My first thread, and what a sad one... Égoïste reformulation? A Christmas tragedy by Norstrøm.

[Norstrøm]

It was Christmas Eve, and oh how I joyfully opened my presents. One present in particular was very joybringing - a new bottle of Égoïste from my girlfriend. A bit later I sneaked into the bedroom to open the box, and smell the precious liquid inside. It was a glory glory moment, as I peeled off the plastic wrapping and opened the cardboard box, for I knew what was awaiting inside. The Égoïste bottle, as beautiful as ever, with the usual feel and weight in my hand, giving me the impression of being reunited with an old friend.

But now the plot thickens...

I gave it the usual spray in the cap, as I always do, to be able to smell it when not wearing it. Something was wrong, something was very wrong... I put it away as olfactory fatigue or perhaps my senses had been overwhelmed by dinner and wine. I went on with the Christmas schedule, visiting family and having Christmas lunches. But my longing to wear Égoïste finally overcame me this morning, and I took it out of the box and sprayed away after the shower.

Emptiness... Like a faded old photograph, all that remained were recognisable, and yet strange figures. It felt as if the soul had been siphoned out of the bottle, leaving what remained weak and disfigured.

The initial blast of the vintage and the similar, but somewhat harsher blast of my 2010 bottle, had but completely vanished. Now, almost an hour later, I am left with a similar heart/base stretched thin and weak, like Bilbo Baggins' life and soul from wearing the One Ring.

Oh, how I hope that my senses have been playing a trick on me. That the change in diet at Christmas and the emotional aspect of it, has somehow temporarily changed my sense of smell, and that when I arrive home after my Christmas tour, I can spray again and be comforted by Chanel Égoïste, like I once was.

If I find that my senses have not been tricking me, and that another reformulation has in fact taken place, I will dearly treasure my full vintage bottle, and the 1/4 full 2010 bottle I have left.

["Scentapede"]

I just bought a bottle straight from www.chanel.com and the juice is the same strong and powerful blast as my bottle from the late 90's. BTW when you Buy a fresh bottle from Chanel it comes in a nice black bag. did u get that bag? Maybe she got a fake. Ive seen many fake Egoistes and smelled some bottles that were badly stored hence ruining the juice. If you buy straight from Chanel they guarantee fresh juice and i buy ALOT from www.chanel.com

Some pics of your new bottle may help bc i literally just got a new bottle from Chanel this Christmas. We can compare bottles if you want. Im not good w pics on here but id be happy to email u pics of my new box n bottle. Let me know via PM Buddy.

Listen, if it smells off or is even a fake, return it and purchase from www.chanel.com. My advice wear it a few more times, if it is still off, return it and keep your GF up to speed, likely she will understand and be totally cool. I totally feel for ya bc Egoiste, like many, is my grail.

PS, just a thought, i just checked, my box had very thin black cardboard with like lines in it. Hard to explain but again PM me for pics.

[hednic]

I'd just give it a few more wearings.

[NewHaarlem]

I just bought a 100 ml bottle directly from Chanel's website on January 2012. Its first couple of sprays (probably around 3 full wearings) smelled different. But after that, the same old (latest reformulation/clear juice) Egoiste -- smell-, projection-, and longevity-wise. I guess sometimes, you have to throw away its "top," just like whiskey.

[change1]

Smells the same to me... women still go nuts when i wear egoiste.... chasing me down at the mall asking me what i am wearing?

[döfä91]

A good example of how the most reformulations are bad. @Norstrøm, i engourage you to get yourself a good old vintage Egoiste !

[Norstrøm]

@"Scentapede"
She bought it at a Chanel Boutique, Chanel wrapping and everything, so it is not a fake. It is quite fresh as the batch code dates it to July 2012. I know the store and they store their frags pretty well.

@hednic and NewHaarlem
I hope that you are right, and the bottle just needs to settle and get some air. After a while the new bottle dried down to a light Égoïsty scent, so perhaps they just tweaked the, to some people, challenging/aggressive top, and kept the heart/base, albeit in a lighter version.

I will give it some wearings and see how it gets. Just the thought that it could have been reformulated again, caused me to panic

[cacio]

Scary news. The testers I've smelled casually here in the US this year still smelled ok. But these years we've been used to everything, even from Chanel.

cacio

[Donimo]

Like a faded old photograph, all that remained were recognisable, and yet strange figures. It felt as if the soul had been siphoned out of the bottle, leaving what remained weak and disfigured.
. . .
If I find that my senses have not been tricking me, and that another reformulation has in fact taken place, I will dearly treasure my full vintage bottle, and the 1/4 full 2010 bottle I have left.

Alas, I must agree. The bottle I received this week (direct from chanel.com) is obviously Egoiste, but substantially weaker than before. Longevity seems like a couple of hours at most right now. I still recall the first sample I received maybe 2 years ago from the Perfumed Court. It was the darker shade, and it made me swoon. This is a pale comparison. One which I will still wear happily, but it's making me hunt out some vintage bottles...

