In 1921, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel launched her first fragrance, N°5, “a woman’s perfume with the scent of a woman,” as she was wont to say.

N°5 is the first truly abstract fragrance. No identifiable dominant note stands out from the 80 ingredients used in its composition. It was a

radical change that Jacques Polge, creator of Chanel perfumes, describes as an olfactory symphony that blends notes of Ylang Ylang, Grasse Jasmine and May Rose, amplified by Aldehydes like a perfect accord.

 

This year, Chanel offers ancillary bath products so one can layer on the inimitable fragrance. The range includes a 200-ml foaming bath, 200-ml cleansing cream with rich lather, 150-gram bath soap, 200-ml body lotion that wraps the body in delicately scented veil, 100-ml deodorant spray and 40-ml hair mist that is gentle on the hair.

 

Chanel has also come out with a temporary edition of the fragrance’s intense bath oil in a 250-ml bottle. Just a few drops are all you need for your bath to take on a fragrant, milky appearance.