Reviews of Cristalle Eau de Toilette (1974)
by Chanel

The initial burst is confusing.... it's not clear what will emerge from the aldehydes. It's a mish-mash of floral, green, and citrus notes. What quickly emerges is a fruity/floral chypre heart that is extremely similar to Diorella. Diorella is a favorite of mine and I'm thus pretty familiar with its intricacies. I tested Cristalle against Diorella, arm to arm, and say that Cristalle is about 80% of Diorella, but with the volume turned down by about half... and by volume I mean sillage, longevity, and just the general robustness of the fruit an floral notes themselves. Diorella was a successful release in 1972. Cristalle was released in '74... can this be coincidence?

Ignoring the Diorella comparison, Cristalle by itself is a solid classic feminine chypre, with a particular emphasis on the lemon notes initially and the floral (hyacinth? really?) later on. Longevity is not great on me - 2-3 hours, and by the time the base merges there's not much to smell.... the heart just fades out.

In and of itself, Cristalle EdT is very nice (avoid the EdP, which is heavy and uncomfortable). In relation to Diorella, I'd choose Diorella.

Aldehydes and citrus are what you get when you apply Cristalle, joined almost immediately by sharp, bitter green notes and a balancing dose of sweet flowers. Cristalle’s components come rushing in at high speed, and arrange themselves with equal haste into a clean, grassy floral heart accord, wrapped in a shimmering cloud of aldehydes and resting on a nutty chypre foundation. The blending of components is exemplary here, so that it soon becomes extremely difficult for me to isolate individual notes.

Bright green floral chypre territory is where Cristalle settles for several hours, with only moderate projection, but paradoxically persistent sillage. As Cristalle ages it does not so much develop as it very slowly fades away, its soft chypre base accord being the last element to exit. Cristalle is one of those cases - like some of the Diptyque scents - where I enjoy the heart accord so much that I’m happy that it remains relatively linear! After spending some time with it, Cristalle impresses me as a very well-made and alluring fragrance in a style well removed from Chanel’s accustomed aldehydic floral manner.

It must be said that some of my best friends are Chanel (Bois des Iles, Cuir de Russie, No. 19 & Coco). At a department store I tried No. 5 edt, Allure, Chance, and Coco Mademoiselle and couldn't stand any of them, but Cristalle struck me as lovely. I don't think of it as particularly challenging, but fresh-faced -- the perfect antidote to the heat & humidity of summer due to its so sharp, lush greens and pungent citrus. As with most Chanels, Cristalle smells of quality, sophistication, and perfumer's vision. But unlike Cuir de Russie or Bois des Iles, this isn't particularly sexy to me. It's big green like Ivoire, clean like Ma Griffe, but not as metallic chic a chypre as Calandre or Rive Gauche -- which have a smart wryness to them. Cristalle reminds me of a restrained but socially confidant, no-nonsense woman in tennis whites at the country club, stopping for a sparkling mineral water with a twist of lemon on a hot July day. There isn't even a hint of Bohemianism or indulgence here at all--just squeaky clean, bitter green soap. Pretty. Refreshing. Tight. Maybe face-lift tight! Still, I'll wear it happily in July/August to cut the heat... even if it does feel like someone else's perfume.

Cristalle EdT is the closest I have got to Ma Griffe, who was the first fraganse I ever owned, many, many years ago. It is a pitty I can´t compare them, as I don´t own Ma Griffe today, but they must be very similar. The feeling of freshnes and brightnes Cristalle gives me is the very same feeling I remember so well from wearing Ma Griffe. I can´t find Ma Griffe, it is not for sale in my country, so I am really very happy for having found Cristalle EdT instead.

The top note is very harsh. But once this scent warms up it is delightful. Very sophisticated green, citrus scent with a warm undertone. One of my favorites, but my hubby and friends think it is just so-so.

