CHANEL Egoiste pour Homme

A case when comercial flop equals masterpiece! The probably least sold of Chanel men fragrances is just the best. Created in line with Bois des Iles and initially called Bois Noire, Egoiste is clearly a troubled child like the name indicates. It isn’t there to please the nose and sell in duty free thanks to ozonic marine or fruity bullshit! It is there to give some man the distinctive signature of woods and spices, a master balance between lightness and body. Have a few bottles from the 90’s saved for a rainy day.

This is the holy grail of men's colognes/perfumes in my opinion! It is not available here in Canada, and I had to search around. It's still available in the states and worldwide. I'm so glad I finally found a bottle. First released in 1990, top notes include rosewood and coriander. Heart notes are Bulgarian rose, carnation and warm cinnamon. The base notes include of sandalwood, intensive vanilla and ambrette seeds. This is THE most classy fragrance I've ever smelled. This is heads above any current men's fragrances available newly on the market.

Got this for my boyfriend because I think it is the best smelling male perfume ever! It's sexy and manly but not in a lumberjack way, lol. It's sophisticated, thank you chanel.

Spicy, cedar rose with a lush sandalwood dry down. Nero 77's review says it all, except that I would not compare it to FM musc Ravageur which, IMO, is sharper (Lavander) and more powdery. Perhaps POALs dusky spicy older sibling.

Today this would be unisex. I also get a fleeting impression of leather before the dry down.

If you like Amouage but need less of a powerhouse for daily life, this is a nice alternative.

First time I smelled this was after I had wandered over to the men's section of sephora having given up on getting a non sweet, non fruity perfume in the women's section. I promptly fell in love with this perfume & I can't wait till I can get myself a bottle finances allowing.
The first hit I get is peppery citrus. Then as it warms up on my skin I get something that smells akin to pencil shavings. That note doesn't die down, but instead is joined by roses. Then I start smelling something that is reminiscent of stewed fruit like marmalade.The sandalwood comes in & the entire perfume goes creamy, smoky & really really sexy. Lovely! Ps I think it smells fantastic on me so ladies go try it out!

Jacques Polge's proudest achievement.

Chanel Égoïste is a fragrance that is really special, it really doesn't smell anything like 80-90% of male designer fragrances out there. I believe that if this were released today it would be considered niche, and cost perhaps up to twice as much as what it does. I would go as far as to say that this is a masterpiece of male perfumery, probably the most confidant, mature and elegant masculine release of the last generation, and one of the greatest perfumes for men of any time, whether considered niche or designer.

Égoïste is the embodiment of a confidant, masculine, spicy oriental, and Chanel perfumer Jacques Polge (who has done every Chanel perfume since 1981) has called this his proudest work. I can see why. This fragrance doesn't remind you of anything else advertised for men out there. It's the complete opposite of the generic, sterile-clean aquatic releases which have almost saturated the designer market today. It is rich, deep, elegant, strong, confidant. It makes a statement of quiet confidence and assured masculinity. It's really for the man who is strong and assured yet who is loved by all. The strong man with a kind personality, I would call it.

The story goes that this was a fragrance meant for the Chanel CEO at the time, as a private scent for him. Later, they released it to the public. It didn't sell, because the majority of people like to buy fragrances which remind them of other fragrances (just look at the aquatic craze of the last 20 years). Chanel Égoïste smelt nothing like anything else at the time. Nevertheless it survived, and even today still has the same effect.

Jacques Polge based the composition on Chanel's "Bois des Iles", a heavy sandalwood-based fragrance released 5 years after the famous No. 5. Égoïste is also centred around creamy sandalwood, which is surrounded by spices: Cloves, Cinnamon, Coriander. It also has a beautiful rosewood note which is joined by real, natural smelling Rose, and sharp Carnation in the middle (this is what some have called the "dated" aspect of the fragrance); before finally drying down to a wonderfully warm and creamy Vanilla-Amber-Sandalwood base. I find it very similar to Coco, which he made for women 6 years previously, except a lot more woodier, spicier, and overall more masculine.

It's absolutely beautiful, but very hard to appreciate because it doesn't smell like many of today's popular releases, and for many people, this will either be love or hate. It's warm, bold, spicy... and it takes confidence to wear. If I had to compare it to anything, it would probably be Frederic Malle's "Musc Ravageur" which is a deep, spicy and sensual fragrance but marketed as niche.

