Antaeus by Chanel is a Woody Chypre Eau de Toilette fragrance for men. Antaeus was launched in 1981. The nose behind this fragrance is Chanel perfumer Jacques Polge.
Antaeus has been a relatively popular scent since its release, but today still, it’s a standalone fragrance, not having inspired any flankers. This Woody Chypre fragrance has the following keynotes: Bergamot, Lime, Lemon, Jasmine, Rose, Patchouli, and labdanum.
A note from Chanel:
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. Myrtle and sage, lime and thyme have united to give the fragrance a special freshness and masculine character. The fragrance is warming up and becomes intensive at the end due to patchouli, sandal and labdanum in the base. Sharp animalistic nuance is brought in by the notes of castoreum and leather
| Perfume Name | Antaeus |
| Brand | Chanel |
| Year Released | 1981 |
| Concentration | Eau de Toilette |
| Scent Family | Woody Chypre |
| Gender | men |
On a recent visit to my cousin, I saw he changed his fragrance to Antaeus so I decided to also give it a try. This is my thought on Antaeus by Chanel.
What does Antaeus by Chanel smell like?
Antaeus smells dark and leathery and like an expensive oud. There are some woody and herbal notes in Antaeus to give it a masculine aromatic edge, but what dominates by far is the base blend of labdanum and castoreum.
I really didn’t know what to expect from this scent as although it has been around for about four decades, I’ve never tried it before. The words that immediately came to mind when I sprayed is that it’s authoritative, intimidating, dark and brooding. It’s something that a well-dressed and very powerful villain would wear. It definitely reminded me a lot of ELDO’s Rien Incense Intense
| Top Notes | Myrhh, Clary Sage, Coriander, Bergamot, Lime and Amalfi Lemon |
| Middle Notes | Rose, Thyme, Basil and Jasmine |
| Base Notes | Castoreum, Oakmoss, Patchouli and French labdanum |
My Experience
I’m definitely a Chanel fan and I know I usually prefer the dry down of Chanel scents instead of the opening. However, with Antaeus, it was quite the opposite at first for me. The citrus notes in the opening were phenomenal. It was warm and delicious, and I didn’t want this to pass.
After about half an hour, the strong citrus opening started making way for the next stage. Lovely warm and crisp roses and indolic jasmine took center stage. By this point, I thought Antaeus was definitely a unisex scent, as there was something a bit feminine about it. This lasted for about an hour, give or take.
Surprisingly I felt the dry down was completely male. I expected the scent to retain its unisex character until the end, but that wasn’t at all the case. The dry down was quite pungent, almost sweaty. It’s definitely highly animalic. The dry down wasn’t bad per se, but personally, it paled in comparison to the beautiful opening.
I could definitely pick up a lot of the Patchouli and labdanum in the end, but the Oakmoss note never really appeared to me.
Sillage & Projection
The sillage is pretty strong. I’ve heard people complain that the current formulations are nothing like the vintage ones. However, I’ve never tried a vintage bottle, and I still think the sillage is really good – I’d rate it an 8 out of 10.
The projection is also quite strong, it’s worth mentioning that someone ought to be careful with the sprays. If in doubt — rather underspray. Overall, 8.5 out of 10 for projection.
Longevity & Versatility
Antaeus is absolutely a winter scent! It would also be appropriate for the colder autumn months. I think in the summer, it could easily almost smell sweaty, so I’d not even try it out during this season.
It’s a pretty versatile scent, so as long as you’re wearing it during the colder months, it’s something you can wear anywhere. It is office-proof as long as someone doesn’t overspray.
The longevity is fantastic. I sprayed it on in the morning, and I could still it by the end of the evening when I went to bed. I’d score longevity a 9 out of 10.
Closing thoughts
It’s a pretty unique scent in today’s times as there are a lot of people that think it’s dated, so they wouldn’t even try it. I say try it out yourself first before discarding it as a possible great addition to your collection. It also serves as a great entry point to the chypre genre, not seen any more today. So if you’re someone looking to explore new kinds of scents in a style that’s not dominating the market today, then you absolutely have to try Antaeus.
I’ve heard people call this a great unisex scent. Personally, I think it leans very masculine. However, if you are a woman that enjoys dry and dark moody winter fragrances, then I’d say go ahead and experiment with it.