No. 1 de Chanel L’Eau Rouge by Chanel

[mikeperez23]

Now Smell This reports:

"
Chanel has launched L'Eau Rouge, a "Revitalizing Fragrance Mist" in the brand's new No. 1 de Chanel "eco-responsible" skincare and makeup line.

A revitalizing fragrance mist infused with Red Camellia Extract and camellia water to refresh and invigorate the senses. Skin feels hydrated and looks radiant.

The N°1 DE CHANEL line seeks to minimize its environmental impact with sustainably developed formulas that contain up to 97% naturally derived ingredients and 76% from the camellia flower. Each product is housed in environmentally sound packaging for a reduced carbon footprint.

Opening with an energetic burst of citrus and red berries, the scent unfurls into a heart of jasmine and rose, the iconic signature of the House’s fragrance, along with comforting iris and musk notes. CHANEL In-House Perfumer Creator Oliver Polge drew inspiration from the delicate yet resilient qualities of the Red Camellia flower, creating a dynamic and sparkling, yet soft and refined composition.

No. 1 de Chanel L'Eau Rouge is $110 for 100 ml.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

Thanks for the post, Mike. The Chanel rep I deal with is sending me a sample and I can’t wait to try it. I suspect there is an oblique reference to the N°1 in the red bottle that Chanel tried to market on her own during the war years. It wasn’t a Wertheimer then but now it is!

 

[Varanis Ridari]

Thanks for the post, Mike. The Chanel rep I deal with is sending me a sample and I can’t wait to try it. I suspect there is an oblique reference to the N°1 in the red bottle that Chanel tried to market on her own during the war years. It wasn’t a Wertheimer then but now it is!

I was thinking the exact same thing.

She had a Swiss lab cook her up a Madamoiselle Chanel No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 in 1948 (she lived in Switzerland with ex-Nazi Dincklage at the time).

Curiously, the Wertheimers already settled with her the year before over royalties involving Parfums Chanel, and Ernest Beaux had nothing to do with these Swiss apocryphal Chanels.

The original Le Rouge de Chanel also was part of the trilogy that produced the original Le Beige de Chanel and Le Bleu de Chanel, all of which I assume are completely different from current forms.

So really, this is like slapping the No. 1 from the apocryphal perfumes onto Le Rouge, and I imagine smells nothing like either. It's a history remix!!

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

I was thinking the exact same thing.

She had a Swiss lab cook her up a Madamoiselle Chanel No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 in 1948 (she lived in Switzerland with ex-Nazi Dincklage at the time).

Curiously, the Wertheimers already settled with her the year before over royalties involving Parfums Chanel, and Ernest Beaux had nothing to do with these Swiss apocryphal Chanels.

The original Le Rouge de Chanel also was part of the trilogy that produced the original Le Beige de Chanel and Le Bleu de Chanel, all of which I assume are completely different from current forms.

So really, this is like slapping the No. 1 from the apocryphal perfumes onto Le Rouge, and I imagine smells nothing like either. It's a history remix!!

VR, I like the way Chanel today is tapping into the historical catalog of perfumes, even if in name only. I suppose we will never know if there is any olfactory link to the early perfumes. I keep hoping they come up with an Ivoire. That is one of the early perfumes I’m curious about but no idea what it smelled like. Anyone have any idea?

 

[Varanis Ridari]

VR, I like the way Chanel today is tapping into the historical catalog of perfumes, even if in name only. I suppose we will never know if there is any olfactory link to the early perfumes. I keep hoping they come up with an Ivoire. That is one of the early perfumes I’m curious about but no idea what it smelled like. Anyone have any idea?

I'm curious about Cynique myself, seems an apt name for the current market climate, and also Chypre, because I want to know what Beax's take on an unfettered genre staple was like.

 

[hednic]

The original Le Rouge de Chanel also was part of the trilogy that produced the original Le Beige de Chanel and Le Bleu de Chanel, all of which I assume are completely different from current forms.

How interesting!

 

[purplelilac]

Interesting, it says 76% of the natural ingredients, which make up 97% of the perfume, are from the camellia flower, yet the camellia isn't listed as one of the notes. Although I'm not really sure what a camillia flower smells like.

I definitely want to try it it though. Chanel is one of my favorites.

