My thoughts are off a bottle from the mid-90's but I imagine this could apply to versions from the 80's-2020 or so, and simply put they are that this is beautiful men's perfume. On my skin I get the herbs and myrrh that opens up in to a rose that is not to floral and then the castoreum hits and I can't get enough of it. It is just what an elegant man should smell like with a hint of rouge or rebelliousness in his attitude. I wish I was the image of what I envision the man who wears this is, however, guess I will just have to settle with smelling like him.

Masterpiece in my opinion!😍

Released in 1981

Classified as a Woody Chypre

Nose behind this scent is of course the legendary Chanel in-house perfumer Jacques Polge, who's been behind numerous classics from this house over the past few decades.

Antaeus is the name of ancient Greek demigod. Strong, like a god, and gentle as a man, Antaeus belongs to those perfumes of expressed individuality and strong character which emphasize masculinity, what was a trend in 1980-ies.

Top Notes: lemon, lime, coriander, myrtle, clary sage, and bergamot Heart Notes: thyme, basil, rose and jasmine Base Notes: patchouli, castoreum, labdanum, and oak moss

The opening for me is uplifting, its very bright, a splash of brightness if you will, and its also clean, but not clean in a soapy or citrus way. This bright and cleanness only last for a few seconds, after which the scents starts becoming heavier and bold, your introduced to the animalistic vibe so famous in this scent with a smokey leather and castoreum, which is an animalic note derived from a beaver. The note of castoruem, is animalic in nature but isn't overly funky at all, its not fecal smelling or pungent, don't believe this to be like civet note in Kouros, though both fragrances are in the same ball park, of the old school powerhouse scents, the castoruem note for me is a much lighter animalic note, though it is still bold. I've smelt castoreum in different scents, such as Interlude Man or Beaver from Zoologist, and they all slightly different in each fragrance, but the note adds a very bold animalic aspects to each of the scents. Now along side the strong and bold animalic notes of leather and castoreum are in the background the note of jasmine and a very subtle rose. It's the combination of the powerful and beastly animalic notes, and the gentle and elegant floral notes of jasmine and rose which just transforms this scent into a masterpiece, its absolutely divine. Like the name suggests, its strong and gentle at the same time.

Released in 1981 but still smells unique today, it does not smell dated or old. If it was released today, it would still be considered a masterpiece. A timeless classic. It has a old school vibe, due to the type of powerhouse fragrances released at that time, however it does not come across dated in the slightest.

Performance on my skin was moderate unfortunately, not as beastly as many people have talked about for this scent, which makes me wonder if this has been reformulated or if it may just be my skin. Projection was in the moderate range, with longevity around 8 hours.

In terms of seasons, this would be perfect for fall and winter, and mostly a night time scent for formal occasions. However, i enjoyed this scent a lot, and could see this being someones signature scent, this would suit a 35+ gentleman perfectly as a signature scent.

Overall rating will be a perfect 5/5. This is unique and fantastic, an amazing blend of beastliness and elegance, arguably Chanel's best mens fragrance.

Antaeus it seems, never really took of for Chanel. While it could have been for the maison what Coco became, Antaeus was a hit of the moment, spawning a short lived Antaeus Sport flanker, and then took refugee in the back. Few use Antaeus, even today, and even though Chanel has kept it for its followers, it hasn’t bothered to promote it; the vintage enjoys cult status, while the current, stripped by laws and cost cutting could have benefited from a newer flanker if only for the spotlight to shine on the original. Review based on a 200ml splash from 1982. Antaeus is one of the few perfumes that always brings two specific movies to my mind every time I use it; Cruising with Al Pacino, discovering his wild side in the meatpacking district leather clubs. Given the fact that Antaeus was rumored to be a huge success with the gay collective circa 1980’s, I wonder if this association isn’t that far fetched. But Antaeus is so much more than that. Less popular, less in-your-face than the popular brute Kouros, launched the same year, Antaeus always maintained a more suave appearance, a distance, just like Richard Gere in American Gigolo; is he really a killer in disguise, or has he always had the instinct all along? Herbal, dry chypre, rich in woods, leather and castoreum, with a beautiful beeswax note that got lost through the years. A deep rose, N°5 in a way that links it to the house and the grand dame. This is what the vintage smells like. Antaeus opens with herbal accents of myrtle, sage, coriander, basil... Polge’s intention was of a classical composition. But it’s 1981 and whether you like it or not, the market and tastes dictate power and strength. So Polge played with the oakmoss and the leather and the castoreum with maybe just a smidgen of civet to give the base all the power and longevity that men and women demanded, and gave the heart a more somber treatment. The rose and jasmine that glow in the background smell distinctly Chanel; there is a brief link to N°5 in this beautiful floral vein that runs among the more classic herbal/chypre feel, and the more contemporary animalic growl. The leather, abundantly rich creates the signature of Antaeus. And it’s the deep tanned leather, Cuir de Russie meets Peau d’Espagne. Classic gentleman meets his dark side. Was it there all along? Antaeus is always a pleasure to use, and a challenge to the senses. While it is unequivocally Chanel, the treatment of the notes is the work of genius. Polge created something that was in the realm of classic and respected but he also played his brutal animalic side, playing with shadows and contrasts to create something bigger than the sum. Class, elegance, sexuality, debauchery. Was Antaeus a killer all along? The longevity is outstanding, pulsating from the skin like a heartbeat in the heat of the night, while the sillage is mellow and discreet. In this sense, it doesn’t shout, but he’s always lurking in the shadows. And when he comes out, there’s no escaping.