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Few icons rival Marylin Monroe, especially when it comes to her relationship with fragrance and beauty. You’ve probably heard of her fondness for Chanel No. 5, but thanks to dedicated perfume enthusiasts, we now know more than ever about Monroe’s favorite perfumes.
A Drop of Chanel No. 5
Has anyone not heard Monroe’s infamous quote about the iconic Chanel No. 5? The beginning of an inseparable association between her and Chanel’s most famous scent, Monroe spoke about the perfume in a Life interview.
“Once this fellow says ‘Marilyn, what do you wear to bed?’” Monroe explains. “So I said I only wear Chanel No. 5.”
She was only 26 at the time.
This was a quote repeated back to Monroe throughout her career, which she iterated on and tweaked depending on where she was. Back in 2013, Chanel released archival footage and unpublished photos of Monroe from a Modern Screen shoot, where a bottle of Chanel No. 5 is visible on her bedside. And while investigations by perfume enthusiasts have turned up some other Monroe-loved scents, it’s clear she had a fondness for Chanel No. 5.
But this quote isn’t just about a refreshing and aromatic night-time ritual.
Liberated Woman
Monroe was cleverly navigating overtly personal and misogynistic questions.
“You know they ask you questions…just an example: ‘what do you wear to bed?’ ‘Do you wear a pajama top? Do you wear the bottoms of the pajama? A nightgown?’” Monroe explains in the interview Chanel unearthed. “So I said ‘Chanel No. 5!’ Because it’s the truth, and yet I don’t want to say nude! But it’s the truth.”
And when you think about it that way, Monroe’s fondness for the scent is a no-brainer, as the perfume itself was inspired by liberated women.
When in Rome…or England
Chanel No. 5 wasn’t Monroe’s only perfume of choice. In fact, looking into her interviews and even some purchase history that’s been found in recent years, Monroe’s favorite perfumes were often directly inspired by her surroundings.
In 1956, when pressed by a reporter to confirm if it’s ‘true that you wear nothing in bed but perfume?’ Monroe easily replies, “As I am in England let’s say I sleep in nothing but Yardley’s Lavender.” This little detail actually found its way into the 1991 film Marylin and Me.
When a receipt came up for auction in recent years, we learned even more about the kind of perfume Monroe preferred. The invoice from Floris was for six bottles of a now discontinued Rose Geranium eau de toilette, ordered by Monroe’s secretary. The scent is still available as a bath essence.
Marilyn Monroe’s Favorite Perfume Notes
From what we can gather, Monroe had a preference for clean and light floral scents.
Chanel No. 5 is a combination of many ingredients, like aldehydes, ylang-ylang, iris, amber and sandalwood. It’s known for its large bouquet of notes, rather than exemplifying just one flower. On the other hand, Floris’ Rose Geranium combines rose and cedarwood with green notes for a fresh finish. This goes hand-in-hand with Yardleys’ Original English Lavender, which also prioritizes a refreshing feeling.
So, if you’re looking to smell like Monroe, reach for light, fresh floral scents. But you want to be sure that these notes balance deeper musks and woods for a dimensional fragrance. And of course, Chanel No. 5 is still a great choice!
