L'OFFICIEL speaks with Olivier Polge, Chanel Creative Perfumer, about what makes the new scent intimate and enduringly modern.

Compared to its predecessors, Bleu de Chanel L&rsquo;Exclusif is a more streamlined variation. A burst of citrus notes opens the fragrance, which gradually gives way to woodsy notes and an understated spice. After it sets, a gentle, smoky undertone emerges and lingers on the skin. The fact that it isn&rsquo;t flashy or overbearing is part of its appeal. An air of delicate self-assurance infuses it, making it feel more intimate than ever. Softer, longer-lasting, and more sophisticated, this scent is ideal for those who choose depth over volume, rather than a&nbsp;broad and exuberant vibe.

How do you balance your personal taste with that of a brand as iconic as Chanel when creating a fragrance?
Since I create perfumes for Chanel, of course there are certain guidelines that I have to follow. That&rsquo;s difficult, as in, I create something, and it&rsquo;s unavoidable that my personality and preferences would come into play. When that happens, I need to ask myself, &ldquo;Is this relevant to the brand?&rdquo; &ndash; and start filtering and making changes. But as time passes, and the more time I spend with the brand &ndash; it might be pretentious to say &ndash; I think I&rsquo;m getting better and better at what I do, and I find it easier to find the balance.
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Although I decide on the final formula, I believe that you must always be mindful of the impact it has on others, which in this case, our customers. If I have anything sensual in mind, I need to make sure that everyone understands it. If you become too absorbed in your own universe, you may miss the important point.
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Would you say the fragrance is keeping up with the modern times?
I believe all the Bleus are quite modern. What&rsquo;s interesting is that Gabrielle Chanel designed perfumes in a non-figurative approach since the No. 5. We never sought to reproduce nature but instead to modify the natural raw ingredients in a more abstract way. This is why we have fragmented raw ingredients. And because Bleus are made of many woods, they process significantly different effects, which make them extremely timeless.
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Do you think there&rsquo;s a shift in the role men perceive their masculinity?
Yes, I think there is. This is why, when we talk about gender, I believe it&rsquo;s amazing because of how we characterise it. If you have a commercial, which we have, there&rsquo;s a male in the campaign, but, at the end of the day, the way we dress and express ourselves has completely changed, and we can do whatever we want with it. So this is why a man wearing a woman&rsquo;s perfume and a woman wearing a man&rsquo;s perfume no longer matter because we have fully changed our behaviours.
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How has that affected the perfume industry?
In the past, men would often choose perfumes based on their intensity and would usually choose something more subtle. And I believe that men today prefer to make a statement and are cognisant of their style. It is no longer a pristine choice, as was the case when I began my perfumery career in the late 1990s. In the 1990s, there existed a preference for extremely. People wanted to smell clean. Today, however, it is quite the contrary.

What would you say on a typical day in your life as a perfumer looks like? 
It can vary greatly. Today, I&rsquo;m here talking to you, but on a routine day, I&rsquo;d be in my lab in Paris, with all the raw ingredients, building my formulations in the morning. I believe we all smell better in the morning, so I make the critical decisions. I often preserve the smelling strips from one day and smell them the next day when they have dried down, trying to catch the trails and identifying how that perfume leaves you during the day. Then I reorganise and adjust my formulas. Half of my job is to build the formula, which is the most important part, but the other half is in the manufacturing of the scents, which involves a lot of the selection of raw materials.
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What emotions do you expect a person who uses this fragrance experience?
Well, I&rsquo;d love it if it could evoke&nbsp;a sense of surprise. It would be appealing due to the strong scent, and it might also offer a boost of confidence. In terms of personality, I would say this perfume is suited for someone who is deep, cultured, and thoughtful about the choices he makes, including what type of clothes he wears. What impresses me about this perfume is how far you can take men&rsquo;s perfume. And I believe there is a sense of freedom.
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What was the most difficult challenge you faced in translating your vision to the new launch?
The challenge, I believe, is that you do not design a perfume for a particular season. The life of the scent extends to many years. This is challenging because it involves presenting something new while also reinforcing the identity of Bleu itself. It&rsquo;s important to note that whenever I introduce a new variant of Bleu, I always keep in mind that it must reaffirm the overall identity of Bleu. We&rsquo;re never attempting to depart from the Bleu DNA but strengthening its identity.
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In addition, the Maison has been quite particular with men&rsquo;s scents. Why? This is because Chanel is widely regarded as a feminine brand. In that sense, the fragrances we have been creating for men are unique &ndash; and that approach is no different for Bleu de Chanel L&rsquo;Exclusif. It has much more depth and texture.

Can you tell us about the bottle design?
Visually, it translates well in displaying the essence of Bleu. They are quite similar, but at the same time, they express distinction. Drawing inspiration from an ink bottle, for Bleu de Chanel L&rsquo;Exclusif, there&rsquo;s a sense of thickness &ndash; in a nice way.

What makes Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif the most stand-out Bleu yet

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