CHANEL’s New Fragrance: Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu
Coco Mademoiselle, said to be the world’s best-selling women’s eau de parfum, has launched a new fragrance for the first time in six years: Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu.
I recently had a chance to try it, and it left such a strong impression on me that I wanted to write down what I felt.
My first impression was a rough kind of freshness. It is definitely sweet and refreshing, but there is something thick and almost sticky underneath, which creates a strangely contrasting effect. That slight sense of dissonance is exactly what I like about it. It feels sensual and playful at the same time.
Some people seem to notice the lychee-grapefruit top notes very strongly, while others do not. I belong to the latter group. I can definitely smell them, but what intrigued me much more was the intense middle and base lying beyond that initial freshness.
In the middle notes, I picked up the same dense, resinous quality I experienced when I first tried the men’s fragrance Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif. I am not sure whether Crush Absolu actually contains labdanum, but it reminded me of that kind of rich, sticky resin.
I had a similar experience with L’Exclusif. Although it is a very woody fragrance, so many other notes support and surround the woods that, in reality, it never smells simply “woody.”
Compared with L’Exclusif, however, the different notes in Crush Absolu feel less harmonious and almost slightly discordant—and that is precisely where its charm lies.
Rather than blending together to create one entirely new scent, the notes seem to take turns appearing. One suddenly becomes noticeable, then a little later another one emerges, followed by yet another. They almost seem to fight with each other, each insisting on its own presence as the fragrance changes from moment to moment.
The perfumer has said that the fragrance was created by finding elegance somewhere along the blurred boundary between femininity and masculinity. Perhaps that is why, compared with Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum, it does not feel purely feminine.
To me, it feels almost like a slightly darkened alter ego wrapped in a romantic outer shell.
Behind an almost intoxicating sweetness, there is a smoky quality reminiscent of tobacco. It feels warm and enveloping, yet at the same time there is something cool and mint-like. There is a roughness that feels almost as if it has been scraped with sandpaper, while at the same time it possesses an extremely soft femininity.
When I first received the scent strip, I kept bringing it back to my nose, almost fascinated, wondering, What exactly is this?
That is also why I liked the way this fragrance is described. Rather than emphasizing one single, straightforward character, it seems to contain multiple dimensions that could express many different versions of myself. It cannot be understood all at once; it feels layered and complex.
The word “Absolu” in French carries meanings such as absolute, complete, or whole.
Lately, I have been reading a lot about analytical psychology, particularly the process of becoming a more whole person by becoming conscious not only of the self we openly present to the world, but also of the shadow—the parts of ourselves we have previously rejected or suppressed.
Perhaps because of that, the word Absolu made me think of becoming more whole by embracing seemingly contradictory sides of myself as equally real parts of who I am.
In that sense, this fragrance feels particularly suited to where I am in my life right now.
Although it is an eau de parfum, I personally find its longevity almost comparable to that of a parfum. The lasting power is enormous, so for everyday wear, I think just one spray is enough. If I were dressing up for a party or an evening out, perhaps two sprays would be just right.