In the Beauty Bible office we are positively CRAZY for this new incarnation of what is surely the world’s most iconic scent. Chanel No.5 has been reinvented in fab, futuristic, collectible, sleek, minimalist, stylish, lustworthy packaging with a range of no less than 17 – yes, SEVENTEEN! – items to choose from. The items have been reimagined as everyday items – oil cans, paint cans,

It is a very clever move, we think, to celebrate Chanel No5’s 100th anniversary – but it’s a smell that remains so identifiable, so different to anything else out there, and so covetable and of-the-moment. Our grandmothers may have worn it, but this new direction ensures that our granddaughters want it on their birthday and Christmas lists, too.

EVEN MORE EXCITINGLY, you can visit CHANEL FACTORY 5, a pop-up experience in Selfridges Oxford Street that showcases the gorgeous limited edition range in a space-age-slash-industrial setting, where you can watch a production line where the product goes between different ‘workstations’, to be followed by demos. (We are beyond excited to be visiting tomorrow ourselves, for the first #IRL press event since the pandemic started, and will be frenziedly Instagramming – of course!)

Meanwhile, our favourites in the collection – which we will be stocking up on, not just for ourselves but as pressies. (And yes, we are indeed already thinking about Christmas, in July…)

Chanel No5 The Body Oil – Factory 5 Collection/£60 for 250ml. Literally our favourite oil can ever. So brilliant!

Chanel No5 The Soap/£40. In a glorious tin that we will use for carrying soap forever, even after this has sudsed its last.

Chanel No5 The Bath Tablets/£56. Imagine all the uses for the chic black and white tub, afterwards… (And meanwhile, enjoy 10 glorious, No5-scented baths…) It’s already sold out on chanel.com, but Selfridges has stock online here (or it did when we put this live!

No5 L’Eau The Mystery Box/£56. Who knows what’s inside? We kinda don’t care, if it’s scented with this sparkling, airy interpretation of Chanel No5, created by their perfumer Olivier Polge five years ago. Like a Jamboree Bag, but so much sexier! (This is Jo’s favourite interpretation of No5, and one she wears a LOT, especially in summer. Or what passes for it, this year.)

You can also come along to hear Jo talk in person – yes, IN PERSON! – about her experiences visiting the Chanel rose and jasmine harvests in Provence, and discover how these precious ingredients are transformed into Chanel No5. 

Click here to book tickets (£25, redeemable against purchase).

Chanel Factory 5 Collection/from £40 – buy here (or at Selfridges here) 

Prize Draws