Iconic bags are moving away, bottles are taking over. While it-bags well exceed four figures, perfume has become this more discreet, intimate, but equally status-filled luxury. Problem: in six years, the price of Chanel N°5 has jumped by +32%, that of Miss Dior by +29%, and that of La Vie Est Belle by around +20%, to the point that a bottle costing more than 150 euros is no longer anything exceptional.
However, it is impossible for many French women to imagine their daily lives without a few drops of Chanel N°5. This juice launched in 1921 remains the best-selling perfume in history, with a bottle sold every 30 seconds, nearly 10 million bottles per year and, in total, hundreds of millions of bottles for billions of dollars, or several billion euros in cumulative turnover. Faced with soaring prices, they have therefore changed the way they buy, rather than giving up.
Chanel N°5, cult luxury perfume that French women refuse to abandon
From 1920, Gabrielle Chanel wanted to break with conventions. She wants and, but also a perfume that is. She entrusts this mission to Ernest Beaux, who presents her with several essays; she chooses sample No. 5 and keeps the number out of superstition.
she would have explained. Later, the historian Elisabeth de Feydeau summed up the aura of this perfume: , she poeticized in her , quoted by Marie Claire.
Why the price of Chanel N°5 has skyrocketed by +32%
The formula of N°5 is based on a sophisticated aldehyde floral bouquet, mixing aldehydes, ylang-ylang, neroli, vetiver, sandalwood, but also May roses and jasmine from Grasse. However, in Grasse, flower harvests are weakened by global warming, which makes these exceptional raw materials very expensive. As Elisabeth de Feydeau recalls, .
Added to these agricultural costs are new European regulations on allergens, which force companies to reformulate certain juices, with significant investments. N°5 remains a perfume apart: , still believes Elisabeth de Feydeau, before emphasizing: . In this context, brands are adopting a strategy of moving upmarket; perfume is treated as a luxury item in its own right, and nearly 80% of consumers say they are willing to pay more for a fragrance they fall in love with.
Small formats Chanel N°5: the new habit to stay in luxury
Faced with a 100 ml which often comes close to 185 to 190 euros, French women are turning to lower volumes to continue to carry their favorite scent. A 35 ml costs around 89 euros, the 50 ml around 125 euros, which lowers the entry ticket while allowing you to keep the same emblematic perfume. Market studies show that 30 ml, 50 ml and travel formats today show growth up to five times higher than that of large bottles.
This choice of “mini” can also be explained by lifestyle. Easier to slip into a bag, practical in the cabin or at the office, these small containers transform perfume into a new it-bag, discreet but present every day. Olivier Polge, Perfumer Creator of the house, reminds us that and, regarding one of its variations, that . A way of showing that we can adjust the concentration, the format and the use, without giving up the luxury of the perfume gesture.
Why is the price of Chanel N°5 increasing so much?
The increase of more than 30% in a few years is explained by the increasing cost of Grasse flowers weakened by the climate, by the reformulations imposed by the rules on allergens and by an assumed strategy of moving upmarket of luxury perfume.
Which format of Chanel N°5 should you choose to pay less?
To lighten the bill, many French women prefer 30 or 50 ml bottles, or travel formats, which offer the same juice for a lower purchase price than 100 ml while remaining practical to transport.
How much does a bottle of Chanel N°5 cost in France?
The orders of magnitude observed in selective distribution place the 35 ml at around 89 euros, the 50 ml at around 125 euros and the 100 ml between 185 and 190 euros, with variations depending on the points of sale and promotional offers.
