Love Bleu de Chanel? Niche fragrances to discover

Chanel presents Bleu de Chanel as the fragrance of a man who chooses his own path, and offers it in four interpretations: the eau de toilette, the eau de parfum, the parfum and L'Exclusif. All of them share one family, which the house calls aromatic woody, and one signature: New Caledonian sandalwood.

The eau de toilette, the brightest, combines, according to Chanel, “the tonic freshness of citrus and the power of an aromatic accord” with vibrant cedar notes, before a warm sandalwood trail. The eau de parfum turns more sensual: the house speaks of amber cedar notes and musky woody notes. The parfum, finally, opens on freshness and then extends into a dense woody accord, still built around sandalwood.

Bleu de Chanel now has its own entry in our catalogue, among designer fragrances: Bleu de Chanel Eau de Parfum. Like this guide, it relies solely on Chanel's official pages, which give neither tiers of notes nor a year.

Our approach. The fragrances in this guide all come from houses other than Chanel. None is presented as a copy or a substitute: each was conceived for its own sake and tells the story its house has given it. We bring them close to Bleu de Chanel only for what they share with it, based on the notes published by the houses: citrus, aromatic herbs, cedar, sandalwood or musk.

We have grouped them into three kinds of affinity: the aromatic freshness of the opening, the breath of cedar woods, then sandalwood in the foreground.

Three fragrances that open, like Chanel's eau de toilette, on citrus lifted by aromatic herbs, and that end on a woody base in which cedar holds its own.

Chanel speaks of “vibrant cedar notes”. These three fragrances also pair citrus with cedar, but each in a setting of its own: a volcanic plateau, a Klimt painting, a spirit of adventure.

For Chanel, sandalwood “shapes every interpretation” of Bleu de Chanel, and the parfum brings it to the foreground. These two creations also make sandalwood one of their pillars, one through powder and leather, the other through smoke and resins.

Compare on the skin. Wear Bleu de Chanel on one wrist and the niche fragrance on the other, then smell them at several points in the day: it is the best way to see what brings them together and what sets them apart.

Think about the seasons. 1872 Masculine, Elysium Pour Homme and Kedu shine in spring and summer; Viking and Decision 42 come into their own in cold weather; No. 89, Danaë and Santal 33 span several seasons. Our reading of the seasons appears on each profile.

Look at the concentration. No. 89 is an eau de toilette, 1872 Masculine and Elysium Pour Homme are presented as parfum, Decision 42 as an extrait, the others as eaux de parfum: for the same amount, their intensity differs. Our guide Eau de toilette, eau de parfum, extrait explains why.

Widen the circle. If you also love Dior's peppery freshness, our guide Love Dior Sauvage? applies the same method. Our selection of the best niche fragrances for men presents other fresh and woody creations, and the guide Vetiver in perfumery explores another great wood of perfumery. For a more marine freshness, Love Acqua di Giò? follows the same method.