When Gabrielle Chanel declared, “Chance is my soul,” she wasn’t speaking only about fortune—it was a mindset. For Olivier Polge, Chanel’s in-house perfumer-creator, this belief became the blueprint for Chance Eau Splendide, the latest addition to the vibrant Chance fragrance family. But how does one distill a philosophy into scent?

A dazzling new interpretation of luck, Chance Eau Splendide opens with a vivid medley of raspberry, rose, and violet—fresh, luminous notes that immediately draw you in. At the heart, rose geranium grown in Chanel’s own fields in Grasse lends a rosy, mint-laced clarity, elegantly softened by powdery iris. The fragrance is subtly grounded by a blend of cedar and white musk, creating a trail that is both refined and radiant—a magnetic expression of the joy and energy that defines the Chance universe.

“It’s in the state of mind,” Olivier explains. “Luck doesn’t come by itself—you have to be open to it.” That openness, that readiness for opportunity, is what he sought to bottle. In his words, a Chance fragrance “cannot be dark, cannot be heavy, cannot be difficult to wear. It has to catch you right away. It has to vibrate.”

Unlike past projects where existing formulas guided his hand—like N°5 L’Eau, which followed strict olfactory codes—Chance Eau Splendide was an exercise in balance. It had to belong to the Chance universe, yet stand entirely on its own. “The formula starts from a white page,” he says, “but I have to create a scent that fits with the four existing fragrances. That’s the challenge.”

Olivier thrives within such creative boundaries. “Creativity has to face certain limits to truly express itself,” he reflects. “You have to confront yourself with a signature and define a territory.” This territory—light, energetic, joyful—is what has made Chance such an enduring icon in the Chanel fragrance line-up.

And crafting Chance Eau Splendide wasn’t quick. Olivier compares his process to slow discovery. “I have to live with the scent,” he says. “Sometimes I need two weeks to understand what needs adjusting. And sometimes, I wait three days just to let the raw materials melt together.” He often tests dozens of versions side by side, comparing them like musical notes in a symphony—seeking not only beauty but something that feels new.

The finishing touch? A soft purple hue. It wasn’t chosen randomly. “We created the scent first,” Olivier shares, “and then we chose the color based on the impression it gave us.” With red fruit tones layered with florals and a subtle depth, the violet shade felt like a natural visual expression of the fragrance’s inner world. “A scent, a colour, a bottle, a name—it all has to connect. That’s when it feels complete.”

This sense of completeness extends beyond the bottle to the campaign imagery. Thomas du Pré de Saint Maur, head of global creative resources at Chanel, wanted to reflect the energy of today’s Chanel woman—someone confident in forging her own path. 

“It’s about more than being lucky,” says Thomas. “It’s about being in the right state of mind to welcome luck when it comes your way.” That distinction is crucial—because Chance is not passive. “It’s about being ready, being open, being in movement,” he explains. “If you’re not moving, you don’t cross paths with opportunity.”

But where does luck meet artistic direction? For Thomas, it’s in how every element—from scent to sound to visuals—communicates the same emotional truth. “We never start with a linear story,” he says. “We listen to the perfume, we feel the colour, we let the music inspire us. Everything meets in the middle. It’s an intuitive, organic process.”

That process came to life in the new campaign, set inside a mesmerising mirror maze—a space designed to reflect and refract the self. “It’s a place where you lose yourself to find yourself,” says Thomas. “It’s colourful, playful, unpredictable—just like Chance. And that’s the modern woman’s spirit: not waiting for a door to open, but dancing through it when it does.”

The maze, much like the fragrance, invites interpretation. “We didn’t want to spell it out,” Thomas explains. “We want people to bring their own meaning to it. That’s what makes it powerful—it’s personal.” Even the music, composed by Angèle, wasn’t added as a final touch. It was a part of the creative dialogue from the beginning. “The music influenced the mood of the campaign, just as the fragrance influenced the colour, the casting, the energy.”

And speaking of casting—Angèle, with her magnetic presence and effortless duality, was a natural fit. “She embodies that soft strength we wanted,” says Thomas. “There’s this sense of self-assuredness, but also a willingness to explore. That’s Chance—not reckless, but bold.”

But ultimately, both Thomas and Olivier agree: Chance is more than a perfume. It’s a wake-up call. “A polite kick in the bum,” as Thomas puts it with a grin. “Life doesn’t hand you everything. Chance is the reminder that if you don’t go for it, you might miss it.”