Our take
What does Beige smell like?
Chanel added Beige to its Les Exclusifs collection in September 2008, first presenting it at Saks in New York. Jacques Polge, the house perfumer at the time, built it around a colour that keeps coming back in the Chanel wardrobe. The house lists only four notes. Hawthorn opens with its almond-like, dried-flower powder. Freesia brings a clear, slightly soapy freshness. Frangipani then rounds out the bouquet and gives it a creamy texture. Honey comes last and fairly late. It never turns sticky. It just warms the flowers, like skin that has caught a bit of sun. Nothing dramatic happens, and that is the point. Beige is a close-to-the-body floral that you notice mostly when someone leans in. Where No. 5 shows off its aldehydes and its volume, Beige stays discreet and never tries to fill the room.
When to wear it
A daytime spring scent that suits the office or a lunch out. Spray it generously on clothes, since it sits very close to the skin.
It belongs to the Floral family. Beige is one of 45 creations by Chanel in our encyclopedia.
