Sycomore

The famous Cuir de Russie, N°18 and now Sycomore carry us back into the prestigious past of the house of Chanel and memories of Coco. Sycomore traces the dream of Gabrielle, wood in its purest state worked through all its finest facets, as one would shape the most beautiful of memories…

Sycomore, a fragrance rooted as closely as possible to Coco's wishes

In the 1930s, Gabrielle Chanel had already worked on an olfactory project in which woody notes took pride of place, but the project was abandoned, no doubt too innovative and too unisex for a time that had little appetite for blurring the lines between feminine and masculine fragrances. Yet the great lady of fashion had already played with ambiguity in her haute couture collections by presenting jersey suits, a material until then reserved exclusively for menswear… But it was not until the era of Jacques Polge and the 2000s that this beautiful woody composition finally saw the light of day under the name Sycomore.

And what a beautiful discovery! Jacques Polge, as with every bottle in the Les Exclusifs collection, worked on Sycomore as a soliflore, choosing raw materials solely in relation to the facets of this fine tree. As a result, Sycomore comes across as a feminine fragrance with mysterious yet also highly sensual essences.

However, Sycomore pays tribute to Gabrielle Chanel and her creative spirit by becoming an almost unisex fragrance. Women seek out its woody warmth, while men wear its sensual power. Gabrielle is gone, but her spirit remains…

When the woody note turns to velvet for a powerful Chanel Sycomore

I was not trying to make a fragrance or to compose, the perfumer explains. Just to work with a woody note. I wanted something without nuance, or rather, without any nuances other than those brought by the essences, Jacques Polge tells us about Chanel's Sycomore. So it comes as no surprise that, as this almost mystical Sycomore unfolds, its finest facets are revealed through notes that are as classic as they are original.

Sycomore opens on notes of juniper and pink pepper, which from the very entrance into its “roots” offer a powerful, sharp aromatic opening. At the heart, sinewy cypress marries the delicate softness of a pretty violet, which powders the whole of this beautiful olfactory “foliage.” Finally, Haitian vetiver brings its round, full warmth to pair with the searing heat of sandalwood. Labdanum lends its animalic power, while vetiver becomes a breath of woody freshness. Blond tobacco wraps these intense, sensual notes in its mysterious smoke.

Built around vetiver, Sycomore leaves a simple, smoky, reassuring, slightly spicy imprint, Chanel states about Sycomore.