Crush Absolu isn't a new Coco Mademoiselle, it's bottle four
The first addition to the line in six years, from the son of the perfumer behind the original.
Twenty-five years after the original, Chanel didn't rework Coco Mademoiselle. It put a new bottle next to it. Crush Absolu landed on August 19, the line's first addition in six years, after Intense in 2018 and L'Eau Privée in 2020. It was made by Olivier Polge, son of Jacques Polge, who wrote the 2001 original: new formula, same feeling. Nobody is taking the classic away.
Lychee, rose, vetiver: what changed in the pyramid
You hear the difference in the first few seconds: instead of citrus you get lychee and grapefruit, juicy and almost edible. The heart is the same, rose with jasmine. The base moved into the warm: on top of Polge's signature patchouli there's now vetiver (a grass that smells dry and earthy), amber and vanilla. The original is woody, this one is ambery. If you love Intense for the density but want it juicier, this is the one.
Not a reformulation, a neighbor on the shelf
Reviewers keep saying Crush Absolu smells like someone stacked a few fragrances on top of each other, except it's one bottle: the layering is already inside. You don't need to mix it with the classic, and definitely not with Intense, both are dense and together it's too much. If you want a pair from the line, take L'Eau Privée, the lighter one without the vanilla base, for daytime, and Crush Absolu at night. Don't buy it blind, smell it from September 2.