 

[grayspoole]

I am quite confused by this product which doesn’t seem to be either a perfume or a skin care spray. It is being marketed as the final step in the No. 1 skin care regimen where I am encouraged to…

Spray onto the body and décolleté to enjoy its refreshing and invigorating benefits, and to awaken the senses

But it seems I’m not meant to spray it on my face, which is where I’m supposed to apply the other No. 1 balms and serums. Instead, L'Eau Rouge “can be worn like a perfume, on its own or before your signature scent, or as a fragrance mist.”

Initial first hand reports suggest that it is very, very transparent. One user on Fragrantica who has it calls it “a gorgeous red bottle with barely noticeable scent water.”

Seems like the perfect perfume for someone who doesn’t like perfume!

 

[mikeperez23]

Is anyone else thinking that red bottle reminds them of the Clarins?

 

[grayspoole]

Interesting, it says 76% of the natural ingredients, which make up 97% of the perfume, are from the camellia flower, yet the camellia isn't listed as one of the notes. Although I'm not really sure what a camillia flower smells like.

I definitely want to try it it though. Chanel is one of my favorites.

As the marketing explains, the red camellia oil which is used in the line for its therapeutic benefits on the skin has no smell.

 

[Kotori]

Interesting, it says 76% of the natural ingredients, which make up 97% of the perfume, are from the camellia flower, yet the camellia isn't listed as one of the notes. Although I'm not really sure what a camillia flower smells like.

I definitely want to try it it though. Chanel is one of my favorites.

I grow them. Some have no smell. Mine do. They smell a little bit like cinnamon.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

As the marketing explains, the red camellia oil which is used in the line for its therapeutic benefits on the skin has no smell.

Yes, and I remember seeing stories that, when Gardénia was made, it was chosen instead of camellia, which was reportedly Chanel’s favourite flower, because it resembled camellia in looks but had an aroma.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

I grow them. Some have no smell. Mine do. They smell a little bit like cinnamon.

Expect a call shortly from Olivier Polge…

 

[cazaubon]

Yes Mike, that was my first thought - Clarins Eau Dynamisante in the red bottle.

 

[Cook.bot]

I grow them. Some have no smell. Mine do. They smell a little bit like cinnamon.

I've never encountered a camellia that had a scent. Are yours a special hybrid, Kotori?

 

[zerofox]

The Lunar New Year vibes are strong in this launch. So strong, I might be sending a care package to a niece at uni.

 

[Kotori]

I've never encountered a camellia that had a scent. Are yours a special hybrid, Kotori?

One of mine came with the house, but I believe it’s a Plantation Pink.

And the ones I planted (that lived) I believe are October Magic Inspiration.

Buttermint camellias are also fragrant, as are Kramer. I’d like to get a pair of one of them for the front door area, to replace a pair of Seafoam camellias that didn’t make it through their first winter last year.

 

[Kotori]

October Magic Inspiration:

October Magic Inspiration Close Up:

Plantation Pink:


Camellia pictures are topical, right?

 

[N.CAL Fragrance Reviewer]

I'm certainly intrigued to try.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

October Magic Inspiration:
View attachment 180412
October Magic Inspiration Close Up:
View attachment 180413
Plantation Pink:
View attachment 180410

Camellia pictures are topical, right?

Always!

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

The Lunar New Year vibes are strong in this launch. So strong, I might be sending a care package to a niece at uni.

That sounds interesting, zerofox. Could you elaborate?

 

[therese19]

As the marketing explains, the red camellia oil which is used in the line for its therapeutic benefits on the skin has no smell.

Only Chanel can sell a perfume that does not smell.

 

[zerofox]

That sounds interesting, zerofox. Could you elaborate?

I’ll try. This is the time of year I get hit up with LNY sales by email from big brands or retailers like Yesstyle. In Chinese culture dominant East Asian portions of the globe it’s a huge shopping week. Everyone is visiting family bringing gifts above and beyond red envelopes. I won’t explain the latter because I think most people have a passing familiarity. Our extended family (Chinese-Japanese) spans continents and cultures but it could be reduced to red; longevity; gifts of goods and money; luck, luck, and more luck; shopping the sales; visiting and eating with family; more food; repeat and rinse.

