As a mass-marketer of perfumes, I have a healthy level of respect for the time and attention that Chanel has put into their fragrances, but a larger respect for their ability to market a more mass-oriented item with that certain element of prestige: That the name ‘Chanel’ lends a panache and upscale appeal to any of their fragrance lot in the same way that it reflects the exclusivity of their fashion line.
And indeed, some of its fragrances are certainly iconic — No. 5 and No. 19, for certain, Pour Monsieur possibly another fairly timeless piece. No one ever accused Chanel of creating a fragrance that really pushed the envelope of innovation in just the same way that certain decisions are usually considered safe ones versus trendsetting or breaking new ground.
But there is a point at which the engine runs out of gas, and the party cannot simply continue based on hype and marketing alone. With that, I give you Bleu de Chanel for Men: The safe harbor of fragrance.
Bleu de Chanel (2010)
Bleu de Chanel for Men (2010): As I mentioned in opening, no one ever accused Chanel of forging new territory, and Bleu is no exception. As men’s fragrances go, this is as safe a bet as someone could recommend to anyone, and when given as gift it carries the Chanel name and panache despite lacking the innovation, punch or wow factor one might expect in a fragrance. Bleu is Chanel’s arrival to the “light & citrus party”…just as everyone else is grabbing their coats and heading for the exits. Had it been released ten years earlier, one might call it an innovation and evolutionary. In 2010? It’s simply an addition to the category, provided you like that category. Nothing about it seems new, exciting, or hype-worthy other than its marketing.
The heart of this fragrance — and incidentally what appears to overtread any nuances — are citruses, grapefruit, vetiver, jasmine and mint. Ergo, a green and citrus experience that begins with elements of nutmeg, patchouli, ginger, sandalwood and labdanum at the top, and pink pepper, incense and cedar at the base.
Will you note the nuances? Perhaps, but they’re not highlighted in any material way. The citrus and patchouli/ginger combination tend to interplay somewhat well, but the result seems unremarkable. The sandalwood elements are there, somewhat present, but not forming what should really be a soft, woody base. Incenses and cedar are understated at best.
Longevity and sillage are about average for an EDT, and overall dry-down for me was around 3-4 hours. Strength? Again, this is roughly average and neither strong nor weak. Bleu walks a ‘safe’ middle ground, and I think that statement summarizes this creation quite well: Safe. Not remarkable, not revolutionary, not ground-breaking, but essentially Chanel’s own interpretation of what everyone else did in the 90′s and 00′s. The result is a fairly typical citrus-laden frag with a masculine personality that will appeal and market well to men in their 20′s and early 30′s who regard owning a Chanel fragrance as a mark of status, or who buy into the marketing behind the scent.
One note that I’ve seen written about the bottle is the magnetic cap that seems to simply fall into place, as if this was a novelty or chic nuance. It’s clever. Just as it was clever on Christian Dior’s Ambre Nuit and Bois D’Argent, Eau Noire and Cologne Blanche, all released well before Chanel ever implemented it, and I’m pretty certain that Dior didn’t originate that either.
Rating: 3/5. Neutral.
Bottom-Line: You have a holiday gift list for that 20-something nephew and don’t know what to buy other than another iPod or gift card or something he doesn’t already own. You find this, you buy it, he still thinks you’re the cool aunt or uncle that buys good gifts. Never mind telling him that citrus fragrances are so last-decade now, because he’ll eventually figure that out long after he’s gotten through the bottle or simply turned his attention away from it.
This is a safe yet unremarkable Chanel that wouldn’t dare show innovation or personality as not to ‘offend’. It’s common, it’s been done, and it will appeal to those who might be impressed more with style and marketing than with substance.
But then again, that’s usually what a Chanel fragrance is really all about.
I'm Andrew Buck, the man behind the words. I'm a published author, project management practitioner for over 20 years, work on Wall Street, and am a fragrance aficionado. I've had a passion for fragrance for 30+ years, and enjoy trying scents and adding to an expanding and rotating collection for some time now. 
