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Pour Monsieur by Chanel discontinued!?!?

post #1 of 43
2/9/10 at 12:56pm
Thread Starter 
not the concentree (very different), I can't find it anywhere......I CAN"T BELIEVE IT.
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post #2 of 43
2/9/10 at 12:58pm
Maybe this is part of some "exclusivity campaign" on the part of the company/distributors...call around and see if you can mail order this.

Try Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City... 212-940-2152
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post #3 of 43
2/9/10 at 1:03pm
As long as I can remember, Chanel PM has been incredibly difficult to get in the U.S. There's enough oakmoss in it that I suppose it could be discontinued, but I've certainly never heard that was happening. Can European BNers confirm its continuing presence in, e.g., better drugstores throughout Germany?
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post #4 of 43
2/9/10 at 1:04pm
I don't think that Chanel is risking to do this.
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post #5 of 43
2/9/10 at 1:07pm
Here:
http://www.fragrancenow.com/fragranc...sp?brandID=980

It's a legit site. They also have a brick and mortar shop in Los Angeles called Universal Perfumeria. Very nice folks that run the place!
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post #6 of 43
2/9/10 at 1:07pm
Chanel Pour Monsieur is still available in stores in Europe. This question seems to come up fairly often...
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post #7 of 43
2/9/10 at 1:28pm
You can find it fairly easily in Canada as well
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post #8 of 43
2/9/10 at 1:49pm
It's an odd one...seems to not be available in U.S. through Chanel's normal channels, but can be found a variety of places.
BUT, you must be very explicit when ordering anywhere. I believe a large number of people who sell it don't make the "concentree" distinction the way we do...
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post #9 of 43
2/9/10 at 2:05pm
It is not available in the US. It hasn't been for quite a while now. I spoke with Chanel and they have no plans to reintroduce it into the US market. I'm sure that it didn't sell well here.
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post #10 of 43
2/9/10 at 3:47pm
they sell it at sephora at my local mall for $75
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post #11 of 43
2/9/10 at 3:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by thierry mugler View Post

they sell it at sephora at my local mall for $75

They sell the Non-Concentree at your Sephora? That's odd. I wonder if they have old stock there. Chanel says they have no plans on putting the original (non-concentree) formula back on the US market.
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post #12 of 43
2/9/10 at 3:57pm
strawberrynet.com has it
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post #13 of 43
2/9/10 at 4:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYCBoy View Post

strawberrynet.com has it

I've also seen it at a lot of the overstock perfumeries in shopping centers and malls too... anywhere that carries overstock and older stock will often have it. If you are in another country or have friends going out of the country, pick up a few bottles... that's what I do. I just picked up some at Sephora in Paris...
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post #14 of 43
2/9/10 at 6:40pm
If all this is true, another one bites the dust. BTW, I have purchased this at perfumania about a year ago, and around the same time all Sephora's in NYC had it. not so sure now, have to check it out
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post #15 of 43
2/9/10 at 6:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by seasoldiermarine View Post

If all this is true, another one bites the dust. BTW, I have purchased this at perfumania about a year ago, and around the same time all Sephora's in NYC had it. not so sure now, have to check it out

They stopped distributing in in America at least a couple of years ago... they still produce it. It is a top seller in other countries. You can still get it, just not at department stores.
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post #16 of 43
2/9/10 at 7:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken_Russell View Post

I don't think that Chanel is risking to do this.

I have to agree.....this would not be smart at this time.....Gary
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post #17 of 43
2/9/10 at 7:40pm
I have seen this at my local Sephora. I really have not paid attention to know whether it is the concentree. I will check it out next time I am at the mall.
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post #18 of 43
2/9/10 at 7:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by arwen_elf View Post

I have seen this at my local Sephora. I really have not paid attention to know whether it is the concentree. I will check it out next time I am at the mall.

Pretty sure it's the concentree. It's pretty subtle marking on the box and bottle. The original and variants thereof are greenish in a tall square shaped bottles. Concentree is more yellowish in a tall rectangle.

There's a store in Bev Hills that has a bunch of the variants that are not the "concentree." I'm so confused....
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post #19 of 43
2/9/10 at 9:58pm
the original is available here in my country but not the concentree
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post #20 of 43
2/10/10 at 5:51pm
Chanel's marketing of PM and PMC completely confuses me. I've never smelled PMC, but my sense is that it is an entirely different perfume from PM. PM--which I own and like--is a chypre (perhaps the classic masculine chypre). PMC is an oriental. Both have their fans. Nobody, as far as I know, thinks the two are very similar to each other. Yet Chanel packages them in a way that it takes an expert to tell them apart. And they don't even bother marketing PM in the U.S. (and in other countries the opposite is the case). PMC seems ill-served by its flanker status. I've read a number of people speculating that it would be a more highly regarded fragrance if it weren't seen as failing to be a more concentrated version of PM. And one always risks getting the wrong scent, especially buying online.
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post #21 of 43
2/10/10 at 9:30pm
I was just checking the Chanel website. The websites for Canada, Europe, and Latin America feature both the original and the concentree, while the U.S. site features only the concentree.
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post #22 of 43
2/10/10 at 10:40pm
No, I can buy it here in Romania right now !
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post #23 of 43
2/10/10 at 11:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by arwen_elf View Post

I was just checking the Chanel website. The websites for Canada, Europe, and Latin America feature both the original and the concentree, while the U.S. site features only the concentree.