Donimo

[NewHaarlem]

Does anyone know if there is any difference between the current reformulation (lighter juice) of Egoiste that are made in USA vs France?

[RunSun]

This would be sad news indeed as Egoiste is literally the only Chanel I care about, Bleu is alright, but nothing I'd lose sleep over if it suddenly vanished. Might have to try begging my overseas friends to buy my future bottles if the USA stock is a weaker formulation.

[EarNoseThroat]

there is no difference

Does anyone know if there is any difference between the current reformulation (lighter juice) of Egoiste that are made in USA vs France?

[ILikePeeps]

Arg.. I ordered (blind? :P) Egoiste recently, and it might get here this week...

Thus, I don't know if it is a newer reformulated (if applicable) or a regular kind within the past however long since last reformulation?

:/

[ChuckW]

If I order any, it will be straight from Chanel. Heck, they're cheaper than eBay 90% of the time. Chanel scents aren't discounted much on the web.

[ILikePeeps]

If I order any, it will be straight from Chanel. Heck, they're cheaper than eBay 90% of the time. Chanel scents aren't discounted much on the web.

Not sure if you were replying to anyone specifically, or in general, or what. But anywho, I ordered directly from Chanel. That's the only way I've gotten actual bottle sizes of my Chanel's, is ordering directly through their site. .

[DieNase]

I'm shocked. Pleas keep us up do date. I wanted to buy a backup months ago and somehow didn't do it... didm't feel it was so urgent...

[Bigsly]

Newtown was a "Christmas tragedy," not a scent reformulation. That said, about a year ago I had to tell myself not to buy any of these frags unless I knew it was the original formulation or I wanted the reformulation or it was so cheap I knew I could easily get my money back quickly.

[cameron]

I agree with the poster who mentioned the little black back when buying from Chanel directly. It's a nice added bonus!

[aphexacid]

I just bought a bottle from Neimans about 3 weeks ago.
Serial 5101. Supposedly march 2012. Smells exactly like it should!

["Scentapede"]

@Jouho Enjoy ur black bag and 2 samples. What samples did you choose?

Chanel only sells a 3.4 oz. bottle of Egoiste, no other sizes of it.

[ILikePeeps]

@Jouho Enjoy ur black bag and 2 samples. What samples did you choose?

COMPLIMENTARY SAMPLES
INIMITABLE INTENSE MASCARA - 0.03 fl.oz. 095810
COCO NOIR VOC 0.07 fl oz 045508

The CNV was maybe the only frag sample available. I may give both away to 1 or 2 females, heh.
Looking forward to the Egoiste getting in. There's actually 5 frags that I've ordered that'll get here all maybe within the next week or so.

["Scentapede"]

@ Jouho doesn't it kinda suck they make you choose make-up and a female scent to sample. LOL thought they just got me with it but guess they hit us all w it. At least my Mom loves it. LOL

Im so happy you used the Chanel site you'll get some nice fresh juice. Seriously, enjoy it dude!

[ILikePeeps]

@ Jouho doesn't it kinda suck they make you choose make-up and a female scent to sample. LOL thought they just got me with it but guess they hit us all w it. At least my Mom loves it. LOL

Im so happy you used the Chanel site you'll get some nice fresh juice. Seriously, enjoy it dude!

Thanks, . I've also ordered bottles of Bleu de Chanel, and Allure Homme Édition Blanche from the site before, and chose samples as well :P. I really like the look of the Allure Homme Sport bottle and that type.

[Norstrøm]

Took a break from wearing it, to see if I could reset my nose and try it with a fresh nose. It smells very Égoïste now, but (much!) lighter and with a much more fruity vibe to it. It is though still different from the vintage and first(?) reformulation, and I think have to sadly conclude that another reformulation has taken place. Damn I hope something was wrong with the bottle I got...

[frostyicy]

Norstrom your opening post was very poetic, this line....

"Emptiness... Like a faded old photograph, all that remained were recognisable, and yet strange figures. It felt as if the soul had been siphoned out of the bottle, leaving what remained weak and disfigured."

Was very Edgar Allan Poeish I must say. Very suspenseful, eerie, cryptic and somewhat cold in nature. Kudos to you on that front.

Sorry about the reformed bottled that you possibly received though man. That is not cool at all!!!

[sjg3839]

Sad. Seems like these companies are reformulating everything except quality and lower prices.

[rum]

I got my Égoïste just before Christmas. It was a 'pre-Christmas treat' for myself.

I had sampled it before at Selfridges in central London (at the official Chanel counter) and didn't think much of it. After a kind fellow Basenoter sent me a sample from his bottle following a trade, I fell in love and was totally hooked! I just had to have it so I went back to Selfridges at my earliest opportunity. The 'thing' at the counter was absolutely vile!! It didn't resemble sandalwood; it didn't resemble rose or any woody notes for that matter. It just smelt of some synthetic ingredients and to be honest I can't think of anything similar to describe it!! I was obviously concerned but I challenged the retarded sales assistants, who clearly had no idea what I was after. They even tried to sell me the Platinum version...

