydes is pure and fresh, reminds of the odor of clean linen just brought in the house form the fresh frosty air. It is said that the famous creator drew his inspiration for creation of this fragrance from one of his visits to the Arctic Circle and the smell of water in midnight. The unique smell of frozen lakes and rivers fascinated him so much that he decided to replicate it in his creation.
Chanel N°5 is the first perfume in the floral-aldehyde group and the first by the quantity of aldehydes in its composition (another legend says that the Ernest Beaux's assistant overdosed the aldehydes in the composition by mistake). The top notes are composed of aldehydes, bergamot, lemon, neroli and ylang-ylang, the heart of jasmine, rose, lily of the valley and iris, while the base is created of vetiver, sandalwood, vanilla, amber and patchouli.
The first Chanel N°5 was captured in a simple rectangular bottle with the top which resembled Place Vendome in Paris. The first bottle was designed by Chanel herself and represents her classical principle – the less is more.
Chanel N°5 Fragrance Reviews:
add review


My mother always wore the eau de cologne formulation, and it smelled wonderful on her, but I never enjoyed the powderiness. Turns out I was trying the wrong strength.
I just bought a bottle of extrait de parfum - it was old, it had been opened and used, but the price was very cheap - and tried it, and I am stunned. I thought I knew what No. 5 smelled like, but I really had no idea.
The parfum does open with those scintillating, bright aldehydes, along with some citrus I had never smelled before. After an hour or so, the heart really begins to blossom, with florals blended so skillfully that it's difficult to pick out what one is smelling. I know there is rose and jasmine, but I cannot smell each individually. This stage is warm and delicious and inviting, casting a golden glow all around me. It finally dries down to a beautifully rich base of sandalwood, vetiver, and musk.
I've heard this saying before, with regards to classic perfumes, and I repeat it now: TRY THE PARFUM!

All three strengths (EdT, EdP, and Parfum) have a different interpretation. The parfum is the only one that contains Chanel's special type of jasmine from Grasse and is exclusive the them and them only. It is definitely evident when compared to the EdP, which incorporates jasmine from different regions of the world. The parfum is unmistakably feminine and sweet (of jasmine). The EdP is my favorite, created sometime in the 80s, I believe. It contains more woody and leather like nuances. It communicates an assertive strength. The EdT seems to contain a lot of citrus and seems to make you wonder what this perfume is all about.
Bottom line, it is definitely a classic and is deserving of a permanent place in perfumery. IMO, I am not a Nose, but I seem to think that No. 5 needs more work in filling in the "spaces" in the perfume. The transitions can be a bit rough, as if the perfume was rushed, but many of those who enjoy this perfume might not really notice it.
People who seem to not like No. 5 is usually those who do not warm up to aldehydes. Hopefully No. 5 Eau Premiere gives them a chance to wear No. 5's mystique comfortably.


There are a lot of aldehydes in this perfume, though I detect a lot more of them in the EDP, as opposed to the EDT, which seems lighter and more citrusy to my nose.
I don't get a lot of complexity from No. 5; there is a lot of jasmine, rose, powder (probably the iris) and maybe just a slight touch of vanilla, which is hard to detect. I do get a very strong scent of almonds, at least for the first couple of hours, after which, there's the smell of waxiness that a lot of older scents (like Mitsouko) tend to have (that might be civet). I don't care for the waxiness and think the perfume would be better without it, but overall, it's lovely and a classic and the wax is worth putting up with to enjoy such a legendary fragrance.
It's not for me, yet. I'm still a Coco/Coco Mademoiselle girl, but maybe I'll enjoy wearing it someday when I'm older, as I've grown to like it a lot more over the past decade when I've revisited it.


Sadly, it's the latter for No5 & me...my Marilyn seductress fantasies will never come to fruition. Those aldehydes & syntheic delights make me feel nauseus & headachey & I can't even try to enjoy other facets of this classic.
It does, however, bring back distant memories of opening ancient powder compacts, then sneaking a dab from the huge bottle belonging to a fabulously tweedy lady who said "THEY say perfume, WE say scent". I thought the powdery, soapy chemically headache haze I sniffed was frightfully grown-up & what all true ladies would wear.
So, maybe I'll never wear No5, but it was nice to take a trip down memory lane.
But i recognize that it's a conservative scent, luxury scent, with too much class, lasting, etc...

