N°19 Chanel 1971 Parfum

8.1 / 10 470 Ratings

N°19 (Parfum) is a popular perfume by Chanel for women and was released in 1971. The scent is green-floral. It is still in production.
Pronunciation

Main accords

Green

Floral

Chypre

Fresh

Woody

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Galbanum

Hyacinth

Bergamot

Neroli

Heart Notes

Iris

Jasmine

Lily of the valley

Narcissus

Rose

Ylang-ylang

Base Notes

Oakmoss

Cedarwood

Leather

Musk

Sandalwood

Perfumer

Henri Robert

Ratings

Scent

8.1470 Ratings

Longevity

8.0323 Ratings

Sillage

7.0308 Ratings

Bottle

8.5309 Ratings

Value for money

7.040 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 16.04.2024.

Reviews

15 in-depth fragrance descriptions

09/08/2018

8
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 9.5
Scent

Minigolf
308 Reviews

Translated Show original

Minigolf

Top Review 39

A scent to sink in*******

Yeah, I'll give you five stars. EdP says hello, but the perfume is even more intense in expression. It's as if I were lying in the middle of a meadow, forest around it, and all the scents suddenly reached my nose. Grass, freshly mowed, the aromas of bark, the green breath of fresh moss and mixed meadow flowers.
And it's powdery soft. Not THE powdery one that reminds of dry dust and is much too sweet.
No, JENES is powdery, fresh, subtle, slightly moist and seems to come from the depth of the perfume. Always somewhat delayed appearing after the "actual" fragrance. I also think of freshly washed, fragrant bed linen with a harmonious flower pattern, or with a lot of green inside. Early in the morning the sun shines into the room, while the cheeks touch the open window with cool air.
I would like to get up because the weather is nice, but on the other hand I would like to stay in bed for a while to enjoy the scent of "bed linen" together with "morning air".
I could sink into that. Stay in bed or on the meadow.
But the leaf canopy of the forest and the shimmering mosses are also tempting.
A difficult decision?
Not with Chanel N°19 Perfume or Eau de Parfum!

07/14/2012

jtd
484 Reviews

jtd

Top Review 8

Cardboard Terrarium

The opening of Chanel 19 edt is one of my favorite experiences. It is a focused demonstration of the iris. I agree with many of the characterizations of 19: venomous, aloof, off-putting. 19 is powdery, but coldly and bluntly so. Up top, other notes, especially galbanum and hyacinth, accentuate the iris root and add to the wonderfully acetone, dry-cardboard smell of 19. Chanel 19 edt is a floral fragrance, but far les so in the topnotes than in the heart. The chill remains, but the acetone and paper recede, and the rose/jasmine heart continues the green trend right through to a grassy, vetiver drydown that I would ultimately categorize as woody-floral.

If I could make any perfume moment last forever it would be the topnotes of 19 edt. (Aside: I feel similarly about Cristalle and Pour Monsieur. Love them. Just want to drink them in. But, sadly, all three edts are brief experiences.) Despite its passing nature, though, I love the whole shape of 19. It is a beautifully worked-out fragrance and has a coherence of tone from start to finish that is both effusive and logical.

My dilemma: the concentration. The various Chanel concentrations are notorious for their qualitative differences. The edt is not a dilute version of the edp or of the extrait. It is a different formulation. I’ve fallen in easily with one concentration of the other Chanels. No 5: I understand the edp; I enjoy the edt. Cristalle: I don’t quite understand the edp (it has a niceness that defeats the pretty brutality of the edt) and want to live in the edt. For 19 I want both the edt and the edp.

While there is a similar componentry, the edp is leathery and warm where the edt is a cool, rooty/grassy floral. The evolution of the edp has a much slower timeframe, and gives a warm treatment to its flowers, rose in particular. Though distinctive, the edp winds up a broken-in green, leathery chypre not far from the drydown of Scherrer’s Scherrer.

05/26/2014

7.5
Bottle 5
Sillage 5
Longevity 9
Scent

MasterLi
375 Reviews

MasterLi

Helpful Review 12

Eau de Toilette Review

No. 19 is a strange one... A lot of people label this as a cold, heartless, "ice queen/boardroom bitch", kind of fragrance. I don't get that at all. To me it smells like a bunch of freshly cut morning spring flowers being newly placed in a vase.

I find this to be very soft, slightly powdery, and sensual. I don't find it "unemotional" or whatever. To me I think Chanel Cristalle fulfills all of those previous labels, that is one that I see as more masculine (and one which as a man I happily wear). No. 19 EDT opens a little like the Cristalle EDT does (hyacinch and bergamot) but the galbanum really gives it an amazing quality (warm and sensual). The powdery iris is really beautiful here. It's clean and fresh and sexy at the same time. I do get Oakmoss and Vetiver and I think the earthiness of the Iris (orris root) and the dryness of the Vetiver compliment each other beautifully.

It's true that this fragrance is the opposite of "girly", as it definitely gives off a grown up vibe, but I wouldn't say it's a "cold-hearted bitch" kind of perfume. To me it's quite alive and soft. The kind of person I would see wearing this would be an intellectual, kind hearted young woman, the kind of girl who is really attractive with a sweater and glasses who always has her head in a book, but doesn't know just how beautiful she is kind of thing. Alternatively any woman who wears a suit to work or academic but deep down is still really kind and loving to those around her.

