Chanel Misia: A Fragrance Inspired by Makeup
The latest Chanel fragrance Misia is added to the Chanel’s les Exclusifs collection. (Photo: Sandbox)
What exactly does lipstick smell like? Most women can recall the scent, but Chanel’s new in-house perfumer, Olivier Polge, has successfully recreated it for the iconic brand’s latest fragrance. Misia, the newest addition to Chanel’s les Exclusifs collection, is Polge’s first creation for the brand after taking the helm as master perfumer from his father Jacques a year ago. The fragrance takes us back in time to the early 1900s, but is equally relevant today.
“Misia Sert introduced her friend Gabrielle Chanel to Sergei Diaghilev, who was in charge of the Ballets Russes, which were the avant-garde shows at the time,” says Polge. “Chanel worked on certain shows designing the costumes. I thought about the smell of the actors, the blush they put on, the shadows, the lipsticks — that’s what I tried to remember.”
To create the perfect blend, Polge relied on some familiar notes — like the May rose the brand grows itself in the South of France and is also used in Chanel No. 5. “I used a combination of rose, violet, and iris, which reminds of the scent of lipstick. In the background there is tonka bean, which has a very powdery and almond-y scent reminiscent of the face powder, and benjoin which smells more like vanilla and whiskey.” Indeed, the scent smells a bit like a vanity that’s been splashed with loose powder — with a hint of violet.
When it comes to making a fragrance, Polge says his trick is to start with the lightest scent (in this case, violet) and go to the strongest. “Certain ingredients are heavier than others, so they will not smell the same,” he says. “When you spray the fragrance on you they will appear little by little and change the scent.” Another difficulty making Misia: The iris, which takes a few seasons to grow since the oil is distilled and extracted from the roots.
In the end, his goal is to create something that pays tribute to the brand’s heritage while staying modern. “It’s very important for your own inspiration to be in line with your time,” says Polge. Rose is a very popular note right now, but Chanel is approaching it with a distinct point of view. “Sometimes, you look at what everyone is doing to be able to do something new. I think you can spin any trend. But it’s also true that when a trend starts to be oversaturated, you can get tired of it.” So true. Trendy, sugary toilettes and deep ouds may come and go, but Chanel fragrances remain classic.
Chanel Misia ($160 for 2.5 oz or $280 for 6.8 oz) is available now at chanel.com.
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