Les Exclusifs de Chanel Eau de Cologne Chanel perfume – a fragrance for women 2007

I approached Chanel’s Eau de Cologne for the first time in much the same frame of mind as many others here: eau de Cologne is eau de Cologne, so Chanel’s version can’t be that exceptional, surely. I tested it one summer’s day a while ago; I thought it rather nice; I made a mental note to try it again sometime. I sampled many other eaux de Cologne, and even nearly bought a few. But the Chanel kept calling, quietly but persistently, and I realised that without me even knowing, it had made a profound impression on my olfactory memory. Earlier this year I was lucky enough to be given a sample of it from a Chanel counter, and so I was able to revisit it at my leisure. Having managed to get my hands on such a rarity as a Chanel sample, somewhat paradoxically I knew after only one day’s wearing that a full bottle was in my near future. Chanel’s Cologne is truly wonderful stuff.

As one would expect, Chanel’s Eau de Cologne opens with citrus. It’s a bright, tangy cloud of fruit, with no single variety dominating – it’s an elegantly revolving waltz of lime, lemon, bergamot and orange, and the overall effect is tart but not too tart, sweet but not too sweet. After these initial notes have begun to settle there are still elements of the other fruits’ juice and zest remaining, but to me the heart of the fragrance is all about the orange, and not just néroli and petitgrain: there is the actual greenness of the leaves, the bitterness of the peel, the succulence of the flesh and the sweetness of the juice, still moving in complete harmony. As Cologne dries down to its base, a beautiful, orange-tinged musk starts to soar above the composition, rich and lush, definitely fresh, noticeably starchy. It’s as if somebody has sprayed a shirt with sweet orange water and then steam-ironed it. However, laundry-clean the shirt is not: the blend of sophisticated musks and subtle spices suggests it has been gently worn even if it is still perfectly presentable. The delectable drydown persists unusually well especially for this genre, and in fact this fragrance’s longevity and sillage are far better than one would expect. Whenever I wear Cologne it is always still noticeable the next morning, and the bright musk persists even after showering.

So returning to the question of what makes Chanel’s particular Eau de Cologne so special, I think it’s a combination of two things. Firstly there is synergy: this juice is made from top-quality ingredients, but even so it is considerably greater than the sum of its parts – such a beautiful harmony is created that it starts to resonate from within and take on a life of its own. Secondly there is exquisite balance: Cologne inhabits the Goldilocks zone between refreshingly sharp and mouth-wateringly sweet, and between the crisply fresh and the comfortingly human; and remarkably it manages this from beginning to end. This fragrance moves me, it delights me, it makes me happier than just a smell ought to be able to. It is cologne perfection, a stunningly gorgeous and original example of this seemingly exhausted genre.