Cristalle Eau de Parfum

I first experienced this intriguing fragrance as a 17 year old 90s era punk-grunge-raver child. My stepmother asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I thought of an ad I saw in Cosmo. The moody model, and the name itself "CRISTALLE", just spoke to me. To my delight she bought it. I recently turned 44 and decided to gift myself an original 1994 vintage bottle (still sealed in the original cellophane complete with a price tag of $62.50!) for a princely sum off eBay. This trip down memory lane made it so worth it. My skin still loves this stuff. Previous reviewers describe this as "decay". That it smells "cold", "austere", "sharp", and "polarizing". To me this is the mid-morning sun in spring, warming a snow covered hillside somewhere (Lapland, perhaps Iceland) with long, cold, and dark winters. I get the sound of snow melting and water running down an earthen hill to the meadow below. It's the smell of bright, warm sunlight which thaws the frozen bulbs underground, and springs tree buds back to life. There are prismatic rays and sundogs in my mind's eye. New grass grows back lush, thick, and green from the light, warmth, and water. This fragrance whispers "new life" to me. Cristalle opens with zingy citrus and the aldehydes unique to Chanel. I get a rather sweet, crisp lemon blossom, giving way to orange juice. I'm detecting a bitter twist of bergamot as well. The florals then appear. Stemmy and green, I get buds (not mature flowers) of jasmine, ylang ylang, and white rose. I imagine this is what water lilies smell like in an animated dream. Next I get melon. Green, bittersweet, ripe honeydew; and a bit of cucumber. Now there's an herbal accord that smells exactly of lemon verbena, with chamomile and some dill in the background. On the dry down the moss is very forward. It's a wet moss, not dry. What makes it a bit sweet-ish must be the peach, because on my skin Cristalle EDP turns a bit sweet. I'm absolutely in love. Opposed to "cold", Cristalle is the warmth of post-winter sunshine. It's bright aldehydic citrus, followed by fresh cut herbs in lush, green grass, sweetened by melon and realistic smelling exotic flower buds, grounded with earthy vetiver and damp moss. It's strangely carnal to me, only because of personal experiences while wearing this. It causes me to wonder what memories it would evoke in past lovers if they were to catch it's unique trail. I'm so delighted to be experiencing this beautiful and beloved frag again 🤍. Cristalle is a perfect fresh yet earthy chypre. All seasons, day or night. Thank you Coco Chanel and Jacques Polge for this magical gift of olfactory pleasure.

And another vintage Chanel grabs my heart. I recently acquired a vintage Cristalle EDT (golden juice, from the 90s I believe), and am starting to fall for that. And today I received a vintage 4 ml sample of this. The only Polge creation I don’t like is his Eau De Parfum interpretation of No 5, I far prefer vintage EDT and parfum. But this, is another masterpiece under his belt. At first it was hard for me to imagine that I wasn’t wearing the EDT. It seems so similar. Despite changing the notes, and me being able to smell the peach/melon, he really did keep it very close to the original EDT. Wish I could wear this more but full bottles of this are hard to find. Such a shame that Chanel has discontinued this. Might just try to have a talk with customer service about reissuing this, perhaps in their Les Exclusifs line. Update 03/27 - Just scored a 35 ml (1.2 oz) full bottle from the 90s! Literally such a deal that I won’t find again haha. Didn’t come with the box but did come with the original Chanel cosmetic bag it was bundled with back in the 90s. It has that beautiful golden juice, and the text on the bottle is raised more than other bottles I own and almost has a sparkle to it (could actually just be dirty lol). I also can’t check the batch code as it’s only 3 digits. Either one faded or this is some oddity in production from the 90s. But I have a vintage 4 ml splash sample of the EDP, and a vintage .5 oz spray bottle of the EDT and this bottle is definitely real. It hasn’t lost any of its top notes. And honestly after spraying, I think fragrantica might not have the complete notes listed? Or it’s just masterfully blended (it IS both Polge and Chanel). I think* I prefer the EDT, but I still love this. I used to have such a different idea of what a green fragrance was, and the vintage Chanel chypre’s have opened my mind and nose so much. I also find this to be the bridge between the vintage chypres and modern ones. Such a beautiful gem...haha. 🥀

