Coco Noir Extrait Chanel perfume – a fragrance for women 2014

It is said that the parfum extrait concentration is the fullest expression of the perfumer’s vision for a fragrance. This seems exceedingly true for Coco Noir Parfum. You can imagine my reticence, however, to pay such an exorbitant price for such a small amount of perfume that is nearly impossible to test. I took the plunge and am delighted that I did.

The parfum’s opening is with more bergamot than grapefruit, though both are present, diverging from the grapefruit-heaviness of the EDP. This combination of citrus top notes is mystic and otherworldly, especially in combination with a huge hit of some fine frankincense. I also get a good bit of jasmine and aldehydes, as well as the same butane-like note that is strangely addictive in Shalimar Parfum Initial. After the fragrance settles, I realize that the parfum is significantly more oriental and “noir” compared to Coco Mademoiselle, for which Coco Noir EDP is, confusingly, a flanker despite not smelling as noir-esque as it should. Having experienced the parfum in all its glory, Coco Noir as a concept extending from Coco Mademoiselle suddenly makes sense to me. Here is the Noir we were looking for. Was this what Chanel was trying to market but retreated from to a safer almost-fruitchouli? Was this what the perfumer was aiming to present to the world? It is a unique masterpiece.

In the end, the increased oriental feel is really due, in my opinion, to spicy ginger and sandalwood. This combination makes the perfume seem to lean more darkly masculine because it is exactly the combination used in Chanel’s men’s line of Bleu de Chanel. (Interestingly, they also share a prominence of grapefruit, an uncommon top note that sets many of these Chanels apart.) However, in combination with the other notes it is really just as at home on a male as on a serious and intriguing female.

Coco Noir Parfum is long-lasting yet staying close to the skin. It is mystic and not for the common market, smelling very niche and matching its price tag. It’s also not extremely “now,” rather holding to classic themes and refusing to give in to popular trends, while never in danger of smelling dated, only mature. Unfortunately I don’t think that the Coco Noir market is extremely interested in or able to afford the parfum concentration, and I’m afraid it may fall by the wayside as a result. I wish it could get more recognition, possibly by becoming available as a spray and being reduced in price (comparable to the Bleu de Chanel Parfum), or being offered as a micro-mini gift with purchase of the EDP. I will use my own sparingly, as I’m sure it will become nearly impossible to find should it become discontinued.