Chanel

Sycomore

2008
Chanel's most austere creation — smoky vetiver and cypress that proves the house can speak in whispered earth tones, not just aldehydic florals.
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Sensory Profile

Sweetness Freshness Woodiness Intensity Longevity Complexity

Composition

Concentration Eau de Parfum
Style Niche
Notable Ingredients
vetiver cypress juniper pink pepper violet leaf aldehyde sandalwood musk

Olfactory Structure

Family Woody
Evolution Moderate
Sillage 5/10

Character

Moods

meditative earthy minimalist

Season

Autumn

Occasion

All

Thematic Territory

A forest floor after rain — vetiver roots and cypress bark, smoke rising from wet earth. Chanel's most austere creation, closer to CdG than to No. 5.

Era & Context

Modern

Jacques Polge created Sycomore as Chanel's most radical Exclusif — a smoky vetiver so dry and austere it could sit in a niche boutique. It proves that Chanel's DNA is not just about florals and aldehydes but can extend to dark, contemplative woods. Spiritual cousin to Le Labo Santal 33 in its woody meditation, but reached through smoke rather than milk.

Spiritual Links

Guerlain Vetiver
8/10
Woody Foundation Mood Convergence
Frederic Malle French Lover
7/10
Woody Foundation Compositional Parallel
Le Labo Thé Noir 29
7/10
Woody Foundation Compositional Parallel
Comme des Garcons Hinoki
6/10
Woody Foundation Incense Lineage
Comme des Garcons Wonderwood
6/10
Woody Foundation Minimalist Ethos
Amouage Reflection Man
6/10
Woody Foundation Mood Convergence
Le Labo Santal 33
5/10
Woody Foundation Minimalist Ethos
Diptyque Tam Dao
5/10
Woody Foundation Mood Convergence
Hermès Terre d'Hermès
5/10
Woody Foundation Minimalist Ethos
Hermès Vetiver Tonka
5/10
Woody Foundation Mood Convergence

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