N°22

Moreover, N°22 could be considered one of its closest fragrances, so closely are its origins tied to the creation of N°5. But N°22 is not a pale copy of the legendary perfume, far from it…

A meeting between Gabrielle Chanel and Ernest Beaux, and a meeting between N°22 and N°5

How could one imagine the house of Chanel without its famous and very first perfume, N°5? One would almost tend to forget that this legendary perfume, with the stature of an immortal of perfumery, will soon turn 100 years old! While N°5 is one of the trials composed by Ernest Beaux and chosen by Gabrielle Chanel that brought international popularity to the young house of Chanel, it would be a shame to forget all the other vials that the lady set aside to keep only N°5.

So a year later, Gabrielle Chanel chose to release the N°22 vial, which, even more than N°5, exuded an absolute femininity with divine force. N°22 could thus be seen as the cousin of N°5, as it was born of the same inspiration, but far from being what one might nowadays call a flanker or a mere variation, N°22 is certainly even more sparkling than N°5… though less universal as well!

Gabrielle Chanel did not hesitate to admit that she preferred wearing N°22 to N°5, as she favored the sweet, powdery swirls of N°22 over the more traditional accords of N°5. Be that as it may, it was N°5 that long held the spotlight, overshadowing, until its arrival in the Les Exclusifs collection, the beautiful and voluptuous N°22.

N°22, or the beauty of the union between aldehydes, tuberose and woody notes

Ernest Beaux composed N°22, just as he did for N°5, with powerful aldehydes that form a symphony of scents around the flowers and woody notes. Let us not forget that N°22 was among the trials that Ernest Beaux presented to Gabrielle Chanel for N°5. As a result, their raw materials are naturally quite similar, except that their dosage varies quite noticeably, particularly with regard to the beautiful tuberose in N°22.

N°22 opens with a sharp note of aldehydes set against the sweetness of pretty jasmines. Then, at the heart, tuberose unfurls its opulent, sweet, honeyed beauty, offering a wealth of radiant white flowers composed of ylang-ylang, lily of the valley, orange blossom and lilac. Yet these floral notes are especially creamy, recalling the delicate scent of cosmetics of days past. Finally, vanilla, vetiver and incense stir their sensual disquiet within the depths of N°22, enough to overwhelm the heart of anyone who might still dare to resist it!

N°22 is a symphony of beautiful flowers, and tuberose blossoms within it with grace and elegance. Sweet and powdery, this perfume carries forward the signature of femininity orchestrated by Chanel through aldehydes. Marie-France on N°22 by Chanel.