This year we’re all in about five different countries during the pandemic. We’re doing wire transfers for money and sending thematic gifts. There’s variation depending on ethnicities, diaspora, and intermarriage, but Chanel seemingly hit the right reductive nerve by featuring a red flower associated with longevity, “No. 1” is easy to market (4 would have been disastrous), the scent is a barely-there mist housed in a “No. 1” red container, skin care is the emphasis with hints of no-makeup makeup, and the launch is timed right as I’m gearing up for LNY shopping. I can gift a set of this CHANEL knowing it will be well-received by a Gen Z or Millennial gal even it’s a CBC, ABC, etc. Additionally, mainland China culture in the younger generational trends are retrospective like the reemergence of interest in hanfu, so this interplay between a new line of light touch naturals paired with “No. 1” red and longevity could be quite successful. It’s worked on me to the extent I will buy it as a LNY for a Gen Z relative. The Japanese market is pretty dead. If I hadn’t married into a Chinese family this might have missed me entirely, and I think that is the future of Japan overall: The end game is we will breed ourselves out of existence through negative birthrate and outmarriage to ultimately become a vassal to China, at least whatever is left over of ethnic Japanese or Japanese culture at that point. None of which is an overly negative take, at different points in Japanese history ties to or derivation from Chinese ancestry was embraced.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

I’ll try. This is the time of year I get hit up with LNY sales by email from big brands or retailers like Yesstyle. In Chinese culture dominant East Asian portions of the globe it’s a huge shopping week. Everyone is visiting family bringing gifts above and beyond red envelopes. I won’t explain the latter because I think most people have a passing familiarity. Our extended family (Chinese-Japanese) spans continents and cultures but it could be reduced to red; longevity; gifts of goods and money; luck, luck, and more luck; shopping the sales; visiting and eating with family; more food; repeat and rinse.

This year we’re all in about five different countries during the pandemic. We’re doing wire transfers for money and sending thematic gifts. There’s variation depending on ethnicities, diaspora, and intermarriage, but Chanel seemingly hit the right reductive nerve by featuring a red flower associated with longevity, “No. 1” is easy to market (4 would have been disastrous), the scent is a barely-there mist housed in a “No. 1” red container, skin care is the emphasis with hints of no-makeup makeup, and the launch is timed right as I’m gearing up for LNY shopping. I can gift a set of this CHANEL knowing it will be well-received by a Gen Z or Millennial gal even it’s a CBC, ABC, etc. Additionally, mainland China culture in the younger generational trends are retrospective like the reemergence of interest in hanfu, so this interplay between a new line of light touch naturals paired with “No. 1” red and longevity could be quite successful. It’s worked on me to the extent I will buy it as a LNY for a Gen Z relative. The Japanese market is pretty dead. If I hadn’t married into a Chinese family this might have missed me entirely, and I think that is the future of Japan overall: The end game is we will breed ourselves out of existence through negative birthrate and outmarriage to ultimately become a vassal to China, at least whatever is left over of ethnic Japanese or Japanese culture at that point. None of which is an overly negative take, at different points in Japanese history ties to or derivation from Chinese ancestry was embraced.

Thank you, zerofox, for explaing your thought process related to N°1. It makes sense and all ties together. And, as a local Chanel rep once noted, Chanel never does anything at random. It’s more than likely that this demographic was an intended clientele. The whole line seems potentially both universally appealing and appealing to specific groups. Sounds like a great LNY gift to me!

 

[zerofox]

IMO, Mudassir would probably have some very interesting insight based on what he’s written and his collection of classic perfumery. Someone wrongfully accused him of being “sinophobic” but from where I sit he’s not only extremely well informed, he’s in a position to be contextually critical of (yet again) China-dominant East and Southeast Asia and the relationship good, bad, or otherwise with South Asia.

 

[purplelilac]

I grow them. Some have no smell. Mine do. They smell a little bit like cinnamon.

Wow, that's an intriguing smell for a flower.

 

[purplelilac]

I was able to try No 1 L'Eau Rouge yesterday, and I really did not smell much. But I was given a sample that I will try later on my skin. I also got a few samples of the skin care to try as well. The salesperson explained that it is a light mist that does not perform like a traditional perfume--maybe best to use when layering. I have to admit, I don't really understand this (especially since it is not cheap), but the red bottle is attractive and the accompanying skin care products seemed to be popular. Zerofox is very astute in noticing that this was launched right before Chinese New Year. They were doing brisk sales at the counter here in Singapore.

 

[Kotori]

Wow, that's an intriguing smell for a flower.

Indeed. There’s sort of a sweet lily-like scent mixed with a subtle cinnamon.