I bought this in the early eighties, and it became my second fave ( first being No 5). I always associate it with having lots of fun as it is sparkling, light green and quite cheeky. Longevity is fantastic for such a light fragrance. I do find it similar to Diorella, but as this fragrance has poor longevity on my skin, I will choose Cristalle every time. This always attracts comments when I wear it, but sadly mostly from women!!

This is a great bitter floral with a sparkly zing (the lemon probably) that makes it one-of-a-kind. It is well-balanced and dries down to a soft woodsy-powdery smell, fresh but restrained. One of my top three favorites.

Cristalle is a truly beautiful fragrance. It is so gentle and delicate but at the same time strong and powerful. It's a little sharp at the very beginng but after a while it calms down and shows its incredibly sexy and subtle face. I absolutely adore EDT version, EDP as a "modern" "refreshed" version is just different and - in my opinion - has nothing to do with the original EDT Cristalle. A real masterpiece together with "Libertine" by V.Westwood!

Yes, the Eau de Toilette blend of Cristalle is still very lovely and seems to have kept its quality. This is the "good' Chanel.

For me, Cristalle was my No.5. In my memory, it was transparent with light citrus top notes, dry middle note on a beautiful powdery base. Elegant, refined, chic, clean and very wearable for everyday.

Cristalle EdT is an easy to wear green-fruity chypre. It smells like a cross between Diorella and YSL's Y, though, unlike Diorella, it doesn't have the dark base notes. And it's also a bit fruitier than Y, especially in the top notes. Cristalle EdT is another masterpiece from the great Henri Robert, the nose who developed Muguet des Bois for Coty in the '40s and Chanel No 19 in the late '60s. Like many chypres, Cristalle is versatile enough to go from office to evening out, as long as the evening out isn't too formal. Sillage and lasting power are both good. Notes include bright greens, lemon, honeysuckle, rose, woods and moss. Cristalle is a sparkling, high energy chypre, as classy today as it was when introduced over 30 years ago. My only wish for Cristalle EdT is that Chanel would promote it; it deserves better than the slight attention it receives in the States.

My old roomie from Singapore used to wear this, because her boyfriend practically drooled whenever she did. I liked the way it smelled on her, too, but on myself, UGH! No way. It's quite strong and metallic, like sucking on a copper penny, and it kind of makes me nauseous if I don't wash it off within 20 minutes. It must be our different skin chemistries.

Very citrusy. And you can smell it a mile away.

I first bought Cristalle when I was 16 and on my first trip abroad. I loved it so, that I hardly ever used it. Now, over 20 years later, I find that I still return to it (and yes, now I use it)! A very fresh, yet completely soft and feminine scent - - it is very different from modern citrus-based varieties. Buyer beware - - do not make the same mistake that I did and purchase the EDP, as it is a COMPLETELY different composition and bears little to no resemblance to the EDT.

After reading the fragrance notes in Crystalle, I was all set to love this scent. However, after a squirt on the wrist all I could smell was lemon furniture polish surrounded by greens. Even though my body has rejected this particular potion, it has welcomed No.5, No.19 and Coco with a loving chemistry! When all is said and done ~ Chanel IS quality, and you certainly will find your love connection somewhere within their fragrance line!

I, too, began wearing this while in my 20's and through 25+ years of fragrance addiction it remains my ultimate favorite.

I can credit Cristalle with what little fragrance knowledge I have. Sephora in Paris listed its notes. I had never seen that done before and from that I came to understand what I like: Chyphre, vetiver. I experiment with those, have my torrid affairs with them and always, always, return to my beloved Cristalle.

Cristalle was my very first Chanel fragrance. I wore it when I was in my early 20s, so I have a plethora of scent-associations with it! Some memories are good, some are painful, some are beautiful, and Chanel Cristalle is the perfect incarnation of these emotions. Cristalle smells young and fresh, but it has a very stable base that is elegant, refined, and timeless. Cristalle can accompany a woman through all stages of her life, and remain lovely, positive, and utterly striking.