At a Glance
- Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif is a concentrated extrait by Olivier Polge, built around sandalwood, cistus labdanum, leather, citrus and cedar.
- The Chase, released 28 May 2026, is Chanel Fragrance’s first-ever action campaign film, directed by Alfonso Cuarón and starring Jacob Elordi opposite Libby Taverner.
- A behind-the-scenes companion film, directed by Shayne Laverdière and photographed by Isabella Elordi, documents the physical production in detail.
- Elordi’s Chanel relationship began with Chanel’s N°5 campaign before extending naturally to Bleu de Chanel.
- The fragrance is available at chanel.com and through Chanel boutiques worldwide, including across the GCC.
The Story Behind It
Since Bleu de Chanel’s launch in 2010 — Chanel’s first men’s perfume in twenty years — the Maison’s campaign films have been built on introspection. Martin Scorsese, James Gray and Steve McQueen each produced intimate character portraits around successive ambassadors, from the late Gaspard Ulliel to Timothée Chalamet.
The Chase breaks from that pattern entirely. Cuarón’s brief, as Thomas du Pré de Saint Maur, Chanel’s Global Head of Creative Resources for Fragrance and Beauty, described it: “It’s a radical change. There’s a moment in your life where you just say action.” The film opens on a masked burglar (Taverner) stealing a bottle of Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif, triggering a nocturnal pursuit through shadowy urban geometry. The object changes hands repeatedly in what the Maison calls a “sensual fight sequence,” staged with acrobatics, martial-arts choreography and Cuarón’s signature long takes. The ending is left open.
Design and Fragrance Notes
The standard Bleu de Chanel Eau de Parfum is fresh and luminous. L’Exclusif moves in a different direction: a concentrated extrait that intensifies and darkens the composition. Sandalwood takes centre stage, reinforced by the leathery, resinous facets of cistus labdanum. Notes of leather, citrus and cedar complete what Chanel describes as an “intense woody, ambery-aromatic trail.”
Olivier Polge, Chanel’s In-House Perfumer-Creator, framed L’Exclusif as an interpretation designed to push the audacity of the Bleu de Chanel lineup further. The result is a scent built to linger — a consideration that reads differently in the Gulf’s warm climate, where extrait concentration earns its weight.
The Production: Cuarón, Laverdière and Isabella Elordi
For Elordi, the Cuarón collaboration was a deliberate choice: “I’ve seen all his work. He’s a cinema legend.” Cuarón holds five Academy Awards and the Golden Lion at Venice, with credits spanning Y Tu Mamá También, Children of Men, Gravity and Roma. The Chase is his first fragrance campaign.
The companion behind-the-scenes film, directed by Shayne Laverdière and shot by Isabella Elordi (the star’s sister and a working photographer in her own right), captures the days of rehearsal, stunt coordination and blocking that built Cuarón’s finished sequences. The two roles together produce an unusually layered production document: technical rigour on one side, something quieter and more personal on the other.
Where It Sits in the Chanel Line-up
Chanel has spent more than a decade treating its fragrance campaigns as short-form cinema. From Ridley Scott and Baz Luhrmann on N°5, to Luca Guadagnino’s 2024 See You at 5 with Margot Robbie, the Maison consistently pairs its fragrances with directors who carry an authorial identity. Cuarón extends that lineage into action — a genre Chanel had not previously claimed.
Elordi’s position within the Maison is also specific. Du Pré de Saint Maur has framed it as a long-arc relationship: “The collaboration began with the N°5 campaign and has naturally continued with BLEU DE CHANEL, allowing a relationship to grow richer with each project.” For luxury fragrance and beauty coverage that tracks the Maison’s direction across categories, the Elordi chapter is one to follow closely.
Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif is available at chanel.com and at Chanel boutiques worldwide. For more on the fragrances and beauty releases shaping the GCC luxury market, sign up for our weekly editorial briefing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bleu de Chanel L'Exclusif?
Bleu de Chanel L'Exclusif is a concentrated extrait interpretation of the original Bleu de Chanel fragrance, created by Chanel's In-House Perfumer-Creator Olivier Polge. It builds on the original with a deeper, darker profile centred on sandalwood and cistus labdanum, with additional notes of leather, citrus and cedar, producing what Chanel describes as an intense woody, ambery-aromatic trail.
Who directed The Chase, Chanel's 2026 campaign film?
The Chase was written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, a five-time Academy Award winner whose credits include Gravity, Roma and Children of Men. It marks his first fragrance campaign.
Who is the Bleu de Chanel ambassador in The Chase?
Jacob Elordi stars as the newly appointed ambassador for Bleu de Chanel L'Exclusif, opposite Libby Taverner. His relationship with Chanel began with the N°5 campaign before extending to Bleu de Chanel.
Where can Bleu de Chanel L'Exclusif be purchased in the GCC?
Bleu de Chanel L'Exclusif is available at chanel.com and through Chanel's worldwide retail network, which includes boutiques across the GCC region.
What makes Bleu de Chanel L'Exclusif different from the standard Bleu de Chanel Eau de Parfum?
Where the standard Eau de Parfum reads as fresh, luminous and aromatic, L'Exclusif is a concentrated extrait that intensifies and darkens the composition. Sandalwood and cistus labdanum take centre stage, creating a more resinous, long-lasting sillage designed to linger far longer on the skin.
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