In the early 1920s, Coco Chanel wanted to create the first perfume. It was to be an artificial fragrance that smelled like a woman. Coco adored cleanliness, and wanted the fragrance to be fresh and clean, like the smell of soap and freshly washed skin.
Instead of creating monotonous fragrances, Beauх played with mixtures of floral scents. Perfume notes such as vetiver, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, jasmine, neroli, rose and others were included in the scent for Chanel.
Chanel entrusted the work on the new perfumes to the Russian-French perfumer Ernest Beaux, a former perfumer of the tsar's court, who emigrated from Russia after the revolution of 1917.
Ernest Beaux appreciated fragrances that contradicted nature, not trying to imitate it.
In addition, Beauх added an ingredient that was just beginning to be used in perfumery aldehyde.
He strengthened the notes and made them live, adding an unusual complexity to the fragrance.