Also, some camellias smell like mint.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

I received a sample and just put some on. First impression is of a very pretty springlike floral mist. We’ll see how it develops.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

I received a sample and just put some on. First impression is of a very pretty springlike floral mist. We’ll see how it develops.

A few hours later it has developed a scent more cosmetic than perfume. It brought up an image from many years ago of standing in a pharmacy in Piscataway, NJ, sniffing a Max Factor pressed powder compact with a series of tinted shades to blend together. I guess that powder had a similar accord. I find that scent pleasant, if faint.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

I was able to try No 1 L'Eau Rouge yesterday, and I really did not smell much. But I was given a sample that I will try later on my skin. I also got a few samples of the skin care to try as well. The salesperson explained that it is a light mist that does not perform like a traditional perfume--maybe best to use when layering. I have to admit, I don't really understand this (especially since it is not cheap), but the red bottle is attractive and the accompanying skin care products seemed to be popular. Zerofox is very astute in noticing that this was launched right before Chinese New Year. They were doing brisk sales at the counter here in Singapore.

If there is any doubt about a major targeted market, in the section on the products on the Chanel website, the models are Asian. Having briefly tested the eau, however, there’s no doubt in my mind the line will be universally popular.

 

[cacio]

Thanks for the info. Not a fan of perfumed water myself, but I can see the marketing appeal. Especially now that the internet is full of celebrities doing videos on their 20 steps skincare routines. I can see how this could enter such routines, provided of course that Chanel has paid appropriately said testimonials.

 

[Cook.bot]

The Japanese market is pretty dead.

By that, do you mean that the Japanese economy is sluggish, or that the Japanese don't really celebrate Lunar New Year?

 

[purplelilac]

Ok, I wore my sample today (thought it would be a good fragrance to wear to the gym)--I literally sprayed half of the vial on me--and I smell next to nothing. I wish I got at least a faint whiff of something. At that price point it is going to be a pass for me.

 

[grayspoole]

Ok, I wore my sample today (thought it would be a good fragrance to wear to the gym)--I literally sprayed half of the vial on me--and I smell next to nothing. I wish I got at least a faint whiff of something. At that price point it is going to be a pass for me.

Perhaps it has magical properties?

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

Ok, I wore my sample today (thought it would be a good fragrance to wear to the gym)--I literally sprayed half of the vial on me--and I smell next to nothing. I wish I got at least a faint whiff of something. At that price point it is going to be a pass for me.

It’s possible that with activity at the gym the scent would dissipate faster. Being more of a couch potato, I could smell it for a few hours, also from a small sample, although pretty close to the skin. But it is way less perceptible than a standard fragrance.

 

[zerofox]

Well, the fragrance mist is sold out online. Good thing I am getting her a set of only the skin care.

 

[FiveoaksBouquet]

Well, the fragrance mist is sold out online. Good thing I am getting her a set of only the skin care.

Wow! That was a fast sellout. Not surprising as the concept seems quite timely and the products look very attractive. I have a feeling your gift will be a big hit. I’d really be interested in the outcome when you give it to her.

Today I ordered the eau from Chanel locally. Looking forward to receiving it.

 

[purplelilac]

Well, the fragrance mist is sold out online. Good thing I am getting her a set of only the skin care.

To be honest, the serum and the revitalizing cream (although both are basically scentless) are fantastic. Especially the cream. I have used my sample for two days in a row and really like it. I think I will be buying the cream at some point.

​

 

[RenZephyr]

I was thinking the exact same thing.

She had a Swiss lab cook her up a Madamoiselle Chanel No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 in 1948 (she lived in Switzerland with ex-Nazi Dincklage at the time).

Curiously, the Wertheimers already settled with her the year before over royalties involving Parfums Chanel, and Ernest Beaux had nothing to do with these Swiss apocryphal Chanels.

The original Le Rouge de Chanel also was part of the trilogy that produced the original Le Beige de Chanel and Le Bleu de Chanel, all of which I assume are completely different from current forms.

So really, this is like slapping the No. 1 from the apocryphal perfumes onto Le Rouge, and I imagine smells nothing like either. It's a history remix!!

The other week i saw a Chanel No 5 "wartime package "with a reference to Croydon in the UK. Now I'm aware that's the UK arm that Chanel set up in like the late 20's or something (Perfumes Chanel Ltd). But I failed to find whether No 5 (in this case it was powder) was ever made in the UK. If not I was struggling to work out where it was made. Does anyone know?