Reviews of Bel Respiro (2007)
by Chanel

By now I’ve tried all of the Chanel Les Exclusifs range save Beige, and I have mixed feelings about them as a group. All are beautiful, all are superbly blended, and all smell of quality. Some, including Cuir de Russie, Sycomore, Bois des Iles, and 31 Rue Cambon, grip me as unique and brilliant. Others, including No. 18, 28 La Pausa, and No. 22, while just as lovely, strike me as somewhat interchangeable variations on a single theme – that theme being iris. Iris root is wonderful, but I don’t need that many iris scents.

I count Bel Respiro with Cuir de Russie, 31 Rue Cambon, and Bois des Iles as having a character distinct from the line’s pervading iris theme. It’s a crisp, yet extremely smooth, floral green scent of exquisite poise and delicacy. The balance between sharp, grassy galbanum and velvet soft floral notes achieved in Bel Respiro is nothing short of perfect to my nose. If you enjoy Vent Vert, Calandre, or Chanel’s own No. 19, try Bel Respiro. It’s transparent – even ethereal - compared to these, but also more sophisticated and complex, and I think it would make a great introduction to the green fragrance family.

Chanel Bel Respiro EDT

Notes: crushed leaves, rosemary, thyme, rose, lilac, hyacinth, green tea, aromatic grasses, myrrh, leather (from NowSmellThis)

Bel Respiro starts with bergamot, pepper, rosemary, lavender, galbanum, faint powdery vanilla or tonka and soap. I am impressed at the relative complexity right out of the gate--Bel Respiro's top notes have a lovely balance, green and refreshing. Any potential harshness the herbs might take on is kept in check and tempered with some mild sweetness from the vanilla, and the soapy note stays staunchly in the background (which in my opinion is where it belongs). As the herbal notes expand and thin out, the florals and vanilla become more apparent. Still, the herbs lend a lovely green background to the floral blend, giving the impression of a well tended garden. To be sure, Chanel's interpretation of a garden does not involve dirt, compost, vegetables or any other earthy garden delights. What comes across in BR is the refinement of the aromatic foliage and blossoms--fruits of the garden after all the gardeners have gone home. The florals are blended, so it is difficult to discern between varietals, although to my nose a soft and subtle rose is in the mix. The base is a very nice (read "not cheap") sweet ambery musk, vanilla and faint herbs. BR is a joy to experience, although it develops much too quickly on skin. Development can be slowed a bit when applied to paper or cloth. The sillage is not strong, as to be expected with an EDT. Despite a short development, this one is worth a try, and maybe also a full bottle.

There are legions of laboratory-hatched fragrances I detest for their artificiality, and then there's Bel Respiro, so clearly a synthetic and yet successful for breaking new ground. Its chemistry offers an abstract of vegetation, such that, while one can say there are woody elements and later floral notes, the proper names to identify this tree or those flowers don't exist. With a name connoting beautiful breath or air, you'd expect a citrus or other freshening agents would be involved. Instead, BR avoids any sense of breeziness. I'm reminded more of a hot summer's day when a floral garden has baked long in the sun and an amalgam of those fragrances which have survived the scorching heat then mingle and float unmoving above wood-chipped paths.

Chanel has historically used aldehydes to offer newness to the marketplace, BR echoes that tradition. Sweetness is restrained--or, better stated, was never introduced. So, unlike many gag-inducing moderns, this fragrance is allowed to have its own personality rather than that of an imagined mango or other fantasy fruit.

Chanels' exclusifs line is a dream for me! Each of them is like a branch grown from the same quality rooted tree trunk, together forming the most glorious range of foliage one can imagine! Upon sniffing an 'exclusif', it's Chanel upbringing is quite obvious. Bel Respiro's opening notes candidly reveal it's sisterhood with #19, and even Cristalle. Crisp, green and fresh, BR goes on smelling like a well manicured garden basking in the morning sun. Not sweet, or flowery. It retains a cool garden freshness throughout, although it does fade in intensity. Completely wearable by man or woman, this Chanel is a summertime delight!

Bel Respiro is quite enchanting; at once soft and sprightly, and sufficiently green to be not too floral (for me). As an afficionado of No.19, Bel Respiro is an excellent complement. It is also superbly blended -- I don't know how Chanel maintains this quality (generally) across the Les Exclusifs line. Only concern is that, just 30 minutes post-application, it is losing strength at a galloping speed. Deliciously lovely, though.

Inside a barber's shop in the South of France, then the Monday market in front of the shop as you step out and the sun is on you. The bitter lemons, the red watermellons, the overripe fruit for a second. Hot greenness and into the shade, where the smell rests and sighs. Breathes.
This is where I stand, and in the basenotes there is also water, the lake I know of, nearby.

This one is very easy to wear, very easily likable. Can be worn by basically anyone at any age. This is a pastel drawing of soft holly green, pale butter and ivory yellows, and violet. An issue I have with Les Exclusif line is that they all seem to have weak longevity in average. I wish Chanel would consider to release the EDP of all Les Exclusif.

A very fresh and green summery scent. The notes suggested by iMaverick in his review seem very plausible to me. The first time or two I skin-tested this, it seemed to me that the notes faded very quickly, but more recent testings show it to last longer than I had originally thought. The real reason for getting this, however, is the beautiful accord of the ensemble. The green notes and florals truly do recall, as Luca Turin says in The Guide, the most dramatic moment in the evolution of Pierre Balmain Vent Vert.

I love this breath of green air, very Chanel-like, herbal and light, soft and diffusive, leavy and ozonic, with a base that is not overly sweet. If I had to guess, I would say there is iris, hyacinth, perhaps a delicate pine, some fresh kitchen herbs, all overlaid on a nice sandalwood. Who knows? It succeeds in avoiding the problems that plague herbal fragrances, such as a lingering bitterness (if not sweetened enough) or a crude soapiness (if sweetened too much). My sole complaint is that it doesn't project for long. I would have to apply it liberally. This is truly beautiful--fresh and cool.

Notes are rumored to include crushed leaves, rosemary, thyme, rose, lilac, hyacinth, green tea, aromatic grasses, myrrh and leather. Hmmmm...smelling this reminds me of the brilliantine pomade that my uncles used to wear called Three Flowers, hence making me think of how masculine this scent is with a little of the 50s and 60s bad boy thrown in like Fellini's La Dolce Vita. Not the best of the 6, unfortunately.