The Fragrant History Of Chanel Perfume No. 5

If the average person were to be asked which nation is closely associated with the production of perfume probably the most mentioned country would be the nation of France. In addition, if the individual was very knowledgeable, they might be able to provide some names of famous French perfume lines. Those names could include Laurent, Dior, Givenchy and Lancome.

One additional French perfume that is very recognizable in name and fragrance is Chanel perfume and specifically Chanel No. 5. To fully appreciate this particular Chanel perfume it is important to understand its history and the uniqueness of Chanel Perfume No. 5.

Chanel Perfume History

The founder of Chanel perfume was a Parisian woman by the name of Coco Chanel in the year 1910. Similar to historical beginnings of other perfumes, Ms. Chanel began her ascent in the business world by providing revolutionary clothing fashions. The driving marketing position was to provide simple, but elegant fashions to discerning women.

Like most successful business there was a continuous transformation that kept pace with the trends of the day as well as providing for the tastes of her customers. This transformation was clearly seen in the year 1913 when Coco Chanel began to carry sports attire for the active woman. It was during this time as well that women's hats were added to products that were offered to her customers.

Building on her successful momentum in the fashion world, it was decided in 1921 to introduce the first Chanel perfume. This Chanel perfume was labeled No. 5 and it became immediately successful with women, especially those women who frequented high society circles. It is interesting to note that Chanel No. 5 was created for Coco Chanel by Ernest Beaux who was a famous French designer.

It could easily be argued that Chanel No. 5 was the first of many in a long path of products named after famous designers. Eventually, this Chanel product became the cornerstone of a business line composed of other Chanel perfumes and beauty products.

The Uniqueness Of Chanel Perfume No. 5

When Chanel perfume No. 5 was first introduced in 1921, it became the first fragrance that utilized chemicals that produced the aroma. Those artificially produced chemicals to produce the fragrance were called aldehydes.

To Coco Chanel's credit she was innovative and forward thinking in understanding the value of using these artificially induced fragrances. Since the initial creation of Chanel Perfume No. 5, a multitude of perfumes have followed which in turn has led to the success of the entire perfume industry.