Ernest Beaux
Revolutionary use of aldehydes and synthetics to create abstract, otherworldly floral compositions that transcended anything that came before.
“I presented Mademoiselle Chanel with samples numbered one through five, and twenty through twenty-four. She chose number five.”
Ernest Beaux is the perfumer who changed everything. Born in Moscow to a Franco-Russian family, he served as an officer in World War I before entering the laboratories of A. Rallet & Co. in Grasse. In 1921, he presented Coco Chanel with a series of experimental samples — and sample number five became Chanel No. 5, arguably the most famous fragrance ever created. By boldly incorporating synthetic aldehydes into a floral bouquet, Beaux shattered the conventions of natural perfumery and ushered in the modern age. His legacy is not merely a fragrance but an entirely new way of thinking about scent.
Approach
Revolutionary use of aldehydes and synthetics to create abstract, otherworldly floral compositions that transcended anything that came before.
Distinctive Notes
Signature Accords
- Leather100%
- White floral81%
- Woody81%
Derived from 15 compositions in the Scentsation catalog.
Houses Shaped
Brands Ernest has created for
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