Chanel’s Comète, part of the Les Exclusifs collection, takes its name from the shooting-star necklace designed by Gabrielle Chanel in 1932. Where jewelry sought to capture the shimmer of diamonds, this perfume translates radiance into scent: a floral, powdery, musky caress, soft as starlight dusting the skin.
The opening has a surprising gourmand flicker—almond and cherry, weightless and fleeting. Soon the violet unfolds, first earthy and cool, then turning sweet and powdery. Violet and heliotrope add their familiar duet: tender, almondy, with a faint modeling-clay impression that some may find comforting, others distracting. To me, it’s a reminder that playfulness often hides inside refinement.
As minutes pass, Comète grows into one of the most elegant interpretations of iris in the Chanel canon—different from the austere elegance of No. 19, this is iris draped in muslin, luminous, clean, almost talc-like. The aldehydes, used with restraint, give just a glimmer of vintage sparkle without slipping into nostalgia. Musk and pale woods unfurl slowly, leaving the impression of a soft white trail, a powdery constellation.
The result is not groundbreaking, but it is immensely pleasurable: airy, tender, polished, with that ineffable Chanel quality of seeming both familiar and elevated. Olivier Polge, the perfumer who created Comète, clearly wanted it to appeal to both men and women. The gender codes are subtle here, so as long as you enjoy iris, the fragrance is worth trying.
What makes Comète most memorable is not innovation but comfort. Its beauty lies in impeccable craftsmanship, elegance and polish. Its staying power is around 6 hours on my skin.
Verdict: Comète is a tender surprise—powdery iris wrapped in musks and heliotrope, less a blazing meteor than a star that lingers in the sky, comforting, radiant, and serene.
What are your thoughts on this fragrance? How you would rank it 1 to 5?
47 Comments
Karen A: This sounds so so lovely! For all my samples and travel sizes to try out, I just always come back to Chanel. I look forward to trying this! September 15, 2025 at 9:15am
Victoria: I can’t wait to hear what you think. September 15, 2025 at 11:20am
Karen A: I went to the Chanel store today to try it and really loved it! So so pretty! As you write, maybe not groundbreaking, but for me I’ve tried many groundbreaking fragrances and right now something that radiates beauty feels right. (I ended up buying a bottle). I doubt I would have tried it if I had not read your review, so thank you! September 17, 2025 at 1:40pm
Victoria: I’m so glad that you like it. It’s beautiful and its sillage is so amazing. Enjoy it! September 18, 2025 at 8:25am
Sariah: Hmm. I smelled it briefly on paper in the store. It seemed too sweet to be something I’d wear. I’ll have to give it a real test run on skin as your review has piqued my interest.
On a related topic, l smelled it in an airport Chanel cosmetics and makeup boutique. They had about 6 of Les Exclusifs available in the 35 ml size. I’d been on the fence about getting Coromandel for years and that pushed me to buy. I was tempted by Sycamore as well. Hopefully the small bottles go into wider distribution. September 15, 2025 at 9:21am
Victoria: Definitely worth trying on skin, as it shows more nuance than on blotter. That being said, it is on the sweet side, especially since the sweetness is powdery. It still smells great on men, this powderiness notwithstanding.
And I agree, the smaller bottles are such a welcome option for Les Exclusifs. September 15, 2025 at 11:22am
briony hey: I loved Comète the moment I smelled it. I, too, found it comforting and loved its powderiness. The Exclusifs started off being just about affordable but now the prices have skyrocketed they’re way out of my league. Otherwise I’d have bought it in a heartbeat. September 15, 2025 at 9:58am
Victoria: Yes, Comète does feel comforting in its powderiness. I share your feeling about the rising prices, it makes these perfumes harder to reach. September 15, 2025 at 11:21am
OperaFan: I remember sampling this in a Chanel boutique when the fragrance was new. The iris was indeed dazzling, but the dry down was too sweet for me, so a pass. My Chanel collection is small and built over time: No 5, No 22, Coco, Christalle, Cuir de Russie…
I bought a small bottle of 31 Rue Cambon edp in Paris last fall after lemming it for many years. Much cheaper than in the States, especially with VAT refund. The very nice SA gave me a mini Cornandel with my purchase- really made my day. 😊 September 15, 2025 at 10:11am
Victoria: Your Chanel collection is lovely, and what a treat to buy 31 Rue Cambon in Paris. A Coromandel mini is indeed the perfect bonus. September 15, 2025 at 11:21am
OperaFan: Blame my mom for keeping her bottle of No 5 perfume in the medicine cabinet since my childhood. She has since passed it on to me.
