Real Chanel Chance vs. Fake Chanel Chance

Fake Chanel Chance.

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Real Coco Mademoiselle vs. Fake Coco Mademoiselle

Here is a wonderful guide by Dino: http://www.dino.co.uk/labs/2011/how-to-spot-fake-chanel-coco-mademoiselle/

Also view this Youtube video:

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Une Fleur de Chanel c1998

"Une Fleur de Chanel," crafted by Jacques Polge in 1998, embodies a tale of floral elegance. Initially unveiled as a limited edition, it debuted in synchrony with the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show. This harmonious convergence of beauty and artistry encapsulates the essence of Chanel's timeless allure, celebrating the ephemeral yet enchanting nature of blossoms in full bloom.

Chanel Pour Monsieur - A Gentleman's Cologne c1955

Chanel Pour Monsieur: created in 1955 by Henri Robert.

Coco Noir c2012

Coco Noir by Chanel: launched in 2012. Created by Jacques Polge and Christopher Sheldrake.

Arpege and Chanel Perfumed Writing Pens

A common product found on ebay and other sales venues is the Arpege/Chanel No. 5 Perfumed Writing Pens.

The pens are ballpoint style and the ink is supposedly scented with the famous perfumes. These pen sets were manufactured in the 1970s.

A 1971 ad reads "Perfumed Writing Pens. Packaging as pictured, beautiful leather covered jewelry boxes. Perfumed refills are specially prepared with Arpege and Chanel No 5 perfume. One writes In Arpege the other In Chanel No. 5. Pens are guaranteed for five full years and beautifully boxed and yours absolutely Free when you open a new No Service Charge Checking Account."

The cases and pens are marked "Arpege and Chanel No 5. 14 kt Gold Exclusive Design."

Please understand that the pens are only plated with 14kt gold "paint" and not made up of solid gold.

Neither Chanel nor Lanvin manufactured these pens and the perfume used to scent the ink inside is questionable at best. 

The two perfume companies did not give approval of the usage of their perfumes name in the selling of these pens and the usage is outright trademark violations..

A 1972 the A.T. Cross Company sued Jonathan Bradley Pens, Inc. for trademark infringement and unfair competition over the use of the name Lacrosse pens .It was also "brought out at the hearing that defendants distribute and sell pens with "Chanel #5" and "Arpege" printed on them, that they have not secured permission from the owners to use these marks, and have not advised the owners of defendants' use."

So, the perfumed pens were probably only manufactured between 1971-1972 or so, but they appear to have been sold and given away in the thousands as you can regularly find these on ebay any given week. However, there is no value to these pens other than a novelty. The gold paint is worthless and the perfume may not even be genuine.

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FAKE CHANEL PERFUME ALERT! - Essence of No. 5 Chanel - Rollerball

Every now and then I see products called "Essence of No. 5 Chanel", a roll on perfume oil.

The truth is, that this product is fake...because Chanel never made any products called "Essence of No.5 Chanel", the company also never made a roll-on perfume oil.

Lotion No. 5 Chanel

Lotion No. 5 Chanel, a perfumed body freshener meant to be splashed liberally on the body.  It was sort of like an eau de cologne or eau de toilette, but had some sort of glycerine component inside to help with a moisturizing effect for the skin. It was popular starting in the 1930s-1950s.


This is not equal to body lotion that we are familiar with today, it was not thick or greasy. It was thin in consistency like eau de cologne, lightly and lightly perfumed. It was meant to be splashed on after bathing or exercising.

photo from ebay seller petrpavek1

Lotion Chanel No. 5, photo by ebay seller kateepcat

1937 Special Chanel Perfume Presentation

"Glamorous white satin Christmas gift box, inside nestles a special size bottle of any of the perfumes of Chanel. $10.00"

Stage, 1937:
"Inside nestles a special size bottle of any of the Perfumes of Chanel. $10.00 A beautiful crystal bottle of Chanel Perfume in Gardenia, No. 5, Cuir de Russie (Russia Leather), Glamour, or Jasmin"

Anatomy of a Fake Chanel Perfume Bottle

Look at the shape of the bottle, the shoulder of the bottle should be straight, not sloping like on this bottle.Also notice the boxes, the box on the right should be i two parts, where the bottle would fit snugly inside a base and a top would slide over the top of the bottle, then a small label would be placed over the seam to seal the two halves of the bottle in place. On this fake bottle set, you can see that it is just one box, and not the two halved box like it should be.

