Bustle Exclusive
Chanel's Perfumer Reveals The Secret To Its Heady New Fragrance
"There is no such thing as a perfect perfume; the identity of a scent is made by the tension between its notes."
“Would you want to wear a perfume that has been envisioned by a machine?” Olivier Polge, the head perfumer at Chanel, asked me on a rainy day at the brand’s headquarters. His answer — and the brand’s philosophy — is a firm no.
Instead, Polge has reimagined a house classic with Bleu De Chanel L’Exclusif — a new take on the original Bleu fragrance, which his father created during his own tenure as the nose of Chanel before Olivier took over.
“There is no such thing as a perfect perfume,” Polge tells me. “The identity of a perfume is made by the tension.” The tension, in the case of L’Exclusif, is the rendering of sandalwood — a fragrance note that is typically creamy — to be darker and smokier. It appears to be Polge’s response to a trend he sees emerging in the perfume world: stronger, more heady scents.
To toast the launch, a star-studded fête was thrown on Sept. 25 at Le Jardin Sur Madison in New York City’s Flatiron district — where names like Lukas Gage, Gabriette, Teyana Taylor, and Grace Van Patten danced to DJ Sam French as well as a performance from Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, Daniel Ceasar. Even the Empire State Building glowed Chanel blue for the night.
Ahead of the party, Polge exclusively spoke with Bustle about his thoughts on signature scents, AI in fragrance, and the one trend he just can’t get behind.
What’s your signature scent?
My signature scent is Pour Monsieur. It's a Chanel perfume that was not very successful. But on a regular day, I don’t fragrance myself — when I work, I need to stay in a neutral environment. The best way to enjoy perfume is to have people around you who wear the scent you like.
Did your father create Pour Monsieur?
No, but he was my predecessor at Chanel and the first to try to define the house’s signature. Chanel fragrances were always original, but not always commercially successful. With Bleu, we finally had real success. I don’t think success is everything, but it usually means a perfume holds something true.
I’m wearing the fragrance today. You can smell it a bit, right?
Yes, I do.
You must have a better nose than most people.
I have a more awakened nose, I would say, since I spend my days smelling.
What trends are you seeing in the fragrance world, and how do you respond to them?
Perfume is intuitive, and it’s always about grasping the spirit of your time while finding balance. I started in the late ’90s, and at that time, there were watery scents that were meant to smell like the ocean. That was very modern, but they now smell a little bit outdated. Among the things that really inspired me in creating Bleu Exclusif was noticing how men are more daring in their choice of perfume. Men are looking for a scent with more identity than before.
What do the trends smell like today?
Stronger perfumes, oud, gourmand scents. For younger people, there are also very sweet body mists. I try to find interest in all of these — it’s how you enrich your vocabulary.
There’s been a rise of AI-engineered fragrances and biotech-derived ingredients. How do you approach craftsmanship in this age?
Technology gives us more precision and lets us work with materials that didn’t exist 30 years ago, which is wonderful. But when it comes to AI — I believe fragrance needs sensibility and instinct, qualities that come from the soul.
Who do you imagine wearing Bleu De Chanel L’Exclusif?
I don’t like to predict who a perfume should seduce — people surprise you. I see a type of personality that is perhaps quite certain about the choices they make. I'm not sure if “authority” is a good adjective, but it's certainly a strong character.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
