To be sure, Chanel is betting that the Gabrielle scent will catapult its global fragrance franchise. “Our goal is to put it into the top 10, so it’s not a niche fragrance,” said Dagousset.

The history of this promotional juggernaut is laid bare in “Chanel No. 5: Story of a Perfume,” an oversized, lavishly illustrated two-volume boxed set by the French writer Pauline Dreyfus.

Chanel No. 5 has been a best-seller for 90 years. But this famous luxury perfume had its roots in an odd place: Creator Coco Chanel spent her childhood in an austere medieval convent in ...