Would you believe us if we told you that Olivier Polge, Chanel's House Perfumer, comes to work without wearing a single spritz of fragrance? One of the most influential noses in luxury perfumery steps into his laboratory every morning scent-free. It's a deliberate choice to keep his senses attuned, unclouded by even the faintest trace of outside influence. In his quiet laboratory, Olivier's approach becomes almost meditative—his focus undistracted, his senses primed to refine the exquisite nuances that define Chanel’s unmistakable olfactory identity. It’s a disciplined ritual, one that underscores the artistry and precision needed to craft iconic fragrances worthy of the maison's enduring name.
The importance of this ritual is evident in Olivier’s philosophy toward the art of perfumery, where every detail matters. For him, the journey to a final scent is far from instantaneous; it’s a slow and methodical process, one that involves constant experimentation and fine-tuning. He speaks of perfume as a living entity—something that evolves over time, as raw materials transform and mature. Much like an artist with a canvas, Olivier builds his fragrances layer by layer, always guided by his intuition and emotional connection to the materials at hand.
Preview recently had the privilege to sit down with Olivier Polge in Singapore, where he opened up about his creative process, his personal ethos on perfumery as an art, and how he strikes the delicate balance of creating scents that feel authentically Chanel yet are still unmistakably his own.
Preview Exclusive: A Conversation with Olivier Polge, Chanel's House Perfumer
You're the son of Jacques Polge, a legend in the perfume industry. How did your father's work influence your art of perfumery?
"This is hard to say. Somehow I'm always uncomfortable with that question because he was so big a perfumer. In some ways, I think we are always very much influenced by where we grew up. And I see that in terms of sensibility and everything else... When I started to love perfumery, he didn't really teach me. He sent me to people to teach me. I really went deeper into perfumery with him when I joined Chanel. He stayed for a couple of years, and we had the opportunity to exchange very much about Chanel. I discovered from the inside all the secrets of perfumes, and certain other aspects."
You've previously mentioned that you don't wear perfume when you come to work. You also said it sometimes takes years to launch a new perfume. Can you tell us more about your creative process?
"What you have to realize is that, at the end of the day, I create scents that you will want to live with every day. So I have to go through this experience myself. That takes a lot of time. Sometimes, I need a couple of weeks to realize, 'Oh, this perfume was correctly executed.' When we work with a lot of natural raw materials, you even have to wait for a certain maceration time. When I compound a new formula, sometimes, two days later, the perfume smells differently because there is this maceration. I don't always like this comparison with food, but certain meals that are better the following day. [Creating a] formula is quite complex. It is made of plenty of ingredients. And if, on top of that, you also try to count the time you need, or if you want to shape a new ingredient in a new way, that takes even more time."
Is there a particular childhood memory that you've always wanted to capture in a fragrance?
"It's very rarely the case. I always say that I never try to recreate something from nature, because it's very often deceptive. [But] there is one scent that is the scent of my childhood that I would love to capture. When I was younger, I used to go on holiday to my grandparents in the South of France over the summer. There was a hill behind my grandparents' house with Mediterranean plants made of lavender, thyme, cistus, and the heat of the sun smells a little bit burnt."
If you're to create a Chanel fragrance inspired by Manila or the Philippines, or maybe Asia in general, how would that smell like?
"Unfortunately, I've never been to the Philippines so I cannot tell you exactly in olfactory experience... You have fruits that we don't have, much more variety than us... What comes to mind, maybe, certain scents—something not powdery but more moody. What's interesting from your question is that Asia has been a fantasy for European culture for many centuries. The idea of Asia has always been the exotic dream."
When creating a fragrance, how do you navigate the fine line between artistic freedom and commercial value? Like, making it sellable versus being true to your inspiration.
"It is true that it is part of what I do. Creating a scent holds many things, which you have to confront yourself. When I create a new scent, as I work for Chanel, this scent has to smell like a Chanel scent. So somehow I have to confront myself with our signature. I have to play with it. I don't want to create a perfume that already exists in our collection of perfume. So you always have to confront yourself between what exists and what is new.