That is correct. Like I said they are NOT selling it in the States. Only the Concentree. They have no plans on selling it in the States anytime in the foreseeable future. I swear this is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth; I would never purger myself on a basenotes forum.

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post #24 of 43
2/10/10 at 11:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhinClio View Post

Chanel's marketing of PM and PMC completely confuses me. I've never smelled PMC, but my sense is that it is an entirely different perfume from PM. PM--which I own and like--is a chypre (perhaps the classic masculine chypre). PMC is an oriental. Both have their fans. Nobody, as far as I know, thinks the two are very similar to each other. Yet Chanel packages them in a way that it takes an expert to tell them apart. And they don't even bother marketing PM in the U.S. (and in other countries the opposite is the case). PMC seems ill-served by its flanker status. I've read a number of people speculating that it would be a more highly regarded fragrance if it weren't seen as failing to be a more concentrated version of PM. And one always risks getting the wrong scent, especially buying online.

I think this is exactly right. The Sephoras in my area that I've visited only have the concentree version and the staff has been confused when I've asked about the other Pour Monsieur. I think they're both great (and very different) fragrances. I own the non-concentree, but would be happy to wear the concentree too. From my repeated wrist wearings of the concentree, I found it had superior longevity, which the non-concentree doesn't have. Longevity with a different scent or smell however.
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post #25 of 43
2/10/10 at 11:39pm
They are both different scents as far as my nose is concerned. I can easily find Pour Monsieur at the Chanel counters here. Too bad it is simply too fleeting for the price it retails for. I'd much rather wear Cristalle.
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post #26 of 43
2/11/10 at 12:02am
I agree they are different scents, but I also think that they share a lot of similarities. PMC is an obvious PM flanker as far as I'm concerned... they aren't as different as night and day as it is so often alluded on these boards. The original is definitely chypre, and fleeting; PMC is definitely at best a sweet chypre, or more probably an oriental. But the scents do obviously have much in common to my nose.

I just think from a marketing standpoint Chanel could have saved much criticism and probably made more fans of PMC out of PM customers if they had just changed the name. But, having said that, PMC sells pretty darned well, so I guess they are laughing all the way to the bank.
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post #27 of 43
2/11/10 at 12:06am
I think the bottle difference is pretty obvious. The Concentree is flat rectangular while the Original is square. Here are a couple pictures:

Chanel Pour Monsieur (original)



Chanel Pour Monsieur Concentree
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post #28 of 43
2/11/10 at 2:20am
Chanel Pour Monsieur was widely available in the UK in department stores and high street shops such as Boots (similar to Sephora but with pharmacy elements) until the end of last year. Then, in about November, the banks of PM on the shelves were suddenly replaced with rows of Allure pour Homme/Sport/Blance etc., not that there was any shortage of those in the first place.

Pour Monsieur can still be found, but needs to be hunted down and is rarely discounted. Could this be evidence of a recall due to the new IFRA regulations and the need to reformulate?
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post #29 of 43
2/11/10 at 2:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Largo View Post

Pour Monsieur can still be found, but needs to be hunted down and is rarely discounted. Could this be evidence of a recall due to the new IFRA regulations and the need to reformulate?

I have no insider information but my experienced guess as an outsider is that it's a marketing decision. It wouldn't make sense for something to be removed in advance of a reformulation and I don't expect any guidelines or regulations would call for such either. I would make more sense just to sell as much of the "old" as one can and try to resupply with the "new" in as seamless a way as possible.

As an outside speculator I wonder if their use of the same name (the concentree version even seems to hide the very important "concentree") hasn't doomed the non-concentree. Customers thinking they're buying one go home with the other and are upset. Return bottles and complain. Leaves a bad impression on the company. Few sales people probably know the difference also. Leads to problems. Company looks bad, and the selling company (Sephora or Boots) gets a headache and risks looking bad too.

Also perhaps the older one just isn't selling well. Its loyal fans might be wearing it in their graves as we post. The concentree is almost surely less expensive to produce. The company would stick with it.
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post #30 of 43
2/11/10 at 4:32am
I was going to say that they have it at my Sephora too. I went to the site and sure enough, it was the Concentree. Kind of exciting actually. All this time I thought I had sampled PM. Now I know what I am going to sample next time I travel to the EU for business.
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post #31 of 43
2/14/10 at 7:48am
I bought a bottle in Ireland yesterday. Incidentally, it no longer has the leaflet enclosed that claims it hasn't changed since 1955, so they're either not pretending anymore, or they've messed with it again. The allergens list is still the same though.
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post #32 of 43
2/14/10 at 9:04am
In my experience, if you're looking to buy the original, you'd best take responsibility yourself for determining which you're getting. (The picture above is great reference). The average store or online SA is likely just going to tell you it's Chanel Pour Monsieur. If you press them on the "concentree", they'll just say it's the same formula but more concentrated which isn't exactly true.
The possibility is also real that they won't even notice/pay attention to the small "concentree" written on box and bottle.

