Chance by Chanel is a Chypre Floral fragrance for women launched in 2005 as an Eau de Parfum. The nose behind this fragrance is in-house Chanel perfumer Jacques Polge.
Chance is part of Chanel’s Chance collection. It was an absolute hit when it was released, and it’s still a super popular scent. It has inspired a range of flankers. The keynotes of this Chypre Floral fragrance are Pink Pepper, Jasmine, and Patchouli.
A note by Chanel:
A floral fragrance in a round bottle. Unpredictable, in perpetual movement, Chance sweeps you into its whirlwind of happiness and fantasy. An olfactory encounter with chance. A floral fragrance that intertwines Pink Pepper, Jasmine and Amber Patchouli. Laced with White Musks and Vanilla, the Eau de Parfum is rounder and more enveloping…
| Perfume name | Chance |
| Brand | Chanel |
| Year Released | 2005 |
| Concentration | Eau de Parfum |
| Scent Family | Chypre Floral |
| Gender | women |
I recently ordered a handful of different samples to test, and Chanel Chance is the next one on my list. These are my thoughts on the lovely Chanel scent.
What does Chance by Chanel smell like?
Chanel Chance smells fresh, and floral, with a great pink pepper spice. While it definitely leans more feminine, the pink pepper could make it a unisex scent.
It is quite similar to Coco Mademoiselle in some aspects, and yet it is worthy of attention on its own. It’s a little fresher and greener than Chanel’s Gabrielle, but a little less sweet. It smells like wealth and sophistication. I wouldn’t call it sexy exactly, but it’s confident. I can imagine a CEO in an elegant Chanel suit wearing this.
| Top Notes | Pink Pepper |
| Middle Notes | Jasmine and iris |
| Base Notes | Patchouli, Musk and Vanilla |
My Experience
Chance opens with a rosy pink pepper and a note that smells a bit citrusy. That’s not one of the official notes, so I’m not sure what exactly I’m picking up. After a few minutes, I could start smelling the floral notes more. The jasmine isn’t very sweet, but more clean and soapy.
After a while, it turns a bit powdery. The musk and the iris give it a slight animalic edge that I find quite interesting. I first thought the musk would become overbearing, but it remained very balanced.
As it continued to dry down, the vanilla started bringing in more sweetness. The patchouli adds some earthiness. While patchouli isn’t usually my cup of tea, I think it’s growing on me, and I think its addition makes for a well-balanced scent.
Overall, I’m pretty impressed with the performance. The sillage is strong and long-lasting. It’s definitely classy and chic.
Sillage & Projection
The sillage and the projection of Chance EDP is absolutely majestic. The invisible cloud that this scent gives you is elegant yet sparkling like a true diamond. I’d give it a 9 out of 10 for both aspects.
Longevity & Versatility
The longevity of Chance is really good and last around 8 hours on my skin. It’s perfect for daytime wear, but it also has enough depth and mystery to be appropriate for evening events. It’s the perfect fall and spring scent, but at the same time, it could also be someone’s signature scent year-round. But personally, I wouldn’t wear it at the peak of summer or in the winter.
It wouldn’t really feel out of place anywhere. It’s soft and chic, yet it makes a statement that makes it a perfect work fragrance, in my opinion. I don’t find it a very sexy perfume, though. So for date nights, I’d rather wear something a bit more sexy or sultry.
Closing thoughts
As a long-time Chanel fan, I can’t help but recommend that everyone at least tries it. Yes, it is a fairly generic floral fruity scent typical of its era, but it still has that classical Chanel DNA. I find it’s an absolute crowd-pleaser, and it will get you a fair amount of compliments. So it’s full bottle worthy for me.
It’s not a complicated scent, but still so beautiful and charming. It’s not a safe blind buy if you don’t like anything patchouli or pink pepper. I wouldn’t call it a girly scent, but it’s still youthful. I’d say late 20s to the 30s would be the youngest age range that someone would wear it, but of course, your fragrance remains a personal choice.