When I create a new perfume for Les Exclusifs, I think that you might expect a scent with a certain density, with a certain texture. When I create a scent for Les Eaux de Chanel, I think you will expect something fresher. So somehow you think about, you always will think about an audience as well. And I think it can be fruitful. What is interesting with trends is that you always have many trends that live together. So I don't see it too much as a constraint."
So your fragrances are very Chanel but still very you, you'd say?
"Yes. Chanel, you know, even if we have a strong history, we are not nostalgic. I think it's important to say, because when you speak about perfume, we spend a lot of time speaking about memory and things like that, but our standpoint has never been nostalgic. The other day with the 100 years of Chanel No.5, I was speaking with people at the office. I was trying to speak to them about the newness of No.5, and last time when I was trying to find example, I realized that there were no perfumes of the 1920s that were really true to their original spell. So I realized that No.5, somehow is very original today."
Speaking of Chanel No.5, in L'eau, you used a type of wood that has never been used before in the history of No.5. It's always been sandalwood. What made you decide to switch things up and use cedar wood for No. 5 L'eau?
"There are certain people that know No.5 by heart, and I wanted to surprise them. So what I did was to try to extract the quintessential raw material and this combination of very few ingredients that really make the difference, [yet still make] the No.5 recognizable. What I realized was that the flowers, obviously, are very important. The freshness is very important. I realized that I could play also very much with wood notes. Cedar wood was quite something that brings some depth to the perfume, and it allowed me to be quite creative and change the balance while expressing something that [is still true to its original formula].
*This interview has been condensed and edited by the Preview editors.
SHOP: Chanel Fragrances by Olivier Polge
Below’s a curated list of Chanel fragrances crafted by master perfumer Olivier Polge:
1. Boy Chanel
A tribute to Boy Capel, Gabrielle Chanel’s great love, this unisex scent is a bold exploration of contrasts. It blends lavender and geranium with a touch of sandalwood and vanilla for a refined yet comforting finish.
Boy Chanel EDP, P14,750 (75ml); P25,900 (200ml), CHANEL, Rustan's & Greenbelt 5
2. Misia
Inspired by Misia Sert, a muse and close friend of Gabrielle Chanel, this powdery floral fragrance combines iris, violet, and Turkish rose with a delicate blend of tonka bean and benzoin, evoking a vintage charm.
Misia EDP, P14,750 (75ml); P25,900 (200ml), CHANEL, Rustan's & Greenbelt 5
3. Bleu de Chanel
Originally crafted by Olivier's father Jacques Polge in 2010, this timeless woody aromatic scent marked a turning point in modern masculine fragrances with its refined blend of grapefruit, dry cedar, and labdanum. Olivier Polge later elevated its legacy with subsequent interpretations, including the Bleu de Chanel Parfum in 2018. His version introduced a richer, deeper composition that embraced sandalwood from New Caledonia, adding an intense warmth and complexity while preserving the bold elegance that defines the fragrance line.
Bleu de Chanel Parfum, P11,950 (150ml), CHANEL, Rustan's & Greenbelt 5
4. No. 5 L’Eau
A modern reinterpretation of the iconic No. 5, this lighter, fresher version emphasizes citrusy notes of lemon, mandarin, and orange, paired with rose and jasmine, and grounded in cedar and musk. It’s a youthful and vibrant twist on a timeless classic.
N'5 L'eau, P8,300 (50ml); P11,900 (100ml); P14,950 (200ml), CHANEL, Rustan's & Greenbelt 5
5. Comète
Comète, part of the Les Exclusifs de Chanel collection, captures a celestial elegance inspired by Gabrielle Chanel's fascination with stars and constellations. Drawing from the iconic Comète necklace from Chanel's 1932 "Bijoux de Diamants" collection, this fragrance symbolizes luminous sophistication. Olivier crafted a scent that balances a fresh cherry blossom accord with the powdery warmth of iris and heliotrope, evoking the ethereal trail of stardust designed to enhance emotions and add sparkle to one's personality.
Comète EDP, P14,750 (75ml); P25,900 (200ml), CHANEL, Rustan's & Greenbelt 5
Where to Shop Chanel Beauty in the Philippines
Chanel Beauty is available on all Rustan's counters and at the Chanel Fragrance and Beauty Boutique in Greenbelt 5, Makati.
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