Chanel No 46, from Chanel was released in 1946. The perfumer behind this creation is unknown. It has the top notes of Bergamot, Neroli, and Orange, middle notes of Jasmine, Lily-of-the-Valley, Rose, and Ylang-Ylang, and base notes of Cumin, Musk, Orris Root, Sandalwood, Vanilla, and Vetiver.
No. 46 is one of the rarest perfumes from Chanel, incredibly hard to find and hugely sought after - for very good reason. As the number indicates, this scent was released in 1946 following the end of the Second World War, and heralded the idea of liberty and change, a theme which was also seen in other releases around the same time - Couer Joie, Le Roy Soleil and L’Huere Attendue to name a few. Earlier this month I attended Roja Dove’s ‘Fragrance Through The Decades’ talk held by The Fragrance Foundation - in which he discussed the most important perfumes of the last century, whilst of course showing off his impressive collection of classical fragrances - including Chanel’s No. 46. Following the end of the talk, after everyone had left, Roja and I were talking about this particular perfume as I was keen to get an idea of how it smelled. He simply asked - “Do you want to try it?”. I of course was taken aback, and said I wouldn’t want him to waste such a precious treasure to which he responded, “It’s not a waste if you enjoy it” with a sly smile on his face - and placed a small dab on my wrist. Instantly I was stunned, struck by the powerful spell of this beautiful scent. To me it felt very much in the same vein as No. 5 - an intensely powdery, aldehydic floral with endless amounts of class and sophistication about it. The dominant sultry aroma of a thousand jasmine flowers resting on a buttery, powdery bed of ylang and rose is enchanting. The key differences I notice with this scent is in the base. The added inclusion of coumarin and vanilla, paired with an overdose of orris creates an intensely creamy warmth with just the right amount of sweetness. Additionally, this is nowhere near as aldehydic as No. 5 - it doesn’t embody the sheer, metallic modernism which No. 5 chased in the 1920s, and instead embodies the idea of a warm, rising sun over a newly free and peaceful world. I would love to own a bottle of this one day, I can only hope I suppose; but until then I will be dreaming of smelling it again as each day goes by.