Surprisingly (or not) 31RC was far from love at first sniff, but over the years I’ve grown to appreciate its elegant simplicity which makes it an easy go-to choice. September 15, 2025 at 1:12pm
Victoria: Same here. It’s always great. September 18, 2025 at 8:25am
Anastasia: Thank you dear Viktoria! Usually I don’t like powdery fragrances, but I love the elegance of many Chanels, so especially after your review, I will try to trace and test Comete!
I love many of Les Exclusifs. My favorites being Le Lion, Beige (the older EDT, the EDP is different and boring), Coromandel, 31 rue Cambon, No 22 and lately I’ve been surprisingly enjoying a lot the caress of 1957. Misia is one I still haven’t tried, I think it will be too powdery for me.
Thank you for your reviews and all the beauty that you share. September 15, 2025 at 10:27am
Victoria: I am so glad you will try Comète. You already have such a beautiful list of favorites among Les Exclusifs, and I think its soft radiance may surprise you. September 15, 2025 at 11:21am
Alityke: Ahh Comete. I’m sure I would love it but the rude & dismissive SA at the Chanel counter in Harvey Nics, Leeds, ruined the experience & therefore the fragrance.
To any SAs out there, be attentive to everyone at your counter, even if they are just browsing. Those potential customers might be shopping for 3 wedding fragrances & makeup for the bridal party. September 15, 2025 at 11:23am
Victoria: What a coincidence. I was just talking to a friend about her experience at the Chanel counter in London. I don’t remember which store it was. And she said it was just so obnoxious. It makes no sense to me. September 15, 2025 at 11:24am
Alessandra: I personally had a lovely experience at the Chanel counter in Covent Garden, but have never tried Chanel counters in british department stores, for example, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were more rude than others. That said, even so, it’d be perhaps a british thing, because I only had wonderful Chanel counter experiences in Paris, Florence and Berlin! Hope it remains that way! September 15, 2025 at 12:10pm
Victoria: I can’t complain myself. September 18, 2025 at 8:26am
Sandra: I found it too sweet. Has the Chanel DNA of elegance for sure. I have a sample, every time I wear it I get a compliment. Wish I liked it more … September 15, 2025 at 11:57am
Victoria: That is the paradox of Comète, isn’t it — sweet yet elegant, and somehow it draws compliments even when you are not sure you love it. September 18, 2025 at 8:27am
Alessandra: Bought it last year. It’s a brilliant fragrance, yes, I love it. September 15, 2025 at 12:06pm
Victoria: So glad you enjoy it so much. It really does shine beautifully on skin. September 18, 2025 at 8:27am
Notturno7: I was in Paris this June and I went to Chanel boutique. I love Chanel perfumes but didn’t know about Comète, I wanted to try it as soon as I saw it on the shelf. I was in love with a first spray. It just made me so, so happy. It felt so elegant and so comforting… I think it’s héliotrope and iris combination that hits this spot for me but unlike my dear No 19 and Apres l’Ondée, I love them both, this perfume projects happiness and is not austere or melancholy.
I bought the small bottle right away.
I remember feeling amazed how perfume can uplift and make us feel ‘in love with a world’. 🥰
A funny thing happened a few minutes later. I wondered into Frederick Malle boutique, looking at testers of Malle fragrances I already have, still feeling like I’m walking on clouds, smelling Comète on my wrists, smiling happily and enjoying Paris and my holidays.
