Scents and Sensibilities
Chanel have done more than anyone to elevate fragrances to the loftier echelons of French art de vivre. THE RAKE talks to their House Perfumer, Olivier Polge, about their new scent for men, Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif.
When, in 2015, Olivier Polge became the head ‘nose’ at Chanel, taking over from his father — Jacques Polge, the olfactory visionary behind acclaimed scents such as Coco Mademoiselle, Chance and Allure — he was, astoundingly, only the fourth perfumer to take the role since Chanel No. 5 was launched by French couturier Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel in 1921.
In the ensuing decade, Polge’s purview has been a considerable one. Overseeing operations at the house’s Laboratory of Fragrance Creation and Development, his tasks include: ensuring the scents that emanate from it epitomise an era without ever succumbing to ephemeral trends; making certain that raw materials, many sourced from partner farms in Grasse, southern France, are imbued not only with supreme quality but are selected with innovation and integrity; exploring new methods of regenerative agriculture; and monitoring adherence to fair trade practices and stringent guidelines concerning human rights and labour conditions, notably when it comes to substances such as vetiver from Haiti.
Born in Grasse, the fragrance industry’s centre of gravity, Polge is a former aspiring concert pianist who believes that music and perfume “share the same language”. He adds: “When, at 20 years old, I started learning the trade, I discovered that music and perfume shared the same language, [and realised] I was going to have to compose and write formulas made of notes and chords.”
Polge’s oeuvre to date — 20 fragrances for the house so far — include a (literally) fresh, contemporary iteration of No. 5, a scent that at the last count was being snapped up to the tune of 10m bottles worldwide per year. His take on the perfume Marilyn Monroe famously wore to bed, originally conceived over a century ago by Gabrielle Chanel and the Russian-born French perfumer Ernest Beaux, was distinguished by its ‘L’eau’ suffix and a prominent note of May rose from Grasse.
Polge has now scripted the next chapter of the storied house’s narrative with L’Exclusif, a reinterpretation of the unique Bleu de Chanel line conceived by his father. “The idea was to add a new chapter to the fragrance’s story, to reinterpret the theme of Bleu de Chanel,” he tells The Rake. “To do so we started with an existing formula; then, like turning a kaleidoscope, we shifted the key components to reveal new facets, intensifying certain notes until new harmonies emerged.”
His use of the word ‘harmonies’ is apposite given his musical background. Here, it refers to an olfactory chorus that, in an era in which scents (like watches) are less stringently gender-specific than they used to be, strikes a chord with those of us with a Y chromosome. “Its notes, centred around lavender, are classically masculine,” he says. “These are followed by the woody and leathery-amber accords. While cedar plays a key role, we built the fragrance’s intensity on a foundation of sandalwood and the leathery, resinous facets of Cistus labdanum. The sandalwood we select stands out, first and foremost, for its botanical variety, Santalum austrocaledonicum. At Chanel, we work with raw materials like a painter would work with his palette of colours.”
