It’s not often a brand can be recognised from scent alone, but such is the gravitas of Chanel’s famed perfume library. Among its best-selling women’s perfumes, a number of the fragrances – from the original no.5 to Chanel chance – have reached beauty hall of fame status. But Coco mademoiselle has always held a special place in my heart.
My mum has worn the scent for as long as I can remember, so the heady, pink-tinged perfume is, to me, unforgettable. With its bright notes of orange, jasmine and rose, it’s hard not to catch whiffs of Coco mademoiselle around every street corner.
And now, the perfume house has launched a new iteration of its signature scent: Coco mademoiselle crush absolu.
Launching on 19 August (Gabrielle Chanel’s birthday), the new scent promises a sweeter trail with new notes of lychee and grapefruit. The question is, can it compete with an icon like the original Coco mademoiselle eau de parfum? More than a month before it’s set to go on sale, I put the new fragrance to the test.
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Chanel Coco mademoiselle crush absolu eau de parfum
Why we love it
- Day-to-night and winter through summer versatility
- All notes permeate through as the liquid dries down
- A younger take on the original Coco mademoiselle
Take note
- Not as unique as Chanel no. 5 or the original Coco mademoiselle scent
The crush absolu perfume has a distinctly different scent. Much like the original, the aroma is citrusy. While crush absolu swaps mandarin and orange for grapefruit and lychee, that same zingy, back-of-the-throat punch remains (in a good way).
As it melds with the oils and heat of your skin, though, the lychee focal point and amber-vanilla base notes really begin to sing, making for a more sugary surround.
In terms of who the new scent is best for, I’d say it skews younger than the OG with a less aromatic finish – largely, this is down to the removal of bergamot. The result is something that’s just as suited to daytime wear as it is to evenings. Likewise, it has excellent seasonal versatility.
I spritzed my wrists and neck around 11am, and by 4pm, I could still smell the ambery notes without pressing my nose fully against my skin. It’s not in-your-face strong, but I think that less is more when it comes to perfume. (So long as it’s not undetectable entirely, that is.)
If we’re splitting hairs, I’d caveat that the crush absolu eau de parfum feels a touch less unique than Chanel’s wider fragrance library. It’s not that it mimics any other fragrance, but rather that its sexy, sweet-floral-amber combination is by no means an untrodden path.
That said, I’d recommend crush absolu to fans of YSL libre, Lancome la vie est belle (no surprise there), Prada paradoxe and anyone who loves sweet scents without the marshmallow, ice cream shop cloud, or floral scents without the sneeze-inducing sparkle.
Key specifications
Buy now £117, Chanel.com
Is Chanel’s Coco mademoiselle crush absolu as iconic as the original?
If you're expecting a replacement for the original Coco mademoiselle, this isn't it, nor is it trying to be. Crush absolu retains Coco mademoiselle’s signature citrus-floral DNA but takes it in a sweeter, fruitier direction, making it feel deeper and more playful. I'd still give the edge to the original for its timelessness and unmistakable character, but if you've always found it a touch too grown-up, crush absolu is a worthy alternative that deserves a place alongside, rather than instead of, the icon.
How we tested
I got my hands on Chanel’s new Coco mademoiselle crush absolu perfume the week it was announced and spent a full afternoon wearing it, applying it to my wrists and neck before monitoring how the fragrance evolved from initial spritz through to its dried-down finish.
I compared it directly with my longstanding memories of the original Coco mademoiselle fragrance, considering carefully whether it retained the collection's unmistakable je ne sais quoi while offering something new and unique. Specifically, I considered the following criteria while testing:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
As the author of The Independent’s guide to the best women’s perfumes, Lucy Smith has quite the nose for fragrances and has penned reviews on the best Marc Jacobs daisy perfumes, the best perfume dupes and, regarding Chanel specifically, the brand’s chance eau splendide perfume. Not only has she spoken with Chanel’s perfume experts at the Harrods salon de parfums, but she has a personal fragrance library of more than 20 scents – so she knows her spicy scents from her green, fresh ones.
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