Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Retailer
Bleu de Chanel is inescapable. Since the original eau de toilette launched in 2010, it has consistently been ranked in the top-ten best-selling men’s fragrances in the U.S. Chanel perfumer Jacques Polge combined fruity notes with woody notes to create an airy and grapefruit-forward scent, which was drastically different from the aquatic-smelling men’s colognes that were dominant at the time. Since then, there has been a Bleu de Chanel eau de parfum and a parfum — each one progressively more intense and woody — but the new L’Exclusif is the biggest departure from the original yet.
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“Men are getting bolder in the types of scents they like,” says Olivier Polge, who stepped into his father’s shoes as Chanel perfumer in 2015. “We used the richest raw materials and the highest concentrations, so it has a lot of depth and texture.”
“Here, sandalwood is the most important element,” says Polge. “We added layers of amber and leather so that it smells much richer.”
Chanel relies on a unique species from New Caledonia that is sourced sustainably (30 trees are planted for every one that the house uses in its fragrances). “Chanel has a special extraction process that allows us to grasp facets of the sandalwood that I have never smelled before,” says Polge. “It develops a warm wood scent, like oak barrels.”
At first whiff, L’Exclusif smells like a totally different fragrance. The fizzy grapefruit top notes of the OG are gone, and instead you are greeted by an aromatic, piney scent. Once you’ve worn it on skin for a while, the shared DNA becomes more obvious, but overall, L’Exclusif is much stronger and ultimately more long-lasting. “The two have a lot of notes in common,” says Polge. “But I can totally envision someone who would only wear the Exclusif and someone else who would only wear the eau de toilette.”
“I would date a guy who wears this,” says a 30-year-old brunette wearing athleisure and walking a brown Labradoodle. “Technically I do, because my boyfriend wears the original.”
“I’ve worn the original Bleu de Chanel for years,” says a 40-something man in a navy suit and tie, about to enter Hermès. “I would switch to this. In fact, maybe I should, because my teenage sons wear the first one.”
“It smells like a bougie shower,” says a 25-year-old man waiting for an Uber outside of Aesop. “I don’t think I would date a man who wore it, though, because he would be too old. This man is 50-plus. His eyes are blue, he speaks French. I don’t hate him — I’m just not interested.”
“I like it,” says Kate, a 30-something marketing manager. “It doesn’t smell overly masculine to me. If I were staying over at this guy’s house, I would spray it on myself before I left.”
“It smells very Euro boy to me, kind of like Irish Spring,” says a 20-something woman emerging from Printemps with shopping bags. “It reminds me of being in the airport, walking through duty free.”
“I love the bottle,” says a mid-30s man. “It would look great on my nightstand.”
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