Beter view of the sloping shoulders and the stopper, which does not have the extra faceting as on a genuine Chanel bottle.

Showing the back of the fake bottle.

The bottom of the fake bottle. This says "Bottle Made in France" and has the entwined HP symbol, which is the mark of Pochet et du Courval. The bottle should have "Chanel" embossed into the base along with the maker's initials VB or BR for Verreries Brosse, the company who made Chanel's genuine perfume bottles.

Notice the overall look of the box, see how the black lines are uneven and the printing looks globby and not perfectly set.

The back of the outer box, the printing is very small and not perfectly set. The CC logo is slightly wrong too.

The front of the outer box, the printing is not perfectly set and the black lines are uneven.

FAKE Chanel Perfume ALERT!

Ebay item number 310570791968.

Please note that the bottle is incorrect, the stopper is incorrect and lacks the extra faceting that an authentic Chanel perfume would have. 

Chanel Perfume & The War

Theatre Arts, 1943:
"Imagine a long narrow street, winding round from a big harbor, crowded with soldiers and sailors ... but their chief attraction is large bottles of expensive French perfume, Guerlain, Chanel and Caron, £3 and £4 a bottle."

McCalls, 1943:
"But in Africa, as in all other places where goods are scarce and prices are not rigidly controlled, money often doesn't buy much. The same soldier who got a porter for a sourball found that Chanel No. 5 costs $125 a bottle in a shop in Cairo."

The University of Chicago Magazine, Volumes 37-38, 1944:

"The greatest battle he has yet encountered is the one at the leading perfume store in Paris. He writes that he came out of it with few bruises and a bottle of Christmas Night and Chanel No.5 to send back home."

Newsweek, 1944:
"There's such a shoe shortage that soldiers have discovered they can get most anything they want for a pair of Army castoffs . . . Some GI's report that three packs of U. S. cigarettes can be traded for a bottle of Chanel No. 5."

LIFE, 1945:

"PERFUME SHOPS were quickly sold out to GIs who stood in queues for Chanel and Guerlain, sometimes watered down, for about $4 a bottle."

Studio: Europe, 1945, John Groth wrote:
"GIs shopped for the few things that were within reach of their purses, souvenir cards and perfume. ... Of the thousands of American soldiers who passed through Paris every day, hardly any passed through without buying perfume. The shops on the rue Royale and the Place Vendome had queues of GIs and their officers. The magic words “Chanel No. 5” had reached the lonesomest foxhole in France...Everywhere I jeeped in France after the liberation, I was asked if I had been in Paris, and when I said yes, the first question was "How is the Chanel No. 5 holding out? If you're going back, will you buy me a couple of bottles?"


Four stars of hell - Page 326, 1947:
"One of the unexpected exceptions to the high-price rule in Paris was the cost of fine perfume— provided the soldier bought it ... Each morning at about eight o'clock, long lines of soldiers formed outside the main parfumeries— Chanel, Worth, Lanvin, Guerlain and others."

The marriage of diamonds and dolls - Page 151, 1947:
"Of these, only Chanel and Vionnet have been closed since the time of World War II and Chanel's accessory and perfume shop has been open because hundreds of American G.I.s stationed in Paris sent Chanel's No. 5 back to their sweethearts. It was the one perfume they could ask for without blushing at the name."

