Chanel unveils a new look for one of its most iconic fragrances

It's a new era for N°5

Chanel No.5 L'eau. Image: Chanel

Chanel has unveiled a new, limited-edition bottle of its fan-favourite N°5 L’eau fragrance, made for the modern woman.

There’s no doubt that when it comes to fragrance, Chanel makes some of the most iconic perfumes in the world. 

Spanning the classic N°5, released back in 1921, to newer iterations like Gabrielle, launched in 2017 – the French beauty house has made its mark on the world of fragrance. 

Now, for the first time ever, the brand has made a big change to one of its most recognisable scents – leaving its historic bottle behind. 

N°5 L’eau is most commonly known as “the N°5 of today.” 

Scent preferences have evolved since the watershed N°5 was developed all those years ago, and N°5 L’eau (launched in 2016) is the house’s answer to that. 

Led by Chanel perfumer Olivier Polge, “He dissected the original formula and captured each ingredient to understand its true role…[creating] a new balance with an ideal dose of freshness, capturing in turn the essence of his generation.” 

With that in mind, for a limited time only, the house has given the N°5 L’eau bottle an upgrade too – creating an ergonomic and modern vessel that’s designed to be taken with its wearer, wherever they go. 

Shop Chanel N°5 L’eau at chanel.com

Chanel No.5 L'eau's new-look bottle. Image: Chanel

Given its origin, N°5 L’eau has always been housed in the same style bottle as Chanel N°5: a rectangular glass bottle, with a diamond-cut stopper. 

The special, limited edition bottle moves away from all of those hallmarks, housing the fragrance in a beautifully simple, pebble-shaped bottle. 

While N°5 and  N°5 L’eau are designed to be displayed, this circular bottle actually has no base – much like the brand’s sell-out La Crème Main hand cream – and speaks to a more active lifestyle. 

Yes, the fragrance itself is unchanged, but the bottle connotes a totally different use case – asking to be tossed into your toiletries or tucked into a handbag. It’s modern: transparent and fussy. 

What does Chanel N°5 L’eau smell like? 

Chanel N°5 is a heady floral bouquet, centred on rose, jasmine and bright citrus top notes, with a hint of bourbon vanilla. 

N°5 L’eau is the modern translation of the same fragrance: dazzling citrus, a floral swirl of jasmine, rose and ylang-ylang, and a base of dynamic vetiver and cedar.

Shop Chanel N°5 L’eau at chanel.com

Chanel No.5 L'eau's new-look bottle. Image: Chanel

Like most of Chanel’s limited-edition collections, the N°5 L’eau new-look won’t be available for long, making this collectable all the more special. 

It launches on June 14th, and will be available to purchase in-store and online for $228 a pop. 

Consider it an art piece or a slice of history – this bespoke bottle will only get better with age.

Shop Chanel N°5 L’eau at chanel.com

Originally published as Chanel unveils a new look for one of its most iconic fragrances