As I looked around the boutique, I heard this young man, a customer, who just bought a Malle fragrance, and was just beaming with happiness, I heard him say exactly what I was thinking.
‘Perfumes are works of art. They make me so happy. It’s amazing how perfume can just transport us into another dimension ‘. I went to introduce myself and tell him I felt the same and we chatted happily and even took a selfie.
I don’t even know his name but it felt so special to share that feeling of appreciation, joy and wonder with a complete stranger who felt like a friend. It made me fall in love with perfume and the art of it, all over again. September 15, 2025 at 3:21pm
Karen A: What a beautiful post! And wonderful story. September 15, 2025 at 9:22pm
Amanda M: Such a lovely, inspiring and heartwarming story! Fragrance has the special ability to melt so many hearts around the world and bring people together. 😊 September 16, 2025 at 10:20pm
Victoria: Absolutely, fragrance has a unique power to bring people together across time and place. September 18, 2025 at 8:28am
Victoria: What a wonderful story, thank you for sharing it. I love how perfume can open such serendipitous encounters, making us feel instantly connected to strangers through beauty. September 18, 2025 at 8:28am
Kaisa: I will need to revisit Comete. When I first tried it in Paris, I wasn’t enchanted though it was pretty. Somehow I guess my expectations were… different. My favourite Les Exclusifs are La Pausa, 31 rue Cambon, Bois des Iles and 1957.
Incidentally, I saw the Les Exclusifs 35ml sizes advertised on Chanel’s website – but the catch is they only sell them in the boutiques, and you have to buy 5 of them… “Price on request” doesn’t bode well, either. Maybe I’ll just buy that full bottle of Bois des Iles I’ve been eyeing. September 15, 2025 at 3:32pm
Victoria: I understand your feeling, sometimes expectations shape the first encounter. Bois des Îles is always a good idea, and La Pausa remains one of the most elegant irises. September 18, 2025 at 8:28am
Kimberly: Hi Victoria, When I first sprayed Comete it reminded me of Kenzo Flower It still does. The dry down of Comete is more sheer and luminous. It is a pretty fragrance but is somewhat fleeting on my skin. I think I prefer Kenzo Flower. Perhaps I will buy a bottle of Comete after I finish my bottle of Flower. I love 31 Rue Cambon and Coromandel. I have many of the Les Exclusifs and really enjoy them. Most of them were purchased after reading your reviews. Thank you for the review on Comete. September 15, 2025 at 8:56pm
Victoria: Kenzo Flower is a lovely comparison. Comète is indeed more diaphanous, but the kinship is there. I am happy to know my reviews encouraged your Chanel explorations. September 18, 2025 at 8:29am
Amanda M: I love your eloquent and poetic reviews, Victoria! They are very transportative and gently flowing and beautifully descriptive.
Comète was love at first smell for me, after I trialled a sample and managed to acquire a 200ml & 75ml before the prices rose too high.
I find it ethereal with its gentle presence that lasts for many hours.
It’s a stunning fragrance. ✨
My other loves from Chanel are 31 Rue Cambon, Bois Des Iles, Coromandel edp & parfum, Misia, No.19 (vintage) Coco (vintage edp, edt, parfum) and I do enjoy Coco Mademoiselle Intense & edp.
So many beautiful fragrances from Chanel! September 15, 2025 at 9:43pm
Victoria: You describe it so well, Comète does feel ethereal and luminous. And what a marvelous collection you have built, spanning both classics and new loves. September 18, 2025 at 8:29am
Notturno7: Hi dear Karen A, nice to hear from you. 😃Hope all is well and you have enough of Coco extrait. I might be wrong but that’s what I just remembered.
I see readers are mentioning other Chanel’s they love. Like others, I have collected too many of Chanel fragrances 🫣and Les Exclusifs, some are Bois des Îles, Coromandel, 31 Rue Cambon, Misia, Cuir de Russie, and some of these both in extraits and regular spray bottles. ❤️ September 16, 2025 at 9:17am
Victoria: That is quite a collection. Chanel really lends itself to this kind of devotion. September 18, 2025 at 8:29am
Madelyn E: I would love this as I enjoy many Chanel exclusifs such as Coromandel, Bois des Îles,
No. 22, Gardenia, Cuir de Russie and more.
