What Does Chanel Chance Smell Like? All Five Versions Compared

The original Chanel Chance smells of pink pepper, jasmine and earthy patchouli: a bright, slightly spicy floral with a dry base. But “Chance” now covers five different perfumes, from citrus-and-teak Eau Fraîche to raspberry Eau Splendide, so the name alone doesn’t tell you which smell someone means.

What Is Chanel Chance?

Jacques Polge created Chance in 2002, and it was a deliberate break from Chanel’s past. The bottle was round instead of the house’s famous square, and the scent was a fresh, peppery floral instead of the aldehydic style of N°5. The line grew from there, and since 2015 the flankers have come from Olivier Polge, Jacques’s son, who succeeded him as Chanel’s perfumer.

Chanel’s US Chance collection now has five scents:

Chance	Concentrations	What it smells like
Chance	EDT, EDP	Pink pepper, jasmine, patchouli; the EDP adds vanilla and white musk
Eau Fraîche	EDT, EDP	Citron, jasmine, teak wood; the EDP is more ambery
Eau Tendre	EDT, EDP	Grapefruit, quince, jasmine, white musk; the EDP adds rose
Eau Vive	EDT	Grapefruit, blood orange, jasmine, cedar, iris
Eau Splendide	EDP	Raspberry, rose geranium, iris, cedar, white musk

What Does the Original Chance Smell Like?

The Chance EDT is built on pink pepper, jasmine and amber patchouli. Pink pepper is the signature: it’s not hot like black pepper but bright, rosy and fizzy, and it gives the jasmine a sparkle. Patchouli underneath makes the whole thing drier and more grown-up than the fruity flankers. It’s usually classed as a floral chypre, and of all the Chances it’s the one that smells most like a classic perfume.

The Chance EDP keeps pepper, jasmine and patchouli and adds white musk and vanilla, which round off the edges. It’s warmer and softer than the EDT. In Chanel’s own reviews one wearer dislikes how strongly the pepper comes through, which is the one thing to know before buying the original.

What Does Chance Eau Fraîche Smell Like?

Eau Fraîche (2007) is the green, woody one. The EDT is citron, jasmine and teak wood. Citron is a sharp, thick-skinned ancestor of the lemon, and teak gives a dry, clean woodiness, so this smells like sunlight on a garden bench. It’s the least sweet Chance and the one most likely to suit someone who doesn’t like fruity florals.

The EDP runs the same citron and jasmine into a deeper, more ambery teak. One EDT wearer prefers the EDT for its changing floral and musky finish. Concentration changes the composition here, as it does in many lines; the perfume strengths guide explains why.

What Does Chance Eau Tendre Smell Like?

Eau Tendre (2010) is the soft, pretty one. The EDT puts grapefruit and quince over jasmine and white musk. Quince smells like a cross between pear and apple with a honeyed, slightly floral perfume of its own, and with white musk it gives Tendre its clean, gentle sweetness. Gentleness is the point.

The Eau Tendre EDP (2019) puts jasmine absolute and rose essence at the centre, so it’s more floral and fuller than the EDT, not just stronger. If you liked the EDT but wanted more of it, this is the one to try.

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What Does Chance Eau Vive Smell Like?

Eau Vive (2015) is by Olivier Polge. It leads with grapefruit and blood orange, followed by jasmine and a cedar-iris accord. Blood orange is sweeter and redder than ordinary orange, with a slight berry note, and it makes Vive the juiciest Chance. It’s the bright, summery one: fresher than Tendre, fruitier than Fraîche.

What Does Chance Eau Splendide Smell Like?

Eau Splendide is the newest. Chanel describes it through a raspberry accord, rose geranium, iris and a cedar-white musk accord. Rose geranium smells like rose with a green, minty edge, and it keeps the raspberry from turning into jam. If you want berries, this is the Chance to try.

Which Chance Should You Try?

• The original, peppery and dry: Chance EDT, or the EDP for something softer.
• Green and woody, least sweet: Eau Fraîche.
• Soft, clean and fruity: Eau Tendre EDT, or the EDP for more rose.
• Juicy citrus for summer: Eau Vive.
• Raspberry: Eau Splendide.

Shop by full name and concentration: a Tendre EDP review doesn’t describe the Tendre EDT. For the rest of the house, our Chanel perfume guide covers N°5, Coco Mademoiselle and more, and the Chance Eau Fraîche profile has the full note list.