Jacques Polge

Jacques Polge, born on 14 June 1943, is a French perfumer best known for his long and distinguished tenure as Head Perfumer at Les Parfums Chanel, a position he held from 1978 to 2015. He grew up near Avignon, France, where as a child he found early inspiration in the jasmine-scented air carried from the surrounding fields of Grasse. Rather than following a conventional scientific path into perfumery, Polge studied English and literature at Aix-Marseille University before embarking on a traditional perfumery apprenticeship in Grasse under the guidance of Jean Carles, one of the most influential perfumers of the twentieth century.

During his nearly four decades as Chanel's head perfumer, Polge created an extensive body of work that helped define and evolve the house's olfactory identity across generations. His notable compositions include Antaeus, Une Fleur de Chanel, Allure, Allure Eau de Parfum, and Bois Noir. Jacques Polge is also the father of perfumer Olivier Polge, who joined him at Chanel in 2013 and ultimately succeeded him as the house's in-house perfumer when the elder Polge stepped down in 2015.