I've just copied and pasted my review for the Cristalle EDT below. To get a sense of the EDP, imagine that description, only refracted through a semi-sheer veil of jasmine, peach, and melon. Have your jasmine/peach/melon semi-sheer goggles on? OK, good. You may proceed: I know Cristalle is supposed to be one of those "chypre" things, but I can't help but see it as another pinnacle in Chanel's pantheon of green scents. (See also: N°19, Bel Respiro.) As I've remarked before in other reviews, Chanel just can't seem to create "green" that isn't flawless. Cristalle is grounded with a weighty galbanum/oakmoss base, and what a wondrous, earthy base it is. Over that, though, it's crystal clear, the hyacinth and citrus and vetiver floating into the sky, bobbing amongst the clouds. The oakmoss holds their balloon strings, ensuring they don't drift too far up into the atmosphere. And, in a way, that's how Cristalle feels too—grounded and clear-headed, bright and purposeful. It's a shame that most department-store Chanel counters no longer stock Cristalle. A criminal shame, if you ask me. If I had a little more muscle and temerity, I'd perform a citizen's arrest. Off to the Hague! ETA: In contrast to many Chanel scents, Cristalle EDP can be found quite affordably. My vintage 30 mL splash only cost me $20 on eBay. I guess there’s an upside to the masses largely (though unacceptably!) forgetting this gem.

Ahhh, such a beauty is my ice queen 🧊👑🍃🪾. Opens crisp, watery cucumber, grassy vetiver, with recognizable juicy orange; soon blooming into the luxurious (not your loud or screechy), elegant, and soapy-clean 90s Chanel floral DNA at the heart. The final drydown is earthy, mossy, sun-drenched (aldehydic) woods wrapped in melon-tipped jasmine. Fresh, yet earthy. Chanel Cristalle is the first thaw after a long, cold winter bottled. Supreme and sophisticated example of a classic floral chypre. The natural oak moss in this 1994 made formula, before IFRA restrictions wiped its use, is everything. I bought a sealed in box 100ml off eBay a few years ago, and it still hasn't turned, all of the notes and nuances are preserved perfectly. A welcome olfactory vacation from modern day highly synthetic reformulations & the cheaply made vanilla-centered gourmands assaulting my senses nowadays. They don't make them like this anymore, and I'd be sad if this fragrance didn't make me so happy. Chanel fragrances do not get the love they deserve. Timeless, classy, elegant, and well put together fragrances for classy people. The hate N°5 gets on social media is a by-product of group thought from a clueless minority, because N°5 is a study in timeless elegance as well. Old money trumps any weird, overpriced niche concept BS. Those who know, know. 🫶🏻

Breathing in Cristalle is to be immersed in a filter of greeny-silver oakmoss, through which all the other scents are witchified. Its the quintessential dappled-forest-wild-flower olfactory garden walk. I initially get verdigris-mandarin with a very ripe, green melon rising and a peach which has absorbed the heady essense of a nearby jasmine. Its magic; odd and fascinating, in a surprising way. After 10 minutes I detect a dusty/musty undertone rising; its the same note I got yesterday when trying Diorella for the first time. It's silvery-grey-green; bittery and woodsy oakmoss which seems, to my nose, eau de bark. It's damp in a dappled woodland which I am appreciating, whereas yesterday it put me off Diorella and seemed to dominate the scent. After an hour the vetiver is rising, and I can now also find honeysyckle and hyacinth with a sticky note of ylang-ylang emerging as well. On my cotton test strip (sprayed an hour ago) I can smell petitgrain (not listed in the notes) as the dominant note, with the grey-silvery-green oakmoss also strongly present and a myriad of florals twined throughout; hyacinth, honeysuckle, jasmine, ylang-ylang and that ripe green melon as well. This is witchy art and I am under its spell this morning. Haiku of the day: bewitched by cristalle silvery grey-green oakmoss shot through with florals

Some days, nothing can compare to Cristalle. The spell is capable to cast is so powerful that one's hands feel like gravitating towards its container. If I could, on those days I would bathe in it. Cristalle is utter sophistication. Enchanting, distinctive without being loud, precious in the way only great creations - of all sort - can ever be. On me, the melon/oakmoss combo dance, enraptured with each other. It's a dance of passion, the water and fire each shaping first a separate, then a common impression in the air. My mind thus keeps twirling around one, then the other, then the both, in a waltz of notes that makes me dizzy. I want to really dance, swirl around to release more of them, then drown in them. Few hours into the spell, jasmine and peach add to the ball, juicy and crisp enough to not obscure the previous duo. At last, ylang ylang and vetiver make their appearance; one dance and they leave, only to return some time later for a goodbye take. It's then that the oakmoss truly gives its best and my mind goes: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace. I love thee to the level of every day’s Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light." Poetry. Cristalle is my most beloved poem.

