Chanel Egoiste Platinum Reformulations: A Perfume Beyond Time

Whenever we try to explain to someone what designer houses mean, we give Christian Dior and Chanel as examples. These specific two shook the foundation of the world of designer’s perfumery. Most of the other designers may sometimes have some leverage in other areas, but when it comes to perfumes, Chanel and Dior take the lead in my opinion. Today, we will discuss one of Chanel’s legendary creations, namely Chanel’s Egoiste Platinum.

In 1990, Jacques Polge raised the curtains on Chanel Egoiste. It made history with its uniqueness, and everyone knew it was such a hit. Following this great success, Polge nailed it again in 1992 and released the first flanker, Egoiste cologne concentree, which is extremely rare to find nowadays. Still determined and ever the perfectionist, Polge revealed Egoiste platinum in 1993 as the final flanker in the line, and probably the one that satisfied his ‘Ego’ as its name suggests.

Egoiste Platinum was totally different than the original Egoiste as it replaced the warm spicy coat with an aromatic, fougere and fresh outfit. Personally, I think it should have been differently named. On the other hand, it earned its name, Egoiste, as it stood among all fougeres that were famous back then like Pour Homme, Pour Monsieur and Antaeus.

Getting to our guest of honor, Chanel Egoiste Platinum starts off very traditionally. It begins with fresh lavender that takes you back to your childhood barbershop, accompanied by rosemary, green petitgrain and beautiful Neroli which would keep the freshness of the lavender and tame its wild side. The heart introduces spicy geranium, clary sage, green fresh galbanum and tender Jasmin. The dry down adds the woody touch of the perfume and completes the very elegant and sophisticated picture. These base notes are, Masculin Oakmoss, earthy vetiver, elegant Sandalwood and a little bit of ambry notes.

Regarding reformulations, I own a 2012 batch and a 2021 batch. The 2012 was the old bottle whose cap had the same width as its bottle, whereas, the 2021 bottle is the new bottle that has a smaller cap than the body. I did not test any pre 2012 batches, so I will mark only the differences between the 2012 and the new batches, but to my knowledge, there was either only one or no reformulations at all before 2012.

Now, getting to batch comparisons, first of all, the opening in the 2012 batch is a little harsher than the opening in the 2021 batch. Having said that, the tuned down harshness is more modern, more versatile and better suits these days. The heart is almost the same but the change in phase between the opening and the heart is faster in the old batch, probably due to maceration. In the dry down, some notes are barely noticeable in the old formulation, like the floral Jasmin. Still the acute notes are much more noticeable and natural with a little of an animalic vibe unlike the new formulation.

All these differences are barely sensible, however, the evident difference is the performance of the old batch which is mainly stronger in longevity and projection. Also, the sillage is almost the same. The performance of Egoiste Platinum is very decent in both formulas, but the old formula have some edge over the new one.

Egoiste Platinum may not suit young males, but it is perfect for adults and will garner a lot of compliments from middle aged people, both women and men, as it is one of the perfect magnets of daddy figures. It can be worn in both hot and cold times and, even though it may be very classical but, it would not feel outdated; it may even kind of smell innovative.

What do you think about Chanel Egoiste platinum? Is it worth the hype? Has it changed over time? Which is the better formula? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.