The Sands Ceased to Run - Page 24, 1947:

"Despite the high prices, GI's queued up outside perfumers' shops to buy for their wives and sweethearts flacons of Dans la Nuit and Chanel No. 5. Stocks ran out rapidly. "

Letters from fighting Hoosiers - Page 225, 1948:

"“I won a small bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume in a drawing at the Red Cross. ..That night while in the chow line, everyone in the line participated in the drawing and I was one of the lucky ones to win the perfume. I was indeed lucky as Chanel perfume, which is supposed to be the best, isn’t on the market at present. Production of it was halted during the war but will probably begin again soon. Girls in the perfume shops go crazy from soldiers wanting Chanel perfume and they don't have it. I could have sold my bottle for $45.00 to a WAC who was in the line behind me but I laughed and told her I was going to send it to my girl back home."


LIFE, 1954:
"AT CHANEL SALON, 31 Rue Cambon, she showed clothes throughout '20s and '30s. Later only a perfume shop, its Chanel No. 5 attracted hordes of GIs."

Chilton's Jewelers' Circular/keystone, 1954:

"And thousands of our servicemen, passing through France and other parts of the world where French perfume is sold, have sent home to their girls these famous bottles of liquid, marked starkly "Chanel # 5" as the most fragrant treasure to be had in Europe."

Chanel's Three Moods Presentation c1934

In 1934, Chanel introduced a three piece perfume presentation set which held quarter ounce glass flacons of any scent. This was known as the "Three Moods Presentation". The presentation box can be found in two different shapes: a round hat box shaped coffret meant to sit upon the vanity table, and a rectangular box meant for travel. Both boxes held three small bottles of perfume.

The Three Moods gift set was sold well into the 1960s and could be had in various different Chanel perfumes: Chanel No.5, Glamour, Gardenia, Bois des Isles, Cuir de Russie, Jasmin, Chanel No. 22, Chanel No.55.

Berkeley Daily Gazette, 1939 :

"Chanel feels that perfume induces various moods. He [sic] offers a package of three of his[sic] most exquisite perfumes. Gardenia, Chanel No. 5 and Glamour in the hope they will be conducive to your happiest most pleasant feelings. All three perfumes are definitely the last word in smells. The set called "Three Moods" is priced at $6.75."

The "Travel" set was housed in a rectangular presentation box:

The deluxe "Vanity" set was housed inside of a round hat box styled coffret.

Esquire, 1939:

" CHANEL THREE MOODS SET - Each bottle holds one quarter ounces of any three Chanel fragrances in a set. $12.00"

  

70 ounces of Chanel Perfume!

In 1961, a snippet was posted in the British magazine Country Life boasted  that "the largest single amount of scent put out for private consumption, I am told, is Mademoiselle Chanel's famous No. 5. This can be bought in a 70 oz. bottle that costs 200 guineas....Joy, by the house of Jean Patou, is said to be the most expensive scent in the world. A 1 oz bottle of Joy costs 13 guineas. A 1 oz. bottle of Joy costs 13 guineas, which seems to me to work out at 910 guineas for a 70 oz. bottle. Happily, perhaps, the house of Patou does not make one."

Concentrations & Ancillary Products

Concentrations & Ancillary Products:

• 1921 - Chanel No. 5 Extrait (Parfum/Perfume)
• 1924 - Eau de Toilette (splash)
• 1924 - Face Powder
• 1926 - Talc
• 1928 -1937  - Eau de Toilette (Cube Bottle) in Gardenia, Ambre, Chypre, Rose, and Magnolia.
• 1928 - 1937-  Eau de Toilette (Cylinder Bottle) in Jasmin and Bois Des Iles.
• 1930 - Lotion No. 5
• 1930 - Huile Tan Pour L'Ete/Tanning Oil
• 1932 - Savon de Toilette/Soap
• 1932 - Astringent pour L'Epiderme/Skin Tonic
• 1932 - Creme de Beaute/Face Cream
• 1937 - After Bath Powder
• 1938 - Dusting Powder
• 1939 - Eau de Cologne (splash)
• 1958 - Parfum Spray
• 1958 - Spray Cologne
• 1962 - Oil for the Bath/Bath oil/Huile de Bain
• 1966 - After Bath Oil 
• 1970 - The Voile Parfumee
• 1971 - Body Lotion
• 1971 - Eau de Chanel No. 5
• 1986 - Eau de Parfum (splash)
• 1997 - Eau de Parfum Spray
• 2005 - Chanel No. 5 Sensual Elixir
• 2007 - Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere

