Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu Chanel 2026

I received this product from Chanel in exchange for an honest review. i have never tried the Coco Mademoiselle DNA so I didn't have any expectations on how this would smell. With that said, I'm not typically drawn to scents that lean pretty feminine. I tend to prefer unisex fragrances in the niche and indie spaces. I really wasn't expecting to like this. it starts out with a heavy, generally fruity, syrupy floral (mostly rose but definitely not only rose). I don't specifically smell the grapefruit or lychee though. As I continued wearing it, it started shift into a more floral scent, and lost a little of the syrupy heaviness it had at the beginning. For me, the dry down was where it was at. The blend of vanilla and patchouli along with vetiver in the dry down was the best part. Luckily for me, this get to the dry down very quickly and then lasts for a solid 12+ hrs for me. Overall I liked this a lot more than I expected to. Do I see myself grabbing for this regularly? No. Will I continue using this bottle and enjoy it? Absolutely! I think this is best suites for colder weather and perfect for night time. Sprayed lightly, this is a pleasant office scent and mass appealing.

Despite what I often read, Coco Mademoiselle DNA is there at first spritz, it’s just quieter than usual. Crush is more fruity than sparkling and less high pitched than the OG. Consequently, the usual tension between the fresh citrus and the woody dry down is less present. The scent span is more narrow, there is less dimension. Some will logically find it smoother and more approachable, and this is not the default of Crush for me.

The base notes peak pretty quick, and the second I spotted amberwoods, I froze. « Please don’t be too much… » As minutes go by, the fruits melts into the rose, it is lovely and dewy… But the amberwoods become more and more prominent and eventually end up becoming the whole dry down. I smell no patchouli in here. And then, after 3 hours, only a soft, nice, but so forgettable woody vanilla is left. As the muse portrayed in the commercials, the dry down of a Coco Mademoiselle is anything but forgettable.

There is not the level of complexity or aura that many of us would expect from a Mademoiselle, but it is neither a full generic abomination. And no, it is not Prada Paradoxe! I’m sorry but the people saying this must be the ones saying Delina smells like Angel Nova (no designer shaming here, I strongly dislike both).

Mademoiselle fans complaining about Crush like it’s scandalous are replaying Coco fans complaining when Mademoiselle first came out. For the ones who don’t love Crush, including myself: everything is not meant to be loved by everyone. You can still enjoy the OG or the flankers you like, loves. I will cherish my Mademoiselle Intense even more!

I Got a sample of this when I bought another parfume. I honestly don’t know what to say. I am baffled. It’s patchouli and lychee. But the problem is, it doesn’t really feel like Chanel. If it were from another brand, we’d say “It’s fine, totally wearable. “ But here, you expect something special - a new side of Mademoiselle. Chanel has a new boss, and she is probably the one telling Olivier Polge what to create: “ Makeit just like everything else- mainstream, cash, cash. “
And the name is so lame - like something from Montale (apologies to the fans). All in all, it’s ok, but nothing more.

I never really dared to try Chanel fragrances in the past. "They're a little too much for you", was always my thought. Too serious, too grown-up.

With the release of Crush Absolu, this "curse" has finally been broken!

The fragrance opens with a sparkling, fruity explosion of lychee and grapefruit. The latter in particular provides a magnificent and refreshing opening. An olfactory "Hi, here I am!"

Right from the start, you can clearly tell that Chanel also wants to appeal to a younger audience here. Coco's daughter, if you will.

But long-established fans should by no means be frightened off. This becomes apparent as the fragrance progresses, when lush floral notes exude a kind of vintage vibe and promptly take over the reins.

In the base, the generations finally come together and reign in harmonious accord. Warm vanilla notes and classic patchouli merge into a sensual veil of fragrance that is meant to accompany its wearer:innen for a long time.

Something lightly ambery hovers above it all, also lending the fragrance a certain modernity. By the way, I can't detect any similarity to the OG. To my nose, Crush Absolu is a completely independent creation.

H&S are absolutely fantastic! The fragrance presents itself with great confidence.

The visual crowning glory is, of course, the beautiful bottle, whose rich peach-colored liquid perfectly complements this wonderful fragrance experience!

So now it is Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu. The sample has arrived and I am excited. I have tried all the predecessors in the family, worn them all, liked, no, loved them all. Starting with Coco Eau de Toilette , the first real perfume I bought for myself, then the Kra-woom! launch of Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum , this fragrance was omnipresent! I also really liked the Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Toilette here, with its musky and grapefruit-lychee nuances, especially in summer (it already had those slightly masculine-leaning undertones) - all the way to Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum Intense . So this legend now has a new relative. Curiosity is my middle name. The name is where opinions already begin to diverge. Should it have been given a completely different name? Yes and no... I would like to point out that if it had been named differently, some people would surely have said: oh, it smells like a relative of Coco Mademoiselle, I can already recognize the family resemblance, I see the extravagant cousin here, the Coco bird of paradise (who still remembers the commercial with Vanessa Paradis, chirping in the cage?) of the family. We all know that one aunt...
The grapefruit and lychee combo from the CM EdT theme is taken up and amplified here, I perceive jasmine and rose more faintly and mainly in the middle, then the ambery woods arrive. Let us not debate what is natural and what is synthetic, we are not talking about a fragrance made from essential oils from a health-food store here, but about one from a fashion and cosmetics conglomerate. Chanel has always been modern, see, for example, the use of aldehydes. Madame was a pioneer, a spearhead of the modern woman in her time, she was the one who cut away the waist in her sportswear, she was the one who introduced aldehydes in overdose into her legendary Numero Cinq. Why should Chanel now, inconsistently, not open itself up to the modern fragrance notes that, admittedly, are often used in excessive and obtrusive doses by many manufacturers. But not here.
Chanel remains true to itself. I find this use absolutely clever and balanced, a warm-spicy wood develops in the heart, vetiver-like and salty, which later flows into the classic Coco/CM patchouli in the base. Vanilla is restrained.
The longevity is extensive, typically Chanel, I can still smell it in my hair, clothes and on my skin the next day although I am not an oversprayer.

The overall impression is fruity-woody, soft and feminine, distinctive and modern. It has not been done quite like this before and, to me, it radiates and sparkles on my skin and in the sillage enveloping me.

I immediately received compliments from my beloved (who really knows and has to test a lot) and thought to myself... Open your eyes (nose), broaden your horizons. How can we expect anything to evolve if we always do everything the way we have before?

I am glad that the concerns the first reviews had triggered in me did not come true.
But perhaps I am also that one strange aunt. And I stand by it.