Counter culture: Chanel launches new fragrance bar

London – Bar-tailing comes to life in a new perfume counter concession as Chanel launches its Olfactive Bar in Selfridges this month. The first counter concept of its kind in the industry, the bar, designed by deputy parfumier Christopher Sheldrake, allows for an unadulterated scent experience that focuses purely on the fragrance.

The Olfactive Bar uses a patented ceramic blotter system that, according to beauty expert Lee Wallick, gives the customer a ‘very pure way of experiencing fragrance by isolating it – it’s the opposite of the usual fragrance hall.’

Chanel joins brands such as Editions de Parfum Frédéric Malle, with its innovative scent chambers, in offering an enhanced in-store beauty experience for the increasingly savvy and connoisseurial consumer. The traditional squirt-and-sniff is no longer enough to satisfy the customer wishing to make a more informed purchase.