Chanel’s wild and majestic lion scent

“I am a Leo and, like a lion, I use my claws to prevent people from doing me harm. But, believe me, I suffer more from scratching than from being scratched.“ Gabrielle Chanel

Bold, instinctive, solar, she cultivated the strong and independent character that likened her to the lion and surrounded herself with its benevolent presence. The lion became the guardian of her apartment at 31 Rue Cambon. Sculpted in marble, bronze or wood, set on a table or a mantle, watching over her cigarettes and scissors, the king of the animal kingdom protected the intimate space of Gabrielle Chanel. To keep it by her side, she also added it to her creations. Engraved on tweed suit buttons or the clasps of her bags, the lion would become a favorite subject and icon of CHANEL High Jewelry.

Today, it is making a majestic foray into the world of CHANEL fragrances as the latest addition to the LES EXCLUSIFS DE CHANEL collection.

Tamed Power

“I was much more interested in the emblematic CHANEL lion than the animal.” Olivier Polge, Perfumer-Creator for the House of CHANEL

Olivier Polge did not devote his new creation to the animal, but the vision that CHANEL cultivates of it. Wild and majestic, Gabrielle Chanel’s totem animal is the symbol of a power that chooses to protect rather than dominate and the emblem of absolute elegance. Fueled by the many faces of the lion in the world of CHANEL, Olivier Polge endeavored to transpose this radiant strength of character incarnated by the lion in scent. This appropriation of the animal by the House gave him the idea to leave his own mark on a powerful archetype: oriental fragrances. Taming the codes of this olfactory family, he imagined a trail with a refined intensity, contained by a soft and warm signature. A sophisticated composition with a force that rises to the surface without ever overflowing. A lion that does not need to roar to command respect. A resolutely elegant oriental.

A solar aura, a gentle strength

Naturally, a few sparkling citrus notes — lemon, bergamot — bring the essential burst befitting to the first moments of a great fragrance. Only a few seconds are needed for the shimmering gold fragrance to unfurl the warmth of its oriental imprint. An ambery accord tamed by the perfumer-creator’s skill and faceted like the thousand-and-one faces of the lion in the world of CHANEL. Its heart of cistus labdanum, a lively resin with animal notes, is tamed with a custom-crafted essence.

Smoothed of its rough edges, it concentrates the ambery, velvety effects that gradually verge on leather, while an infusion of vanilla from Madagascar exalts the quintessential ingredient of oriental fragrances. Cistus labdanum and vanilla intertwine in a smooth and enveloping pas de deux, blending together into a deep trail that lingers on the skin. Sensual and creamy sandalwood tempers the musky vegetality of a raw patchouli. Endowed with a restraint that is the privilege of true power, this oriental radiates a confident and pronounced elegance. Majestic and solar olfactory finery.