I almost walked right out, but having come so far, I eventually bought the 100ml EdT. I took it home and didn't open it for days... I contemplated returning it. I had to email back and forth and eventually was told to check the batch code in case the product was from the time of Noah. Fortunately, it showed up as July 2012 and so I opened it that night. It took a couple of sprays to develop and then it really smelt nice after that. I am really in love with the scent, but at the same time annoyed that a large store such as Selfridges can have such an old tester out on the display (I can only assume it's an old tester). It obviously robs people who have never heard of it of the chance to discover it! I can't for the life of me believe why I've never had this in my wardrobe before. I've now got rid of my bottle of Sycomore (didn't like the aldehyde notes) and will keep Égoïste as my only Chanel.

I would offer the following advice to the OP:

- Definitely check the batch code out online
- DO NOT OVERSPRAY this one!!! It can get spoilt quite easily if you do too many sprays.
- Be careful how you store it. If my 'tester' in the store story above is anything to go by, it could be that this juice goes bad easily.

Just my tuppence worth and hope this is of use to some of you.

NB: I really wish Chanel would get their act together and create an online ordering service for the UK!! This is long over-due.

[NewHaarlem]

Just FYI, I decided to buy a backup bottle (http://www.ebay.com/itm/400377804629) after reading this thread 2 weeks ago. It's a tester bottle with serial number 4401/batch August 2011 (its serial number even matches the one on its plain white tester box, so I'm positive that it's authentic).

I wore it today at work in the 40 °F winter weather. One full spray on each side of my neck and it projected very well the first 4 hours, then moderate for the next 10 hours; it didn't get to the skin scent stage, as I had to take a shower. Same great and reliable Egoiste!

[DieNase]

Hey Nordstrom and anyonyone else, has this reformulation suspicion confirmed true? You scared me to death, I managed to buy a backup - just in case. But do I need a second backup?

[Norstrøm]

It feels like it has been tweaked slightly to make it more up to date, but after having worn it a couple of times the bottle seems to have settled, as an earlier poster put it. It seems much closer to my old non-vintage bottle now. Still noticably different from my vintage bottle though. Perhaps it is all just paranoid delusions, as I always fear that they might turn my favorite scent into a complete mess. I will give the new bottle a couple more wearings again, and report back.

[roman_nik]

You guys know what's sad? It's that now apparently Egoiste from 2008-2010 is considered vintage. I came across Egoiste back in 1996, it was the fragrance that started it all for me. 1st bottle lasted around 4 years, then another bottle and then another bottle. My current bottle is from 2005, purchased at a duty free. Opened it in 2009 (was kept in the dark in my closet)...

The scent was the same, but much weaker in terms of everything - notes, longevity etc.

Guys, 90s Egoiste would easily last 20-24 hours. 1 spray would do it for the whole day. The scent itself was far deeper, more 3D.
As luck would have it, I'm wearing Egoiste today (1st time in several months). I put it on (4 sprays!) this morning (around 7 am), it is now almost 6 pm and I smell the remnants only if I smell my skin directly. It becomes a skin scent about 2-4 hours after the initial application....

And before someone wonders, no, my first bottle was a plain old EDT available in any department store back then (not the Cologne Concentree).

[DieNase]

Hm, I have a vintage bottle from ebay and a bottle from I believe 2011. Of course they are different and the 2011 one is not such a biest. But I cannot really decide which one I prefer. The 2011 one is great! At first I also thought it doesn't last, I put 3 sprays or something. But I believe that is fatigue. Recently I just sprayed one spray to the chest and got whiffs of it throughout the whole day.

- - - Updated - - -

I just want to know ifthe 2012 version is screwed up compared to 2011. I got a backup bottle from 2011 as I never can be without egoiste anymore. But for a lifetime stock I would need some more...
Maybe I should get a fresh bottle from the duty free soon and check myself...

[NewHaarlem]

Last time I wore my 2011 bottle, I over sprayed it -- I did 3 sprays (each side and back of my neck) and it was over powering and gave me headache; it didn't become a skin scent even after 16 hours later. That's why I haven't worn Egoiste in weeks.

[Johnny_Ludlow]

As a side note, more general point about making too hasty conclusions.

Especially when you buy a used bottle, you should turn the bottle upside down and spray away everything that is in the tube. That fragrance is probably been exposed to air for a long time, and for this reason may be turned. This may also be the case in new bottles, although there probably shouldn't be anything in the tube. I often read that people are selling bottles that have been "sprayed once". I hope this is not literally true. For example vintage M7 and vintage Shaal Nur that I've acquired used have been absolutely putrid for the first 2-3 sprays.

To think of it, the bottles that I haven't used for some time doesn't turn like that. It may be some sort of combination of changing temperatures during the mailing and being exposed to air. Who knows...

...anyway, my point is that in the beginning not only your nose, but also the juice might be off, so give it some time.