Coco Noir

“Vous n'auriez pas vu Coco?” Not everyone is going to like Coco Noir. After all she is not what they expected. Coco has a reputation in town for being uber-chic and almost always a perfect thing. But tonight she just wants to have fun. THE OPENING: Bergamot, Grapefruit, Where is the party Coco? It all begins around 10 pm in a cabaret in Pigale .Coco Noir is a party girl ripe and ready for flaming a night on the town from one end of Paris to the other. Don’t let the little black dress fool you or the gold jewelry so artfully placed lead you to think she is above scandal and a little naughty fun. Liquor sweet as cotton candy is passed around the club to girls for rent by men who light their cigars with 10 franc notes. Coco likes to mix it up with the hoi polloi and in so doing she finds herself dancing on the bar and singing her old song to the rough customers down from Montmartre. “You have not seen Coco? Coco in the Trocadero Who has seen Coco? Hey! Coco! Hey! Coco! Who has seen Coco? Hey! Coco!” The crowed is singing along with her, hands grabbing at the hem of her skirt. They are laughing. She is laughing and ready to move on. THE HEART: Rose, Jasmine, Narcissus. It is after midnight when Coco makes her escape in a taxi to the elegant calm of Maxim’s. Her entrance causes a stir among the well dressed upper croissant of Paris. They are ALL talking about her. Some say she is too much, others that she is not enough and a few that she is heading for a fall. Where she is heading is to a private table for a late supper with a certain special Englishman. Here in the posh Maxims Coco Noir relaxes and enjoys the glamour that she infuses into the scene. All eyes are on her cool elegance as she flirts with the Englishman and sips Champagne cool and bubbly. She may laugh a little too loudly but she doesn’t care. DRY DOWN: Sandalwood, Olibanum, Vanilla-Tonka Bean, White Musk, Patchouli. Always the capricious coquette it is now on to the left bank. She and the English man along with a few Coco fans cross the river on foot singing her song, this time not quite so fast or as loud. “Qui qu'a qui qu'a vu Coco? Eh! Coco! Eh! Coco! Qui qu'a qui qu'a vu Coco? Eh! Coco!” Ending up in Le Chat Noir jazz club just off the Boulevard Saint Germain Coco leans lazily into the crook of the Englishman’s arm. Softly, dreamily she hums along to the cool slinky jazz sax. She could stay this way for hours, luxuriating in the lush smoky atmosphere of the end of a perfect night on the town. When the hangers on drift away she smiles up at her Englishman then winks. As they walk arm in arm across the Pont Saint-Michel in the chilly pink dawn Coco Noir rests her head on his shoulder and sings softly to him. “Qui qu'a qui qu'a vu Coco?” The opening of Coco Noir is very bright and fizzy with bergamot and grapefruit. There is the pink fuzzy feel of cotton candy to me in the opening. That passes very fast as the bottom note olibanum snakes up to take its sensuous hold. Then the heart notes rose, jasmine and narcissus come in to play softly and with a stayed elegant enhanced by the grounding geranium and the upwardly moving bottom notes of vanilla and tonka bean. All through this center you get the arrival of the final dry down notes. Fist the sandal wood followed closely by the white musk and patchouli. It has a fine silage and last very long on my skin. Coco Noir is not dark and mysterious as one might expect from the name and the beautiful black bottle. It is all about fun. This is a scent for a night out including anything from the Opera to a nightclub. Aside from the early cotton candy sensation that is only there for 10 minutes it really is not that overtly feminine so I would say it could be worn by both sexes. Coco Noir is the kind of mademoiselle that when you wear her at night, anything could happen. FIVE GOLD STARS ****

I thought Coco Noir might be a bit too patchouli-intensive for me, but after falling in love with the Oil Perfumery dupe version, I bit the bullet and bought a 50-ml bottle. Coco Noir reminds me of a cross between Coco OG and Coco Mademoiselle, with a little bit of an airier, nuttier aspect that makes me think of coconut milk although Coco Noir doesn't smell at all tropical. It definitely has that elusive Chanel DNA, the "rich bitch" profile that gives many women an extra boost of confidence: it smells expensive and luxurious in a way that very few mainstream designer perfumes do these days. Coco Noir is not weird or avant-garde or ostentatiously niche--it's just a beautifully balanced woody amber floral. As much as I love the phrase "nocturnal Baroque," I don't think Coco Noir fits that descriptor; I think OG Coco is closer to my idea of a nocturnal Baroque--it's much more complex and multilayered. Despite its outrageously gorgeous glossy black bottle, Coco Noir is not even especially dark--not if "dark" suggests heavy or deep. I would consider it an elegant but not particularly distinctive perfume--more distinctive than Coco Mademoiselle, perhaps, but only because Coco Mad is so ubiquitous and has spawned so many relatively convincing dupes). At any rate, I think Coco Noir is appropriate for all seasons, all times of the day, as long as you don't overspray. After a few hours of wear, I notice the greenness a lot more, and I appreciate it. The slightly spicy geranium is lovely, too, especially as it combines with the sandalwood and leather notes in the drydown. I get a slight powderiness, too, along with a creaminess, and this quality is probably what keeps the strong patchouli note from seeming too noxious to me. Update: Husband really loves this one. He noticed it right away and asked me what it was; because I had just sprayed it, he noted the citrus top notes approvingly. It doesn't project much after the first couple of hours, but that's fine with me; the longevity is more than acceptable, and I can make it last even longer by layering with the Oil Perfumery dupe, which is excellent.

