Chanel New In-House Perfumer : Olivier Polge

Chanel recently made an official announcement that Jacques Polge is getting ready to hand over the reigns to a successor. The search led to his son, Olivier Polge, who has been working as a perfumer at International Flavors & Fragrances since 1998 and counts many excellent perfumes in his portfolio, including Balenciaga ParisViktor & Rolf Spicebomb, and Dior Homme. He will replace his father as Creator of Chanel Fragrances.

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Jacques Polge will not be leaving Chanel right away, and the plan is to have him train Olivier and integrate him into the team. Since 1978 Jacques Polge has been not only creating Chanel perfumes, but also ensuring their preservation, and he will continue doing so for the time being.

Christopher Sheldrake will also continue his tenure as Perfumer and Director of Research and Development, and he will work with Jacques Polge, and then Olivier Polge, on developing new fragrances. Having multiple perfumers working at Chanel is nothing new, since the work load at the house requires several people handling the creation. For instance, perfumers like Maurice Roucel and François Demachy have Chanel experience under their belts.

The new Chanel arrangement will take place in September.

Chanel in-house perfumers (left to right): Jacques Polge, Olivier Polge, Christopher Sheldrake

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19 Comments

  • Phyllis Iervello: I think this is good news. Maybe we will be treated to a new wonderful Chanel fragrance during the next year. July 9, 2013 at 9:14am Reply

    • Victoria: Olivier Polge is a very good perfumer, and he has an excellent portfolio already, so I look forward to whatever he offers. July 9, 2013 at 9:44am Reply

  • Jennifer: Yes, it would be nice is Chanel released an original fragrance into the mainstream market instead of another flanker. July 9, 2013 at 9:38am Reply

    • Victoria: Hear, hear, Jennifer! Well, I think that there will be plenty of pressure on the new perfumer to do a good job. 🙂 July 9, 2013 at 9:55am Reply

  • irem: Given that Dior Homme is his his creation, I think it is a very good match. I love Dior Homme and find it a very elegant and yet non-conformist (at least for a men’s fragrance) composition. Something that would truly feel at home in a Chanel bottle alongside Egoiste for example. Probably more so than Blue. July 9, 2013 at 10:38am Reply

    • Annikky: Agree on all points! July 9, 2013 at 11:08am Reply

    • Victoria: You’ve put it so well, Irem! Yes, yes, yes. I don’t love how Dior has changed Homme and the flankers they’ve added onto it, but that’s another story. The original creation is fantastic. July 9, 2013 at 1:04pm Reply

      • Cornelia Blimber: Recently I fell in love with Dior Homme Intense.
        What do you think of this flanker? July 9, 2013 at 3:43pm Reply

        • Victoria: I need to try it! Now, I’m curious about it. July 9, 2013 at 5:28pm Reply

      • Annikky: Victoria, is the current version of Homme different from the original? I only tried it recently and have no clue… July 10, 2013 at 4:28am Reply

        • Victoria: It’s different in some ways (the iris accord is different, for instance). It’s still a very good fragrance and smells great, but Dior’s changes of the formula just didn’t follow any logic or reason. That’s another topic though. July 10, 2013 at 8:05am Reply

      • irem: That’s sad news indeed. I did not smell a recent incarnation of Dior Homme nor any of the flankers. Have two bottles that were purchased 2 and 4 years ago (for my husband). I wonder when the tinkering started. Next time at Sephora I’ll get a new sample and sniff. July 10, 2013 at 10:05am Reply

        • Victoria: It was changed before then, but I don’t know what other reformulations they’ve had to do in response to the new regulations. If you end up getting a hold of a new sample and comparing side by side with your 2 and 4 year old bottles, it would great to know what differences you find. July 10, 2013 at 10:23am Reply

  • Caroline: I hope Oliver Polge also intends to ensure the preservation of the Chanel perfumes. Maybe this means we can look forward to something really exciting in the Les Exclusifs line! July 9, 2013 at 11:58am Reply

    • Victoria: Me too! I would love for something new and interesting in the Les Exclusifs. July 9, 2013 at 12:59pm Reply

  • Tamara: Olivier is highly creative,sensitive with vision and very humble i am so excited. July 9, 2013 at 4:03pm Reply

    • Victoria: I completely agree, Tamara! His perfumes speak for themselves. I still have the original bottle of Dior Homme, which I think is one of the best recent (or relatively recent) perfumes. July 9, 2013 at 5:29pm Reply

  • annemariec: Oh look, today I gave Coco Noir a proper sniff for the first time (even though it has been out for ages). All I can say about the new appointment at Chanel is – let us hope for better things. July 10, 2013 at 12:59am Reply

    • Victoria: Let’s hope for something exciting soon! July 10, 2013 at 8:03am Reply

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