Chanel launched Beige in 2008 in Les Exclusifs, an interpretation by Jacques Polge and Christopher Sheldrake of a color dear to Gabrielle Chanel. The current eau de parfum opens on mandarin, before a heart of neroli and an accord of hawthorn, freesia and frangipani, enhanced with honeyed notes.
Elena Vosnaki of Perfume Shrine finds it modern, restrained and easy to like, bound to please women and men alike, but regrets its lack of a counterpoint; Denyse Beaulieu of Grain de Musc ranks it among her favorite Exclusifs for its delicious opulence.
Olfastory’s review
Perfume Shrine, elegant but without a counterpoint
On September 19, 2008, Elena Vosnaki praised an approachable, modern and restrained fragrance that achieves its aim. Like Infusion d’Iris, she believed, it would please women and men alike, those who love flowers as well as those who avoid them, and would become a best-seller.
She would nevertheless have liked to find the equivalent of the black toe of Chanel’s two-tone shoes, a striking counterpoint; pleasant and elegant, it would be truly great with a sharper angle, and might benefit from a denser concentration.
Grain de Musc, a delicious opulence
In September 2008, Denyse Beaulieu ranked Beige among her favorite Exclusifs, alongside 31 rue Cambon, N°18 and Eau de Cologne, for its delicious opulence. She praised the calm, cultivated tone of Jacques Polge, who draws on the house’s heritage without stammering over its classics.
Seven hours after spraying it, she writes, the fragrance still rises from her neckline; she compares it to a beige cashmere sweater worn against bare skin, with a discreet sensuality.