La Pausa Chanel 2016 Eau de Parfum

7.9 / 10 162 Ratings

A popular perfume by Chanel for women and men, released in 2016. The scent is powdery-green. It is still in production.
Pronunciation Compare

Main accords

Powdery

Green

Floral

Woody

Fresh

Fragrance Notes

French iris pallida Vetiver

Vetiver

Pink pepper

Perfumer

Jacques Polge

Ratings

Scent

7.9162 Ratings

Longevity

6.7135 Ratings

Sillage

6.1132 Ratings

Bottle

8.4136 Ratings

Value for money

5.956 Ratings

Submitted by Kankuro · last update on 02/02/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Les Exclusifs de Chanel collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

28 La Pausa Eau de Toilette

N°19 Poudré

La Peau Nue

Shalimar Millésime Iris

Via Verri (2010)

Infusion d'Homme Eau de Toilette

Reviews

7 in-depth fragrance descriptions

10/30/2017

5.5Scent 4Longevity 4Sillage

ScentFan
336 Reviews

ScentFan

Helpful Review 1

Was Going to Buy It

The top notes intrigued me at the counter, but when I got home with a sample and tried this, it turned into a skin scent in moments. The lovely powderiness at first reminded me of Chanel's divine Misia, but it didn't live up to that fragrance in the end. Re-smelling my arm now, the powder is very subdued, the Iris is almost gone, there's only a hint of woodiness. Glad I didn't buy. Reaching for something else to put on, let's see...okay Neil Morris's Afire. I'm getting addicted to it.

Updated on 10/30/2017

01/26/2026

7.5Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

Musicandarts
269 Reviews

Musicandarts

1

A less interesting iris-vetiver from Les Exclusifs. Expensive with modest longevity

La Pausa is the main iris fragrance in the Chanel Les Exclusifs collection. The name La Pausa comes from Gabrielle Chanel’s Mediterranean villa, constructed in 1928. This fragrance has no olfactory association with that house, apart from that provided by gratuitous marketing. Jacques Polge, the nose behind most of the Les Exclusifs, is the creator of La Pausa. This review is based on a sample splash bottle provided by my local Chanel boutique.

La Pausa is carried by two key accords, iris pallida and vetiver. There may also be hints of pink pepper which I would have not noticed, if not spelled out by Chanel. Though I cannot see any natural iris components in the list of ingredients, the iris in La Pausa has the green root-like quality commonly seen in iris butter. The vetiver is soft and airy, like the vetiver note in Chanel Sycomore. All notes are present at every level of the olfactory pyramid, with minimal development. There is not much complexity in La Pausa, which makes it an easy-to-wear perfume but with little to praise about.

The performance of La Pause is good, but not great on my skin. The orris butter punch disappears rather quickly on my skin, but it stays longer on paper. Almost nothing remains on paper strips overnight. The sillage is modest as expected from an iris and vetiver fragrance. It is perfectly fine as a work perfume, primarily because it is docile and inoffensive.

La Pausa is elegant and lovely; and recommended if you are looking for an iris-vetiver fragrance with modest longevity. Unfortunately for La Pausa, it is surrounded by many other excellent perfumes from Les Exclusifs. The combination of iris and vetiver has been explored by many perfumers, and La Pausa does not add anything new to this repertoire. If you are compelled to buy it, the cheapest you can get is the 35 ml bottle for $180, when purchased as a set with other Les Exclusifs.

11/19/2022

Saturnalis
61 Reviews

Saturnalis

1

greens, browns, purples, silvers

opens with tanginess, softly fresh-vegetal, complete with clinging clumps of earth. a rose on the wilt whispers quietly. all this is bound in ghostly, thin threads of powdery iris. a diffusion occurs in time, blurring the whole into finely milled, pressed matte powder; everything becomes a part of the whole, an iris painted with greens, browns, purples and silvers. poised, elegant, yet somehow warm and rounded. a subtle and eloquent scent.

05/09/2025

meowchu
12 Reviews

meowchu

1

Earthy / Mysterious / Powdery ʕ •ᴥ•ʔゝ

Iris has many elusive sides to it, and Chanel knows them so well: gloriously lipsticky in Comète, dewy and powdery in N°19 Poudre…the list goes on and on. And then there’s La Pausa, described by the brand as “a perfume of rarity" that “reveals different facets of iris: earthy, powdery, shimmering, and secretive.” That's a pretty accurate description!

Iris lovers should do a field trip at their nearest Chanel counter ASAP: it's a quintessential experience since it's so well blended, that you're gonna have a fun time deciphering what's going on — and you'll have plenty of time to do so, since it emanates off the skin and clothes for much longer than expected. Actually, sniffing this one should be a fun exercise for all perfume nerds!

It's tricky to decode the abstraction of La Pausa because yes, it is an iris-centered fragrance, but it's not a fantasy Iris, but it's also not super rooty/carroty. It does have quite a green profile, enveloped in a peaceful cloud of powder which aaaaalmost sinks into Nivea cream-like territory, but then there's some acid, woody elements (vetiver?) that peek in and out, adding brakes to that direction as the scent performs. La Pausa finds elegance in restraint: appropriate for the brand famous for inventing suits that did allow for more freedom way back then, but with sleeve holes cut way up high because well...let's not get too loose.

A dream come true as a lover of iris/green/powdery fragrances. Makes me feel at peace when I wear it

Updated on 05/09/2025

03/05/2021

10Scent

Susan
138 Reviews

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Susan

Top Review 63

The Good is Light......All Divine Things Walk on Delicate Feet....

With this beautiful quote from Friedrich Nietzsche, the description could actually end here.

Good. Divine. Light. Delicate.
That is LA PAUSA.

However, this fragrance touches me so deeply that it is a heartfelt concern for me to pay it a bit more tribute and to share its shimmering glow with the world......

For over 35 years, I have been trying - with dutiful regularity - to explore iris fragrances..... a note that usually does not particularly appeal to me and has never led me to a purchase so far....... resulting from these countless experiences, my expectations were correspondingly low......

I tested it solely because of the "green notes," the information that vetiver is included, and the fact that it is a Chanel.... a house that I usually hold in high regard (except for the "Lion" ;-)..).....

About the Fragrance

LA PAUSA is an exceedingly elegant fragrance that captivates both through pronounced noble restraint and luxurious simplicity...... it represents for me the serene lightness of being, as Mademoiselle Chanel may have experienced it while looking out over the sea at her feet from the terrace of her villa in Roquebrune......

The facets of iris that resonate in LA PAUSA lie far beyond mother earth, roots, carrots, or lipsticks...... far beyond anything too tangible.....

Its sound is wonderfully natural, extraordinarily fragile, and delicately silky...... as if it were whispering a soft melody that sets the surrounding light green grasses and herbs into gentle vibration and elicits a quiet whisper from them....... if spring birdsong were a fragrance note, I would claim it is contained in LA PAUSA......

The "powdery notes" indicated in the pyramid are present, but never overwhelming or suffocating...... no comparison to fragrances like, for example, Teint de Neige......

We women know the various powder consistencies..... while the aforementioned TdN is akin to thick covering powder, LA PAUSA is a delicate hint of "translucent powder"...... it merely provides a soft, matte-shimmering finish......

In conclusion, light woods give this enchanting calm and meditative fragrance a certain substance..... just enough so that it does not break apart.....

Lovers of Chanel 19 Extrait (Vintage) should give it a try.....

Updated on 03/05/2021

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