Les Eaux de CHANEL: An Invitation to Travel

Deauville, Biarritz and Venice. Three cities-on-water. Three coastal destinations beloved by Gabrielle Chanel. Now, three CHANEL perfumed interpretations of freshness so vivid they promise to transport their wearer on a journey to the their namesake seaside cities.

Les Eaux de CHANEL launched with a bang in 2018. Not since the Les Exclusifs collection some 11 years prior had CHANEL released a standalone collection of perfumes, and never had “freshness” been so much at the heart of a CHANEL perfume as with this new trio. Yes, the definitively green N°19, Cristalle, and Bel Respiro offer varying degrees of freshness, but also density and floralcy. The Les Eaux collection forgoes such density, taking inspiration instead from the citrus-forward concept of traditional Eau de colognes before reinterpreting them as chapters in the CHANEL story and presenting them in eau de toilette concentration.

“This is a new sort of collection of perfumes, we call them Les Eaux because they’re fresh, fluid, sparkling. My source of inspiration came from Eau de cologne, those combinations of fresh citrus oils,” says CHANEL perfumer Olivier Polge. Each scent was inspired and named after a destination vitally important to Gabrielle Chanel’s life, “The three cities are really important in the history of Chanel. They became a part of our identity and source of inspiration,” he says.

Housed in an expectedly chic black-capped glass bottle inspired by gentlemen’s hip flasks, refreshing is an apt summation of the Eaux trio in every sense of the word; here we have fresh scents without any of those contrived aquatic or watermelony calone notes, CHANEL perfumes that are nearly flowerless which make for the house’s first genderless proposition, and dare I say, an excellent value proposition given what you get for the ticket price. Also new for CHANEL is the concept of a revolving limited-edition release for the collection – a new Eaux to be added to the collection each June available for only 12 months before it is replaced, inaugurated in 2019 with Paris-Riviera. Very fresh, in a sense.

With that said, let’s explore the perfumes and the destinations that inspired them.

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Paris – Deauville (2018) – Introduced to the seaside resort by her lover Arthur “Boy” Capel, he an avid player and member of the prestigious Deauville International Polo Club, it was in Deauville that Gabrielle opened her first boutique in 1913. Straddling rural Normandy countryside on one side and the English Channel on the other, it was the very fashionable boardwalk promenade that captured Gabrielle’s attention. Here she sunbathed – long before it was fashionable – and where she took inspiration from the relaxed fit and fabrics of men’s swimming costumes to craft her very first garments.

A green-tinged woody aromatic that opens with brilliant flash of bright citrus and basil before settling into infinitely wearable patchouli, Paris – Deauville is arguably the most unique of the original Eaux trio. Capturing Deauville’s rural setting, but also the masculine influences Gabrielle found there, Paris – Deauville counters the sparkling brilliance of Sicilian orange and jasmine essences with the green aromatic notes of basil, leaves of orange tree, geranium, and patchouli. More cut grass than coastal, this is one for fans of Cristalle and the like. My favourite of the collection.

Paris – Biarritz (2018) – An homage to the picturesque city of Biarritz on the Basque coast where Gabrielle opened her first couture house in 1915, and which was (and remains) an enclave for Gabrielle’s well-heeled aristocratic clientele who flocked to its famed casino, expansive beach and expensive boutiques. It was Biarritz too where Gabrielle herself cut off her hair in favor of her signature bob, asserting her independence in a way she never had before, and in doing so cemented her reputation as a pioneer in women’s fashion and style of the day.

The most traditionally cologne-like scent of the collection, Paris – Biarritz is a sea-spray-fresh composition of neroli, mandarin and grapefruit set against the green facets of lily-of-the-valley and vetiver, all underscored by a beautifully realistic sea salt accord. The sportiest, most energetic of the collection, Paris – Biarritz is also the freshest. Definitely a contended for the title of chicest beach scent.

Paris – Venise (2018) – In the throes of a deep depression following the death of Boy Capel, Gabrielle found herself in Venice in 1920 on the honeymoon of her friend and confidante Misia Sert. And it was in Venice that Gabrielle was renewed; inspired by the beauty of La Serenissima she declared that she would live to honour Boy and continue to make great the fashion house he had encouraged her to build.

A composition of peppered orange, beautifully powdery iris and delicate, airy vanilla with fitting similarities to the fruity brightness and cosmetic iris structure of Misia from the Exclusifs collection, Paris – Venise is arguably the most traditionally feminine scent in the collection. It is also the most comforting – more delicate, more personal than the others, and I feel so well captures the sombre mood of that period Gabrielle spent in Venice.

Paris – Riviera (2019) – After her time in Venice, Gabrielle spent an increasing amount of time on the French Riviera which gave her easy access to both Paris and Venice. Growing enamoured by the fun and frivolity of the Riviera, Gabrielle opened a boutique in Cannes in 1924, and in 1928 built herself a villa –La Pausa – near Monaco. High above the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean Sea, it was here that Coco entertained the great and good, from artists including as Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso, to literary icons, and aristocrats from all corners of Europe.

The inaugural limited edition Eaux, Paris – Riviera is a pretty and fancy-free composition of sunbaked orange blossom, zesty orange peel, and utterly delectable vanillic benzoin. A good time perfume of champagne on the beach, tanned skin and broad straw hats, Paris – Riviera really does speak to the good times and highlife of the Côte d’Azur.

Paris – Edimbourg (2021) – Inspired by Gabrielle Chanel’s travels throughout Scotland in the 1920s during her affair with Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster – it was he who first introduced Gabrielle to the tweed she would go on to make ubiquitous at CHANEL – Paris-Édimbourg was slated for a June 2020 launch before Covid-19 forced a year long delay, finally launching 31 May, 2021.

Notably more aromatic than the citrus forward Eaux releases before it, Paris-Édimbourg opens with a squeeze of lime over the vibrant purple buds of a lavender accord taken straight from BOY, short-lived as it is, before the composition turns coniferous with cypress, icy juniper, and fresh hewn cedar. A base of smoky vetiver, pine resin and vanilla round out the composition. Arguably the most androgynous of all the Eaux to date. Brilliant.

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Les Eaux de CHANEL are available from CHANEL Beauté boutiques and www.chanel.com internationally, for $198, 125ml.