Coco Mademoiselle

Chanel describes Coco Mademoiselle as an amber-woody fragrance, in which an accord of patchouli and vetiver is brightened by orange and by an accord of jasmine and rose. Today the house names only these five materials, spread over three tiers.

Orange at the top

The opening rests on orange, which the house describes as lively, fresh sparks. The notes published at launch paired it with bergamot; these two citrus fruits give the composition the freshness that earned it the label of fresh oriental.

An accord of jasmine and rose

The heart comes down to a sheer accord of jasmine and rose, which Chanel calls clear and sensual. Angela of Now Smell This and Suzanna of Bois de Jasmin both smell an abstract floral in it, with no recognizable flower.

Patchouli and vetiver in the base

The base pairs patchouli and vetiver, which the house calls pared-down and tasked with refining the silhouette of the composition. The launch notes added vanilla and white musks, which the reviews of 2009 and 2012 still name.

What belongs to the eau de toilette

The Sicilian grapefruit and lychee often associated with Coco Mademoiselle belong to the 2002 eau de toilette, which Chanel describes as a fresh amber accord, fruity and airy. The house names neither the mimosa, the ylang-ylang, the tonka bean, nor the opoponax of the longer lists.

What the label declares

The ingredient list published by Chanel opens with alcohol, fragrance, and water. It declares patchouli oil as early as fifth position, bergamot and orange oils, rose and jasmine extracts, and sandalwood oil, which the official notes do not name.

It also lists a synthetic amber-woody material, a musky lactone, vanillin, and coumarin, echoes of the vanilla and musks of the launch. The list includes three colorants, red, yellow, and blue, and a UV filter that protects the juice from light.

An ingredient list is not a formula: only substances subject to declaration appear on it, with no dosages at all. It does confirm the place of patchouli and citrus, and it reveals a sandalwood absent from the official description.