Opinions vary on the juice itself. I've seen some in here who tried both that say the differences are minimal. Others think the original is the gold standard of men's frags and the concentree version is a dreadful flanker.

There does seem to pretty widespread agreement though that the original, wonderful though it may be, has no legs and is very fleeting. I have the concentree version and it's a nice enough scent to me. But it too a little light in the longevity department.
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post #33 of 43
2/14/10 at 2:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sean-dt View Post

I bought a bottle in Ireland yesterday. Incidentally, it no longer has the leaflet enclosed that claims it hasn't changed since 1955, so they're either not pretending anymore, or they've messed with it again. The allergens list is still the same though.

They actually enclose leaflets saying that? Interesting, I'd love to see the actual wording. **dreams of false advertising lawsuits for shameless reformulaters**

And did your bottle still have Oak Moss on it? The ones I've seen recently only list Treemoss on the allergens.
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post #34 of 43
2/14/10 at 3:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zizanioides View Post

They actually enclose leaflets saying that? Interesting, I'd love to see the actual wording. **dreams of false advertising lawsuits for shameless reformulaters**

And did your bottle still have Oak Moss on it? The ones I've seen recently only list Treemoss on the allergens.

This is from the leaflet from my old bottle bought in 2009:

"Ever since 1955, the natural materials that go to make your Pour Monsieur Eau de Toilette have remained unchanged.

The process of selection by the creator of Parfums de CHANEL is always extremely rigorous.

Because these are natural ingredients, their colour may change over a period of time.

From one bottle to another, your Pour Monsieur Eau de Toilette may show slight variations in colour, while remaining true to its unique, timelessly elegant fragrance."


The allergens list on the box is the same down to the inclusion of oakmoss. I didn't realise about the treemoss in newer bottles, so I must have managed to beat the latest reformulation. Still, I don't think this bottle is quite as good as the one I bought a year ago.
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post #35 of 43
2/14/10 at 3:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sean-dt View Post

This is from the leaflet from my old bottle bought in 2009:

"Ever since 1955, the natural materials that go to make your Pour Monsieur Eau de Toilette have remained unchanged.

The process of selection by the creator of Parfums de CHANEL is always extremely rigorous.

Because these are natural ingredients, their colour may change over a period of time.

From one bottle to another, your Pour Monsieur Eau de Toilette may show slight variations in colour, while remaining true to its unique, timelessly elegant fragrance."


The allergens list on the box is the same down to the inclusion of oakmoss. I didn't realise about the treemoss in newer bottles, so I must have managed to beat the latest reformulation. Still, I don't think this bottle is quite as good as the one I bought a year ago.

Many thanks =)
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post #36 of 43
2/14/10 at 5:47pm
What accounts for the recent substitution of treemoss for oakmoss in so many frags (in addition to PM, my recently purchased bottle of Bandit is now oakmoss-free)? My understanding was that the two ingredients are similarly limited by IFRA.
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post #37 of 43
2/15/10 at 7:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhinClio View Post

What accounts for the recent substitution of treemoss for oakmoss in so many frags (in addition to PM, my recently purchased bottle of Bandit is now oakmoss-free)? My understanding was that the two ingredients are similarly limited by IFRA.

I'm not entirely sure. One theory is that there are many Oakmoss substitutes out there but no decent synthetic Treemoss.
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post #38 of 43
2/15/10 at 8:02am
It does seem to be getting harder and harder to find , one assistant told me that PM is being discontinued in favour of concentree but it does seem available in a few places here . My last bottle brought last year does have oakmoss listed in the ingredients
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post #39 of 43
2/15/10 at 5:51pm
I saw Pour Monsieur (non-concentree) at Saks here in Portland the other day. It's still out there. I think Chanel is trying to clamp down on their distribution channels which is confusing people into thinking they're being discontinued. Maybe at a particular store but not completely.
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post #40 of 43
2/15/10 at 6:30pm
Funny that, in Australia, only the regular CpM is available. Can't find CpM Concentree here.

But also in Australia, it's Egoiste Platinum that's available - regular Egoiste is impossible to find.
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post #41 of 43
2/15/10 at 8:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DocmanCC View Post

I saw Pour Monsieur (non-concentree) at Saks here in Portland the other day. It's still out there. I think Chanel is trying to clamp down on their distribution channels which is confusing people into thinking they're being discontinued. Maybe at a particular store but not completely.

I found what I thought was PM; looked just like it; turned out to be aftershave moisturizer.
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post #42 of 43
2/15/10 at 9:22pm
Ah, I didn't have a close look. Next time I swing by that neighborhood I will have to check.
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post #43 of 43
2/15/10 at 9:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DocmanCC View Post

Ah, I didn't have a close look. Next time I swing by that neighborhood I will have to check.

If it is PM, I'd buy it up... you can always sell it on.
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