All differ slightly in their formulation, and only the Extrait Perfume contains rose oil and jasmine absolute from the Grasse region, and is sealed by hand in a method known as baudruchage. The Eau de Toilette and the Eau de Parfum differ also from one another not only in their concentration but also their formula, and are bottled and filled by machine. 

Drug and Cosmetic Industry - Volume 40 - Page 511, 1937:

"The Chanel gift package is an exquisite presentation of a crystal bottle in a satin jewel case, magnificent in its rich simplicity. It is a gift for all occasions."

A 1939 newspaper article in the Berkeley Daily Gazette reads: 

"We were pleased to discover that there is a recent arrival. Chanel's exquisite fragrances in the form of colognes is the thing to wear. And it's a mere suggestion of perfume, cologne's the thing to wear. And it's much more reasonable than perfume. A small bottle of Chanel's cologne in any of your favorite scents is $1.50. large size bottles $5.00. There's an awfully nice Chanel gift set too, cologne and talc in matching scents, beautifully boxed for $5.00."

1970s products in the white opaline bottles with silvertone trim.

Milk Bath: 4.5 oz. white opaline glass bottle holds powdered milk bath."To enjoy a luxurious skin-pampering beauty bath, pour one capful into the tub directly under running water. This freshly fragrant, natural milk bath billows into gentle bubbles, as it cleanses, softens, silkens and scents every inch of you."

Body Lotion: 6 fl. oz. white opaline glass bottle. "Pour a small amount of this rich, fragrant lotion into palms of hands and gently smooth all over the body until thoroughly absorbed. Moisturizes, smooths and silkens, as it glistens, glosses and subtly scents."

Body Lotion: 3 fl oz.plastic bottle. "A richly fragrant, emollient body lotion that leaves skin with an all-over smoothness. Apply lavishly, massaging into skin."

Body Powder: 6 oz. plastic bottle has a salt shaker type opening from which the powder comes out.

Bois des Iles de Chanel c1926

Bois des Iles: launched in 1926, in US in 1929. Created by Ernest Beaux,who was assisted by Constantin Mikhailovich “Kot” Weriguine. Ernest Beaux created several iconic perfumes for Chanel, particularly during the early years of the House of Chanel. 

Weriguine was a Russian perfumer who worked closely with Ernest Beaux, the renowned perfumer responsible for creating many iconic fragrances, including Chanel No. 5. Weriguine's contributions likely involved assisting with formulation, ingredient selection, and other aspects of the perfume creation process. He played a significant role in the development of Bois des Iles alongside Ernest Beaux.

Gardenia de Chanel c1925

Gardenia: Gardenia is gorgeous floral bouquet and an admirable example of talent of the great perfume creator Ernest Beaux. Beaux created this exquisite perfume in 1925. Gardenia was available as parfum extrait, eau de Gardenia (eau de toilette) and eau de cologne. Chanel released face powder scented with the Gardenia essence around 1930.

Two 1930s Fake Chanel Perfumes

Here are two different fake Chanel perfumes, dating from the 1930s-1940s. Chanel did not use these type of bottles, note how unusual the stoppers are and the labels are incorrect also. I found these on ebay over the years and wanted to share them with you.

Fake Chanel No. 5

Fake Glamour de Chanel

Chanel No. 46 by Chanel c1945

Chanel No. 46 by Chanel: launched in 1945. The fragrance was developed by Ernest Beaux to celebrate the end of the Second World War.

1945 advertisement

Ivoire de Chanel c1932

Ivoire de Chanel perfume was launched in 1932, during the height of the Great Depression.