Chanel No. 5 is the ultimate statement in class and femininity. It is multi-layered and long-lived, and takes a good six hours or so to fully reveal itself. Soapy, sophisticated aldehydes yield to my favorite phase, the beautiful floral heart notes, in about 20 minutes. The florals linger for a couple hours, and then begins one of the most incredible dry-downs in perfume history. Over the next few hours, there are distinct phases of sweet vanilla, then less sweet vanilla-amber, then a dry woodsy amber and finally the last hints of patchouli and vetiver. What a work of art!
If it's not the right time in your life for you to wear it, it won't smell pleasant to you. But come back and visit No. 5 again in two years, five years or even 10 years. On one of these later visits, when the time is right, you'll catch a whiff and your nose will respond with a deep and satisfying, "Yesssssssssssss!"


I got it as a present from a charming gentleman, just like in old movies.
It reminds me of Marilyn Monroe.
Its very intimate and the best time to wear it is when you are with your lover, in bed, dressed up in a white silk night gown, your hair curled, falling gently down your chest, soft red lips, passionate eyes who show the deepest darkest places of your soul..
because this is a 'Parfum', with the big P; so perfect, so sophisticated, so elegant, so gentle, so strong, so cosy.. cosy is the right word, cosy and luxurious, a real diamond, and as a diamond it will last forever, just like Marilyn.





Perhaps it is my young age that makes me dislike most Chanel fragrances, but I respect them for being universally recognised and incredibly popular. This fragrance is very dependant on a person with the right skin chemistry, sophistication, class and maturity. On the wrong person it could be a disaster.

A bouqet of abstract flowers with an indefinable femininity and a legendary elegance.
It's a refined floral soft fragrance. This feminine scent possesses a blend of modern florals and balanced notes.

It is still around for good reason!

I adore classic perfumes and stay away from anything melony, sugary, or even vanilla and musk; I also happen to adore floral aldehydes.
But this one... It's one of the few perfumes that give me an actual headache, and its scent is just clinging, and HEAVY (not in a good way, more like a sledge hammer ;-)
The one time I was wearing it, I actually left a party so I could go and scrub it off me ASAP! (A quick visit to the bathroom to wash my wrists and back of the neck didn't help.)
Worst of all, I find it doesn't evoke ANYTHING in me: no images, no yearnings... nothing. Perfumes always tend to evoke more or less poetic descriptions in me (as is usual with fragrance lovers - witness the comments on this very website ;).
But this one... I couldn't describe it in a poetic way, if my life depended on it.
I do like Chanel's "Nro 19" and "Mademoiselle", though. And they like me. ;)
Just doesn't agree with me, sorry, I use it as room freshener!
19 I love, the Allures and Coco Mademoiselle all wonderful.


Old Lady? Yes, and no. If you over spray and wear it with orange lipstick, blue eye shadow and a tacky fur coat, then yes, No.5 is very old lady.
No, if you are sexy, trendy and/or confident. Don't look for a fragrance to fix your character flaws because sister, it ain't gonna happen!

And there's a note I can't stand. It's sharp and annoyingly too fresh. Huh aldehydes... It's very soapy on me. Whenever I wear it it reminds me of my grandma, whenever I smell it on others... it's gorgeous.
Anyway this fragrance is something very unique, but only because it has history. I'll try it again sometime...

Stays on me almost all day.


P.S. I agree with Chaosnmotion: "A true lover of fragrance doesn't associate their like or dislike of the scent with their personal opinion of the person's name (face) who is on it..."




Sorry... I really didn't like it



Faded away on the spot every time it touched my skin though, too bad !




It's classy and powerful scent!
Unforgettable!




my sister's signature scent and the ONLY person i think of when i smell it...therefore it smells like someone i love and cherish.



Become a memeber of this online perfume community
Click here its free and easy!
This page contains information, reviews, perfume notes, pictures, new ads, vintage posters and videos about Chanel Chanel N°5 fragrance. If you have more information about Chanel Chanel N°5, you can expand it by adding a personal perfume review. Fragrantica has a unique user driven classification system and you may classify Chanel N°5 by Chanel. Click on the appropriate options on the fragrance classification form below. Also, you can find links to 3rd party websites/Internet stores, but Fragrantica has no access or control over those websites. We do not make guarantees nor accept responsibility for what you might find as a result of these links, or for any future consequences. User reviews of Chanel N°5 by Chanel are representing views of credited authors alone and do not necessary reflect Fragrantica's views.
Please, classify the fragrance. Choose the descriptions which really match this perfume.
Results of voting for perfume Chanel N°5 - Chanel:
Based on 266 votes of memebers.




















Opium Pour
Homme
Siren
OH! De
Moschino
S.T. Dupont
Rose
Succulent
Intimately
Beckham Night
212
Stella
Allure