In 1921, Gabrielle Chanel asked Ernest Beaux to create "a woman's perfume with a woman's scent", intense and original. The nose presented her with a visionary composition that made unprecedented use of aldehydes. Mademoiselle chose the fifth sample of the fragrance, and decided to name it simply N�5. The innovative scent of the fragrance, along with the rare simplicity of its name and bottle, revolutionized the history of perfumery.