Coco Mademoiselle gets a juicier new chapter: Experience it at New Bahru

Twenty-five years since it first defined a certain kind of Chanel woman – playful, sensual and instinctively free – Coco Mademoiselle, the fragrance, finds a richer, vibrant expression in Crush Absolu.

Fronting this new chapter is Gracie Abrams, the Grammy-nominated indie-folk singer-songwriter whose introspective lyrics and understated style embody the same instinctive warmth Crush Absolu brings to Coco Mademoiselle. 

To mark the launch, Chanel has turned Alma House into a Parisian cafe, offering visitors a journey through the world of Coco Mademoiselle, from the concept behind it to what it feels like to wear. 

What to expect at the Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu special event

The experience brings together fragrance, beauty and event exclusives, including:

Venue: Alma House, New Bahru, 46 Kim Yam Road, #03-03, Singapore 239351
Time: 10am to 10pm daily (closed on Mondays)
Date: Till Sept 13, 2026

Register for the Chanel Coco Mademoiselle special event here.

Also on show is Les 9 Ombres, The New Smoky, which departs from Chanel’s usual eyeshadow quad palettes. The new make-up must-have brings together nine versatile shades, including five high-intensity eyeshadows and four shimmery top coats.

And there’s the limited-edition Rouge Coco lipstick in Crush, with Chanel’s double-C symbol engraved directly onto the lip bullet.

Inside the perfume bottle

Where the Coco Mademoiselle line has traditionally opened on citrus, Crush Absolu leads with grapefruit and lychee, giving it a juicier, more immediate fruitiness before the familiar rose and jasmine heart comes through, settling into patchouli, vanilla and vetiver, and landing on what Chanel calls “intense ambery” that’s warmer and more sensual than sharp.

That fruity opening is also what makes it feel different from Eau de Parfum Intense, the line’s other rich, deeper expression. Intense leans hard into patchouli, warmed with vanilla and tonka bean, while Crush Absolu gets to that same warmth through fruit, rather than depth. The result feels less like a stronger version of Coco Mademoiselle, and more like its most informal, easy-to-wear self yet.

It’s a direction shaped, fittingly, by Olivier Polge, who succeeded his father, Jacques Polge as Chanel’s perfumer creator. While Jacques created the original Coco Mademoiselle back in 2001, Olivier’s Crush Absolu doesn’t try to replicate it. Instead, it takes the same foundation somewhere new.

“It is not about conforming, but about revealing oneself, surprising oneself,” says Olivier. He imagines the fragrance as a companion to whoever wears it – an instinct, more than a formula. And it’s that same instinct Chanel found in Gracie Abrams.

An instinct, not an imitation

There’s an echo of Gabrielle Chanel in Gracie Abrams– the cropped dark hair, striking bone structure. But for Chanel, the real draw is something less visual.

“Like Gabrielle Chanel once did, she [Gracie Abrams] asserts herself without artifice, driven by a fierce sense of freedom and an instinctive elegance,” says Thomas du Pre de Saint Maur, the brand’s head of global creative resources for fragrance and beauty.

It’s a quality that comes through in Gracie herself, a soft-spoken songwriter whose lyrics have a way of landing harder than her voice suggests.

“I feel an immense sense of pride,” she says of the role. “I love that Coco is someone who leaves a mark everywhere she goes. Sometimes, I wish I could be more like her.”

Find your Chanel crush

Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu can be found at all Chanel Fragrance and Beauty boutiques and counters, and on Chanel.com. Available in two sizes (50 and 100ml), at $218 and $311 respectively.

The special event runs in Singapore till Sept 13, 2026, with spots available by registration. Walk-ins may be accommodated, subject to availability.

Brought to you by Chanel