There are some who feel that Coco Noir is not "noir" enough for the name. If you're coming from the OG Coco, that's a fair reaction. However, if you are coming from Coco Mademoiselle, this is "noir" indeed. The opening of Coco Noir is reminiscent of Mademoiselle, but as the citrus top fades, Coco Noir really stands out. I love the spice and smoke in heart of this one. It's witchy but approachable, sensual but respectable, and serious but not uptight. I'm a fan of Chanel's patchouli and there's a perfect dose of it in Noir. It's dry, woody, and clean as opposed to dank and raw (e.g. Mugler's Angel). I almost never hear or see any talk about the olibanum/frankincense in this, but for me it's the best part! It becomes very present about 30 minutes in, and it's the facet that remains on my skin and clothes long after the rest of the scent has vanished. The incense is why I think Coco Noir is deserving of its name. The longevity for this one is good on clothes, just okay on skin. Layering with the matching body cream boosts performance quite a bit. Projection is where Coco Noir suffers most. There isn't much projection after the first few minutes, and after about an hour it's a skin scent for the remainder of its life. It does project a bit more on clothes, but not much. Coco Noir isn't loud. I don't always mind that as I'm usually in the mood for something inconspicuous these days, but I can see the lack of projection being disappointing for some. When I need it to be louder, I just spray a little more. Coco Noir's biggest strength to me is that it's easy to wear without being ordinary. I recently bought my second bottle. It's a staple in my collection.

I felt that I needed something easy into my collection. Something classy yet comfortable and cozy, something delicate and not so unique. Sometimes I feel so exhausted that I don’t even have power to understand my own mood. If I wear some bold scent with a big character while feeling like that I just get confused. With these two scents I don’t have to think absolutely anything, no weather, neither clothes, not even how I really feel. ❓Do you recognize that mood? CHANEL Coco Noir Jacques Polge and Christopher Sheldrake 2012 Delightful very crowd pleasing mix of flowers in a warm woody base - I don’t find anything so “noir” in this one but there is a gentle breeze of warm spices. The scent is seductive and traditionally feminine. It’s delightful but it doesn’t force me to be in a good mood. I want an extrait of this one as well since it shoud have that “noir” confidence boost in it. Haven’t tried it though. NARCISO RODRIGUEZ Musk Noir Rose Sonia Constant 2022 I fell in love with so many scents from NR while trying to find something inconspicuous, almost imperceptible yet attractive and sensual. I love the powdery clean musky dna in them, they are like a tender hug, I feel like I’m wrapped in an enormous fluffy cashmere blanket escaping this cruel world. Musc Noir Rose has a sweet twist in it from Plum and Vanilla. All of them smells irresistible on cloths. Thank you for reading, I hope my review was helpful. I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG and/or YouTube (English subtitles): @ninamariahperfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗

I wore Coco Noir yesterday (25th of november , 2025) because it was cold and rainy — the perfect weather to pull this one out. The opening hits with this balsamic vibe, slightly citrusy, and a touch of spice. Not the sharp, nose-piercing type, just a smooth, warm kind of spice. As it starts blending with the skin, it turns sweeter... but not sugary sweet. More like a soft, warm sweetness that feels comforting. After about an hour (or even less), the whole scent settles into this warm, earthy, wrap-around-your-body kind of vibe. I get little whiffs of this cozy sweet-warm note that just hugs the skin nicely. Projection-wise, it’s perfect for people who don’t want to announce their arrival from 20 metres away. It gives you this subtle aura instead of filling up the whole room — elegant, classy, very Chanel. I did one spray in the morning on pulse points (neck and arm), topped up in the afternoon on the same spots, and by evening it was still there, softly lingering on my skin. Longevity is really solid. Personally, I’d recommend Coco Noir for evenings or cold/rainy weather. Using it on a hot summer day can get overwhelming — the scent is rich and can give you a headache if the heat amplifies it too much. But for night dates? Perfect. My boyfriend loves it on me. Also, I honestly think this one is unisex. The spicy–citrusy opening plus the rich, warm base makes it work on anyone. That’s my full review of Coco Noir by Chanel — a warm, sensual, elegant scent that shines in cooler weather and nighttime moments.