With reference to the unisex quality often attributed to this, I find Chanel Cristalle (also by Henri Robert) more masculine than this, but something like "Dior Homme" (also an iris leathery fragrance) more feminine than this, it being sweeter and more gourmand than No. 19. Coincidentally... I know that my grandfather sometimes wears on occasion so I think it certainly wouldn't be out of place being worn on a man.

As mentioned before, this was Gabrielle Chanel's signature scent. It was originally private and exclusive to her, before being released publicly just before she died. However, that being said... I'm now starting to get a pattern in late Chanel perfumer, Henri Robert's creations: Chanel Pour Monsieur (1955) is a green Chypre, No. 19 (1971) is a green floral, and Cristalle (1974) is floral Chypre. All have Citrus notes, all have Oakmoss, and all have Vetiver. But what sets No. 19 apart is the beautiful, sublime Iris note. Powdery, soft, warm and somehow elegantly clean... it undoubtedly makes No. 19 the plushest, most sensual, and most feminine of the trio. It really is a masterfully blended perfume.

I don't see Chanel No. 19 as a cold, "unemotional" fragrance, to me (a man's opinion) it's like meeting a very attractive yet quiet, shy, intellectual type of girl with a kind, warm, loving heart who you just want to cuddle up with on the sofa by the fire. This is just one gorgeously grown-up, well- balanced fragrance!

03/31/2024

Pneumatos
7 Reviews

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Pneumatos

Very helpful Review 9

Say goodbye and be healthy!

Hermann Hesse's wonderful "Steps" poem just came to mind, perhaps in keeping with today's Easter celebrations. Perfume pope and Chanel expert "Dacob" already pointed out on his YouTube channel almost two weeks ago - and a corresponding entry can also be found on basenotes.com - that Chanel will now withdraw all Les Exclusifs Extraits in the 15 milliliter size from the market or has already done so! So let's sincerely hope that this is only a temporary decision and that there will be a new start at some point!

In February, there was initially a hefty price increase for the extraits from - already crazy - 240 to now 280 euros, but without any availability on the homepage. Somewhat panicked, I went on the hunt for the last remaining bottles, but found hardly any offers, neither here nor in the "bay", and the few that I did find were often at horrendous prices. When I came across a good offer for "N°19" last week, I snapped it up and remembered that a few years ago I got hold of an ancient remaining bottle from the 1970s for very little money from an estate, which has been lying dormant in my cupboard ever since.

In the spirit of today's Easter with thoughts of passing and resurrection, it seemed to me that now was a good time to test it: The fairly new bottle (8601 batch) with its pale green contents, compared to the orangey-brownish reduced rest from times past.

*New*: Fresh citrus fruits, similar to those in "Cristalle, EdT" are immediately accompanied by a distinct hyacinth, the fragrance definitely takes over the room at this stage. After a few minutes, a high-quality iris gains the upper hand, jasmine and rose remain in the background, but are easily recognizable and masterfully integrated. At this stage, I recognize a great similarity to the current "Après l'Ondée" in its powderiness and delicacy. The base can only be heard close to the skin later on, the oakmoss - although listed in the ingredients - is dimmed. Overall, the fragrance is rather short-lived, at least on my skin. Noble, powdery, slightly leathery-tart and delicate, successful and beautiful, I would summarize.

*Vintage*: With such an old fragrance, the assessment is of course only possible to a limited extent. Here, the opening is much harsher, the galbanum is thick and heavy, the citrus fruits have already withered due to their age, the hyacinth is wilting. The tart and earthy notes immediately dominate, the fragrance glows in the darkest shades of green. Gradually, I can recognize a very earthy, leathery iris, the oak moss lends great depth. Figuratively speaking, I see before me a garden in spring: the ice has melted, brown and leathery leaves from the previous year lie under the bushes and trees, the ground breathes an earthy astringency. Above it, the first daffodils and lilies of the valley are bursting forth, exuding the delicate scent of flowers. The tart soil notes still dominate, but the first flowers and fresh greenery are already in the air. This old version offers more "head cinema", has more development, more poetry, while the new one is more beautiful, rounder, but also more harmless and ultimately more airy.

In the spirit of Hesse, I now think to myself with regard to Chanel's marketing policy: "We should cheerfully walk through room after room, not clinging to any of them like a home". So sometimes I allow myself a nostalgic, bitter-sweet look back, but try to live in the present and be hopeful about the future. Perhaps there will one day be a reunion with the Chanel extraits I love so much, and if not: "Life's call to us will never end... So long, heart, take your leave and be well!"

01/05/2012

7.5
Bottle 5
Sillage 10
Longevity 6
Scent

Missk
1165 Reviews

Missk

Very helpful Review 5

Grassy green

I've never had any luck with Chanel fragrances and I definitely didn't fall in love with Chanel No.19 when I tested it today in the fragrance department.

Green is an excellent word to describe this scent. It's a mixture of wet sand, freshly cut grass and alfalfa sprouts to my nose. Something that I adore in nature but not on my skin.

This fragrance is fresh yet sharp and quite soapy. Although the floral notes are present in this fragrance, they aren't soft and feminine like other Chanel perfumes, instead they are sour and overpowering.

In the drydown I sensed the familiar soapy/powdery notes that are present in every single Chanel fragrance I've tried. I could easily pick a Chanel fragrance out of 100 other scents with my eyes closed.

I don't entirely dislike this scent; I do admire its individuality and freshness, however I'm more attracted to florals and sweeter scents. The lasting power is excellent, but that is to be expected from Chanel. On the right person this scent could be very distinctive, sophisticated and unique.

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