Chanel No. 5 is named after a number on a lab bench. In 1921, the perfumer Ernest Beaux brought Coco Chanel a row of numbered samples. She picked the fifth, and kept its number as the name.
Five was her lucky number, so she let the chemistry keep its label. The plainest name in perfume, and the one everyone knows.
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The post, as it ran
01CHANEL No. 5 IS NAMED AFTER
A NUMBER ON A LAB BENCH.
02IN 1921, THE PERFUMER ERNEST BEAUX
BROUGHT COCO CHANEL A ROW OF
NUMBERED SAMPLES.
03SHE PICKED THE FIFTH, AND KEPT ITS
NUMBER AS THE NAME.
04FIVE WAS HER LUCKY NUMBER, SO SHE
LET THE CHEMISTRY KEEP ITS LABEL.
05THE PLAINEST NAME IN PERFUME,
AND THE ONE EVERYONE KNOWS.