Packaging and Chanel N°5: The story | Packly Blog

Packaging and Chanel N°5: the story of an evergreen having interpreted the spirit of times without ever upsetting the original design.

We’d like to start the year by talking about a classic: packaging and Chanel N°5. In fact, with this unforgettable fragrance Gabrielle Chanel changed the history of perfumery. It is indeed some kind of shock to the senses, impossible to associate with a specific flower variety. All contained in an immortal box.

As for the packaging, Chanel designed a minimal transparent bottle, making sure that the amber fragrance color stays prominent. The flat shape, similar to that of a water bottle, was inspired by movement and speed. Undoubtedly, it fits into a travel kit. For the first time, the logo with the two intertwined Cs appeared. The radical simplicity of Chanel N°5 label perfectly matched the spirit of those times.

Packaging and Chanel N°5

The evolution of Chanel N°5 packaging

Gabrielle Chanel said: “always remove and never add“. Through the decades, the elegant and minimalist design of Chanel N°5 packaging has remained practically untouched, while following the fashion trends.

1921 marked the transition from the tin bottle to the purity of glass. In 1924 the bottle took on beveled edges to reinforce the corners. Subsequent changes were mainly cosmetic, thus managing to maintain the modern but timeless appearance.

An eye shadow palette packaging for Chanel N°5

1970 marks the creation and patenting of the Chanel typeface. The label and logo as we know them today also launched. However, the stylistic signature of the black and white duo remained unchanged. In this same year a thicker bottle stop came out in accordance with the taste of the time. In 2012 the label update took place. The latter got smaller and the visual focus lies exclusively on the registered trademark N°5 in conjunction with the Chanel brand.

A magnificent Chanel N°5 advent calendar

An eye on sustainability

Even one of the greatest brands of all time has faced the issue of sustainability. As you know, we we always like to highlight this aspect. As a matter of fact, 15% of the glass used to create Chanel bottles is from a recycled source. This result was achieved while preserving its unique characteristics such as transparency, luster and purity of the material. A true design gem.

A whole packaging range for Chanel N°5 products

Conclusions 

Do you need to update some packaging or create a specific one going beyond fashion and trends? Packly has your back. Create a prototype, customize it with the features of your brand and share the result in 3D with your decision makers. We can also print and ship the boxes anywhere in the world.