I did nor care for Misia as it was too violet.
I have Le Lion and it’s brilliant in the cold weather.
Chanel classics are my go to as they are feminine, elegant and quietly sexy.
I would love to sample this somehow as even the name Comète is intriguing.
Thank you for a wonderful review. September 16, 2025 at 1:55pm
Amanda M: Oh yes, Le Lion! It’s simply exquisite. I forgot to mention this beauty in my list of favourite Chanel’s higher up the page above in my comment. You have wonderful taste, Madelyn!
Do try to sample the lovely Cométe. ✨💫 September 16, 2025 at 10:15pm
Victoria: Yes, Le Lion deserves a place among the greats. I am glad you mentioned it. September 18, 2025 at 8:30am
Victoria: I hope you can sample it, as it has a presence that is both soft and radiant. Le Lion is magnificent, and I agree it shows its full power in the cold. September 18, 2025 at 8:29am
JS: It is much more of a violet than an iris, even if they share building blocks in accords. Absolutely nothing ground breaking as you say, this is methyl ionone, heliotropin, anisaldehyde, coumarin, vanillin plus the orris butter that Chanel can afford. Very similar to L’Instant Magic from Guerlain. I guess because of the quality of the materials you give this four stars… The over 10% muscenone in this fragrance is also needless and doesn’t add anything but I guess Polge can afford to use that much. September 17, 2025 at 6:40am
Victoria: Thank you for your thoughts. I do see the resemblance to L’Instant Magic, though Comète feels more polished to me. September 18, 2025 at 8:30am
Klaas: Chanel should totally hire you Victoria…I fear your review is more delightful than the actual scent 😛 September 17, 2025 at 9:25am
Victoria: You are kind — thank you. September 18, 2025 at 8:30am
Jenni: I adore your elegant writing. Not only does it make my heart sing with lines like “give just a glimmer of vintage sparkle without slipping into nostalgia,” it reflects the perfume style “exactement.” Can’t wait to try.
And aren’t you a cleaver gal giving nod to Gabrielle’s use of modeling clay, that no doubt was used to create the initial sculptures of the wax figures used to unveil her 1932 collection. See article below and with photos!
Victoria, you are our shooting star 💫. Oh how I hope you have a piece of jewelry or replica from the collection to wear while wearing Comète.
From the British Vogue article linked below – “In customary fearless style, Chanel chose to display her creations on wax busts rather than on jewellers’ trays. With the help of friends including artist Paul Iribe, who designed the jewellery, the poet Jean Cocteau who wrote the collection manifesto, and Robert Bresson (later a celebrated film director), who photographed it, she created a unique collection that above all was focused on the female body and how jewellery should work to enhance it, not hinder it. “In a world that was deeply masculine, Gabrielle Chanel was a woman who designed for women. In her view jewellery should be an idea, not a status symbol of the men.”
https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/chanel-1932-high-jewellery-collection September 17, 2025 at 9:37am
Victoria: What a thoughtful note, and thank you for your nice words and for the Vogue link. Now I will imagine Comète paired with those wax-sculpted jewels! September 18, 2025 at 8:31am
SoSuSam: Like so many others here have said, Comete was for me love at first smell. I adore iris, and Comete is probably the most effortlessly elegant iris I’ve ever worn. Sophisticated yet comforting. Ethereal, yet it lasts on my skin. I always receive compliments when I wear it, for whatever that’s worth–and then I feel bad when I tell then the name of the fragrance, because if they pursue it, they’ll find out how much it costs, which is, as its name suggests, out of this world. Still, I’m so happy I have my bottle. September 17, 2025 at 11:47am
Victoria: It is true. Comète makes iris feel effortless and luminous. And yes, the name does hint at the price. Still, it is a beauty worth treasuring. September 18, 2025 at 8:32am