Chanel’s In-House Perfumer Olivier Polge On Continuing The House’s And His Family’s Traditions

For many, an inheritance typically comes in the form of material goods or financial assets. Olivier Polge has been bequeathed a finely tuned olfactory sense from his father Jacques Polge. The elder Polge served as Chanel’s in-house Perfumer for 37 years from 1978 to 2015, and his works, like Allure, Chance, and Bleu de Chanel, are still available today. When he retired, the job went to his son.

Olivier Polge, however, had not intended to take over the reins from his father. “As a teenager, I didn’t want to do the same thing as my father. It was only when I was 20 years old, after doing a summer internship at my father’s lab, did I realise that there was something about fragrance that really spoke to me,” says the native of Grasse, the perfume capital of the world.

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According to Polge, his father was surprised to hear of his change of mind, and was at first uncertain if the younger man was up to the task. However, he was supportive when Polge decided to leave his art history studies and pursue perfumery instead. “It was more than just advice that he gave me. He sent me to the right people to learn from,” Polge shares. He started training in the factories where he learned about raw materials, processing and how scents interacted with each other. He continued his career overseas, developing fragrances for other brands. Twenty years later, in 2013, he returned to the House to work alongside his father. “When I came back,” he says, “it was the first time I really felt I worked with my father. By this time, I knew how to create a perfume. But my dad was showing me something truly special—the Chanel way; his explanation of our style and philosophies. To everyone here, that’s incredibly important.”

Polge took over his father’s position as Perfumer at Chanel Fragrance Laboratory in 2015. He says, “There is always some part of my personality and sensitivity that’s directly linked to my parents. My father was pivotal in the way I built my sensibilities and my taste.” And he has continued to build on the House’s storied history, creating memorable fragrances such as Gabrielle, N°1 DE CHANEL Rouge and 1957.

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Polge describes fragrance creation as an abstract task that never takes a linear route. “The most important thing is to have an idea, or an impression which the fragrance can be linked to,” he notes. “The question about inspiration is always a difficult one because you can be inspired by everything. When I was creating Gabrielle, I thought about Gabrielle Chanel and her personality— how she is extroverted and strong. There are such strong elements of style when you think about her and these are all sources of inspiration.”

The role of a nose at Chanel is unique in a sense that his job is not solely focused on product development. Polge oversees the House’s ongoing fragrance production, which includes the sourcing of raw materials such as the roses and jasmine which are produced exclusively for it. At the heart of this operation is the iconic Chanel N°5. The recipe, said to contain over 80 ingredients, is a closely guarded secret and has remained fundamentally unaltered since its conception. Polge is its custodian, ensuring the quality and scent of the 101-year old fragrance is consistent. “The perfume industry is organised completely differently to, for example, wine,” says Polge. “People often ask, does N°5 change? Is the annual crop different? But we know exactly what it needs to smell like, and my job is to ensure it remains the way it has always been.”

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When Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel approached the house’s first nose, Ernest Beautz, to create a fragrance in 1921, she wanted something “artificial”, the way that a dress is constructed from many parts. This idea was revolutionary at that time, as perfumes were meant to smell singular and specific, such as a rose or gardenia. Beautz presented his samples, Chanel famously picked the fifth one, and Chanel N°5 was born.

A century has passed, but the mystique of the emblematic fragrance lingers. As to where he sees N°5 in the next 50 or even 100 years into the future, Polge believes the narrative for the perfume will continue to evolve. “N°5 was an incredible perfume that became a legend. There are many stories surrounding the iconic fragrance, most famously the one of Marilyn Monroe who said in a 1952 interview that she wore nothing but a few drops of N°5 in bed. I like that the history and stories of N°5 are created as time passes; so you don’t really know what will happen next.”

What is for certain is that with Polge as its steward, the legacy of N°5 and Chanel will continue to live on.

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