You know when someone tells you a fragrance makes them think of you? And how there’s truly no greater compliment? Not only have you been perceived just the way you intended (perfume’s brilliant for that), but you’re memorable. Flattering for sure.
That’s what comes to mind when smelling Chanel’s new Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu Eau de Parfum — how memorable it is. The longevity helps, but mostly it’s about how unique the fragrance actually smells. To stand out in a sea of enticing arrivals on an editor’s desk, you’ve got to be good, so “unique” isn’t a word we toss around lightly.
It smells like someone’s spent precious time layering different scents to create something uniquely tailored to them. And they have – but it wasn’t any one wearer, it was Olivier Polge, the nose behind the fragrance, who did us all a big favour by doing the work for us.
Polge was determined to create a scent you’d want to go back to again and again, because it might actually treat you to something different each time. In a chat with Gracie Abrams, the fragrance’s incredibly chic face (and a favourite here in the marie claire office), he revealed a little about his goal. “I constantly reminded myself in creating this perfume that I wanted it to be memorable enough and capture attention with enough depth to hold it,” Polge told Abrams over coffee.
Abrams knows all about that. “Both having [an] unforgettable first impression and also making a lasting impact, that just reminds me of the process of writing music, honestly, because I think you’re trying to channel something internal while also trying to leave an impact on the people who receive your work,” she shared of her own creative process.
The fragrance (just like an Abrams song) grabs you right away, but it’s worth your attention the whole way through.
Fruity notes come first. It’s like you’ve walked into a fancy hotel breakfast buffet and someone’s put out the most perfect lychee and grapefruit spread you could imagine. It’s a ‘so close you can almost taste it’ type of fruit fragrance right off the bat, and it feels particularly fresh for the brand.
Then you get the rose and jasmine, and this is where it starts to feel unmistakably Chanel. Is anyone else fussy about rose fragrances? Us too. This one handles the note very nicely. It feels luxe, but light and airy. The florals sit right between the bright fruit and the warmer base, so everything is smooth and pulled together.
The dry-down is where things get extra interesting. You have patchouli and vetiver underneath, which give it that slightly earthy, woody edge, then the amber and vanilla come through to make everything warmer, deeper and a little more intimate. The vanilla isn’t turning this into a dessert fragrance — it’s more like a soft, warm blanket around the woods.
The end result is something that almost smells like the fanciest serving of sherbet imaginable: powdery, sweet and fruity all at once, with a bit of a kick. It just has that kind of energy. It’s not stiff in the slightest.
You can’t quite put your finger on each individual note because they’re so beautifully blended (which is exactly why we wanted to break them down for you). But together, the scent smells like you’ve mastered an excellent fragrance layering moment, when your real skill was choosing one truly glorious fragrance.
The ‘layered’ vibe is what makes it feel so versatile. It would fit in perfectly at a party, but it’s not too much for a morning meeting, and somehow smells exactly like you curated the mix for that moment only. Basically, it acts like a fragrance mood ring, reflecting whatever energy you’re bringing.
Can you imagine that? We hope so. Best pick up a bottle to try the real thing though, right? Now that you know what to sniff out, you’ll be able to appreciate the layering of every last note.
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu Eau de Parfum
$231 for 50ml at Chanel
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