When in 1921, Gabrielle Chanel overthrew perfume conventions, choosing for N°5 a laconic bottle, stripped out of all decoration, she also opted for a high quality glass that would enhance the attractiveness of the fragrance’s juice.

However to keep a pioneering and timeless spirit, even on the occasion of one’s 100th anniversary, it might be necessary to reinvent oneself, even imperceptibly!

A pioneering approach a technical challenge

In order to provide N°5 with a bottle featuring a part of recycled glass, while retaining incomparable purity, shine and transparency, close to that of crystal, the teams at Chanel and at Pochet du Courval have combined their expertise to rethink glass production.

“Our goal was to develop a high-end recycled glass that would meet the qualities of excellence and creativity of Chanel," explains Pochet in a statement.

Creating this bottle proved to be a genuine technological challenge, as the crystalline transparency of glass stems from the purity of the raw material used to produce it. Glass used in perfumery is among the most transparent and high-shine, and recycling can alter its quality.

In order to offer the highest quality of recycled glass, Pochet du Courval and its partners developed an innovative industrial process that allowed them to control each step in the value chain. "Each detail was considered in depth: the colour, the qualities of transparency, purity and shine, as well as the resistance of the glass, were rigorously evaluated," added Chanel.

Pochet has therefore designed an innovative sorting scheme exclusively dedicated to extra white glass. By guaranteeing the quality of the recycled glass, it was possible to use 15% PCR glass to produce the bottle.

The 100ml N°5 Eau de Parfum limited edition is the first fragrance to benefit from this innovation, dubbed SEVA 3 [1], which will gradually be applied to the other Chanel perfumes starting in 2022.

Environmental benefits

According to the two companies, their collaboration resulted in a virtuous achievements in more ways than one, as it encourages a circular economy, reduces the use of natural resources and lowers the carbon footprint, while maintaining the aesthetic of the perfume.

"On average, for 1 million bottles produced using SEVA 3, new-generation recycled glass, we save more than 25 tons of virgin raw material," adds Groupe Pochet.