Aeolus
L'envol de CHANEL No5
It is strange how in design a simple letter changes everything. Without the "upper script" feature I can use with WORD, but not in BLOG, Chanel No(from number) 5 becomes CHANEL NO 5. People do not use anymore the old symbol for numbers. The graphic design of Chanel NO5 label looks like an epitaph inside Printemps Paris. Aren't you writing the name of a deceased person this way?
But, not the inevitable disappearance of the greatest perfume in EU is the greatest issue. The cosmetics are the new headache for all giants in Paris.
The new trend is called "NO PERFUME" in cosmetics. Every intelligent woman knows that a cream is a dream. There might be some science within the jar, but the magic comes from advertising and from its scent. Helena Rubinstein, a good friend of Coco, had a salon close to her house. She knew what women wanted and how to bottle their desires in a jar.
In 2012, women are looking more and more for "fragrance free" cosmetics. 28% (!!!) of the European market. But formulating and selling millions of expensive cream jars "scent free" is impossible. Cosmetic ingredients, plant extracts, proteins and all high tech ingredients do not have a very good odor. A basic cream formula which works can be made absolutely anywhere in EU with the same properties as the most expensive in Paris. But you do not convince a client that way. You seduce her.
Did you ever smell the shampoo protein base from P&G? Did you try an ordinary "base lavante"? Did you try the new l'Oréal biotechnology cell extract? Did you smell vitamins in their pure state? I made them in the lab. Without perfume, the liquid looks suspect, like anything that cannot be recognized by its scent. They are fluids. What makes you buy a cream, a shower gel and a shampoo is the perfume. Unscented Chanel creams, no pure rose, no vanilla, no lily of the valley turn back the time a century ago. Less perfume makes the cream less "effective". As you probably know, all those numbers used by French cosmetic giants to promote cosmetics are not scientific results. They are the "impressions" of women who felt better after using a cream and detected a better skin health. Their "feeling" is the Perfume added in the cream. Once you put the perfume in a cream and test it on a panel to see if it reduces wrinkles you have unexpected results. Cosmetics are not Pharmaceutical products, their "miracle" is the perfume added.
After paraben free, phtalates free, and other "free" claims, the "no perfume" is the next trend in Europe. But "no perfume" is the death of cosmetic giants. You will buy less addictive creams. Living in a universe with little perfume will make the Perfume (Eau de Toilette, extract) less desirable. People will buy less mainstream products. The "Dior addict" theme, a great perfume with vanilla, says everything about scent addiction. Remember, vanilla has a huge black cross for cosmetics prepared by the EU in the future.
Because the market is so diverse, the average customer will not be really affected. But big old businesses will have a lot of problems to solve. The consequences are economic.
For instance, there is a very good eye serum from Chanel I started to use. But soon after, I could not use it anymore because the base odor given by the protein/collagen extracts was very bad behind the delicious vanilla odor. Imagine the sublime serum "fragrance free". It will not sell to people looking for "fragrance free" cosmetics.
No perfume means you detect easier when your cream goes rancid. It's healthier for you, but not for a business and their perfect image.
Cosmetic giants make their money from this kind of products, not from fine fragrances. Cut off their scent and they will collapse. This is the consequence of Fragrance Free trend.
The cosmetic consumer is less educated than a perfume consumer who can understand the false problem of Chanel No5 allergies. The EU will impose its position because they think less about fine fragrances.
NO Chanel 5 and less Chanel cosmetics doesn't mean more fashion. "Less is more" makes sense only as a design theme. A ban on the iconic product and change in cosmetic formulation will probably put an end to the huge budgets used for the colossal Grand Palais shows.
The message of Karl Lagerfeld during the last collection featuring the theme of eolian energy was clear. ECO. But for average european consumer "ECO c'est vert", it comes with a green shade, not black and white. Chemistry, design purity and a sanitary "black and white" look doesn't look healthier for Chanel. The design scheme for Chanel is very rigid. Only the Chanel No5 liquid has a green shade. The brand cannot face the new paradigm.
Who wants to save Chanel No5 in 2013? Somehow, the French perfume industry celebrates the death of Chanel in Paris. There will be no change to the EU policy. They have the taste of revolution, the No5 perfume was always referred as a monster and, worse, it is a Swiss company. No surprise, there will be no real help to save it. Just words. GOLD is GOLD. DIOR is OR. After all, everybody wanted to see Chanel No5 on the fifth place in terms of top sales, not number One.
Without Chanel or Guerlain other companies will sell perfumes at a different price range. Those who produce ingredients will find new clients, new solutions. It is not the fragrance industry who is affected, but the giants, the Past. Remember, the costs for the perfume is less than 8% in the perfume you buy inside any Sephora.
The disappearance of the brand system comes as a Heaven GIFT for the perfume industry, I mean the creators and not those who bottle the "juice" made by others adding 90% of interest. Less rose, less jasmine, less coumarine is not a nightmare for a perfumer. It is a nightmare for existing formulae. The ban comes also as a blessing for niche companies, because people will turn to them to find original products.
For this reason, EU will continue the plan as it was decided in June. But let us leave the politics to those with more experience.
When the coumarine will be soon forbidden in EU, we'll be back in the 1880's when this amazing product started a new dawn, the invention of modern perfumery, now celebrated in New York. But today, coumarine is not alone, there are many other intriguing molecules from Givaudan and Firmenich ready to enchant the consumer.
Chanel No5 and Shalimar will disappear like the perfumes of Jean Louis Fargeon, the glory of France and the most exquisite creations before 1789. They are small flowers in the Scented Tree of Life, other flowers will bloom in 2013.
Change is Inevitable for CHANEL. It starts with No5 & EU.
This Wind of Change affects CHANEL in 2013. Aeolus, the theme chosen by Karl Lagerfeld, is the god patron of winds. From Paris, Le succès s'envole.
The huge bottle inside Le Grand Palais (2009 collection) becomes forbidden in EU.
The huge bottle inside Le Grand Palais (2009 collection) becomes forbidden in EU.
What worries me is the "Fragrance Free" trend in cosmetics.
Less scented products transforms the consumer and the society.
"Think of how many beauty products you apply in a single day. You could easily have used ten before even leaving the house — all of them with their own scent, fighting for our olfactory attention. No wonder that recent research from Mintel found that 28 per cent of us would prefer our skincare to come without a scent.
And while you might not think you’re allergic to perfume, if you’re in the 60 per cent of people who class their skin as being sensitive, you might find that it’s the fragrance in your potions and lotions that is causing your skin to react.
‘Given that most of the effective active ingredients that tackle issues such as hyperpigmentation and blemishes can potentially cause some irritation, it makes sense to minimize any other potential sources of problems,’ she says.
‘Fragrance is often used in skincare to give products a sense of indulgence, but it doesn't serve a functional purpose and can irritate or induce allergic contact dermatitis, causing redness, burning, itching and swelling.’
In the U.S., companies are not just discouraging the use of fragranced products in the workplace, they’re actually banning them after one woman, who suffered from allergies, successfully sued her former employer, claiming perfume worn by colleagues had prevented her from doing her job.
If it serves no functional purpose, why is fragrance added to products at all?
Gabrielle presents her new perfume
a rare 1921 movie from my Chanel collection
Did you enjoy my article? Sign up for updates about new fragrances, reviews of artistic perfumes and exceptional vintage masterpieces. I would be very happy if you would consider joining 1000 Fragrances, throughRSS feed,GoogleFriend connect, Facebook (more personal), or any other way that appeals to you.
Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art