Chanel Égoïste might not be for everyone, it takes an amount of confidence and maturity to pull it off (it would also work very well on a woman I think), but it really is a special journey... and a complex one at that. I have a real feeling that 70-80% of people will love this (women especially on a man). It's warm and inviting, but also confidant and relaxed at the same time. Like stroking the warm, beautiful fur of an exotic, tame pet tiger...

I hope that Jacques Polge's proudest creation stands as a testament to all that is possible with male marketed perfume, and show that not all male fragrances have to smell the same or conform to the same standard set by others. I hope that this classic will always be there as a reminder that men can wear something created for them which is just as complex and beautiful as anything made for women; and to also prove that men can give off an aura of being strong, confidant, warm and gentle simultaneously. Nothing more can be said of Égoïste. Well done!

I would hardly consider anyone wearing Égoïste selfish - anyone around you is going to enjoy it too!

Égoïste is the younger and louder brother of the demure, soft-spoken and old-fashioned Bois des Îles. It opens with a burst of dry yet sweet melange of woods, citrus and spice. It actually reminds me of another favourite 80's fragrance, which is also drenched in sandalwood: Samsara (which reportedly had a glutenous 40% Mysore sandalwood). There is no true separation between top and heart and base as they weave in and out in different phases of the perfume. At first, there is the clarity of bois de rose (rosewood), the led-pencil shaving association of Virginia cedarwood, and the sweet citrus burst of tangerine and a sprinkle of sweet cassia. There is also a hint of eugenol, not quite clove like, but softer - perhaps form carnations. Underlying notes of coumarin backed up with a generous dose of vanilla absolute. There is something about true vanilla absolute that is simultaneously woody and animalic, quite unlike the cupcake frosting character of vanillin. Égoïste's vanilla really brings this out with some help of both indole and leathery animalic notes. which add interest. It is quite well balanced between sweet, bitter, smooth, spicy and powdery - although admittedly leaning towards the sweet more so than I would have expected (or remember the original to be).

The sandalwood is not as creamy as its sister Bois des ÃŽles (probably because what I have in my hands is a rather modern version, very unlikely containing any Mysore sandalwood) - but that also gives is an edge somehow - it's warmer and more spicy and dry than I remembered it from a few years back. It seems to be accompanied by Atlas cedar's suave fruitiness, and perhaps even a splash of violet-y ionones and plum and rose notes from damascones.

Beware: Egoiste Platinum has nothing to do with it besides the name, and is the only version you'll find in Canada and the USA, and to my nose it smells like generic sporty aquatic chemical trash. But it has a wonderful ad as well!

I finally decanted some Egoiste into a roller ball bottle (in order to control application). I get the candied fruit notes but also a rubbery, powdery accord that keeps me sniffing some more. It has tremendous radiance. If my huge bottle doesn't last me until I'm 90, I'll know I'm using too much!

What an unusual masculine! Egoiste is a surprising blend of herbs, candied fruit, florals, tobacco, spices, woods, and vanilla. If this sounds like a kitchen sink kind of construction, I apologize-- it's much much better than that. There is a touch of bitter herbal notes in the top that provide a wonderful counterpoint to the sweeter, more lush notes of candied, cooked fruit and carnation-rosy florals of the middle and the deeper, warmer sandalwood and snap of ginger in the drydown. Less gingery and gourmand than Five O'clock au Gingembre, Egoiste still shares some of the fresh linen and hot water cleanness of the former that keeps it from being too heavy. Over all, Egoiste gives me an impression of softness, warmth, and sweetness touched with dry gingery spice and sandalwood. Very relaxing and not at all traditionally masculine-- super easy for a woman to wear.

This fragrance is a must for me, i cannot be without it! I've worn this since i was in high school and everyone used to comment on how lovely i smelt, it waft's around you all day and for this being released in the 80's is actually a huge shock because it isn't really overpowering or musky, quite sharp on my skin actually. this is my favorite fragrance to wear in the winter and thankfully a chanel counter in my area carry's this all year round as an exclusif, so i'm ecstatic about that as this used to be extremely difficult to find, added win!! as for the platinum egoiste, it shouldn't really share the same name as this, this is in a class of it's own and it's very different, i've never encountered a fragrance quite like it, where as platinum egoiste is bordering on very stereotypical.