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.
Well it takes a big man to admit he was wrong...and I'm a big man so yeah...I was wrong. Don't know if my original review has disappeared because it got thumbs downed so hard or I used foul abusive language because I was so appalled by the animistic stink of this fragrance. Anyway...My mind has changed somewhat having tried this again a couple of times and really gained a new found respect for Chanel fragrances and things which are not necessarily my cup of tea. The complexity from an objective point of view is great and this fragrance really has got depth and I can totally see why people hail it as a classic. It's raw, masculine and almost pheromone like (It attracts the beaver anyway;) I can appreciate the top notes now which are fleeting but nice and some of the dank quality of the oakmoss. Also, Labdanum is another ingredient I have a love/hate relationship with, so all in all this fragrance challenges me, that's before we even get to the castoreum! I still don't like it underlying but I've managed to take the positives from it... I don't think I could ever wear it but I will remove it from my hate list as it creates intrigue every time I smell it.
I've never really been a fan of this perfume. Smelled like an awful blast of floral/animal musk which totally put me off and it's not just because I don't like macho, animal scents because there's loads I've always liked not least Kouros. However, there was always something which intrigued me in the other notes, spicy/herbal glimpses of something really quite amazing and definitely unique. However, this was older formulations and trying it again and again over the years I'm either.... Starting to warm to it? my tastes have changed? Antaeus is so bloody complex I'm smelling different things everytime? The formula has and is constantly evolving so much I'm smelling something new everytime? I really don't know? There's so many factors at work here my mind is reeling. More than likely it will be the diminishing oakmoss and musk which is perhaps starting to reveal the other notes more prominently...I'm really not sure? Thyme, labdanum and clary sage all things I love and maybe they are getting more of a look in? Purists and hardcore fans of Antaeus might disagree but even in it's current format this fragrance asks more questions than it answers, and that (without wanting to get too pretentious about it) is possibly what we all look for...I know I do. So Antaeus hasn't got me convinced but I don't and can't hate it anymore but I'm strangely drawn to sampl it ever couple of years or so. Sorry Not a very useful review, more of a commentary on my ongoing experience.
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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.