Cristalle EDP is one of the unsung heroes of Chanel. It is not for everyone as it is quite an unusual Chypre. I love the rather pompous intial explosion of Oakmoss and Mandarin so it is no problem for me. Cristalle does take time to develop and it is strong. At least my vintage EDP version is anyway. As it simmers down from its initial explosion it goes through many different stages. The Melon comes in first and it is lovely. It is not sweet as some would expect. Neither is the Peach which comes in faintly after the Melon. They are balancing to the other green notes and make Cristalle absolutely stunning. The Jasmine becomes noticeable about twenty minutes in and it is gorgeous adding a touch of sweetness. The Ylang-ylang is very faint but I get whiffs of it too. I love this stage the most as it becomes decidedly feminine and earthy. The Vetiver is most detectable on the drydown I have noticed. The boldness of Cristalle is mesmerizing. The overall vibe is decidedly Chanel and expensive. This is similar to Chanel N. 19. So if love it you most likely will love this grandiose juice too. I have not tried the modern version but I am sure it is awesome and complex as well. I give Cristalle vintage 10/10+++ modern ?

Long ago I wrote a review for this unsurpassed creation. I woke up today and felt it was time to revisit it. Close your eyes and imagine to wake up at a lovely, secluded cottage high up on a mountain. The world outside your window is covered in white with dots of bluish green popping out of it. The house is still, but a crackling fire is murmuring its song somewhere, and you both can hear it and feel its warmth. You quickly dress up in thermal clothing, but not so fast as to forget to wear a couple of spritzes of Cristalle. You then rush downstairs to the door, opening it slowly as to savour in anticipation the cold hug you'll get from the unspoilt air. You close your eyes and inhale happily and deeply, slowly, the crisp air. And then you reopen your eyes, caressing with a glance the everlasting bluish green that sprouts in thousands different scents all around, the glittering white shining in your eyes. The warmth of your body brings up the fiery oakmoss and cold, juicy melon notes, from inside your jumper to your nose, and immediately you feel part of that magical and enchanting moment as if it did swallow you whole. An everlasting happy memory is etched now in your soul, not just your mind. Cristalle.

VINTAGE EDP - Extremely elegant oakmoss/vetiver forward scent. Opening is a blast of bitter green oakmoss and earthy vetiver. After a few minutes, faint whiffs of melon, jasmine, ylang, and barely discernable peach appear to soften things discretely along like garnishes served at high tea. It doesn't vary much from the oakmoss/vetiver combo. Oakmoss is dominant here, vetiver always supports. These two elements swirl tightly around each other with fabulous shadowy complexity like the finest couture handwoven black silk scarf. Distinctly dark vegetal green and earthy, but never dirty per se. Clean, but not at all soapy or detergent like. Compact and dense, wears close to the skin. Speaks quietly and never shouts. Cool, controlled, elegant, professional, regal, lovely, and always poised. No sycophantic, cozy, passive/aggressive preening sweets whatsoever on my skin with this one. The consummate professional power scent looking down at you with haughty raised brows of condescending judgment. Look but do not touch. To be worn well when facing your worst professional enemy. What a precious gem. Thank you Chanel.

I'm fast getting the sense that Jacques Polge is your man for modern Chanels. I have Cristalle in EDP, EDT and Eau Verte. The EDP and Eau Verte are my favourite and will sit up there with my older Chanels from about 15 years ago. A proper Chanel in my eyes, gives the feel of, "That's too beautiful to use. It's a special occasion perfume. What the heck, I'm going to use it anyway or maybe, not." This mental toing and froing of whether this is a 'Chanel day or not' is what the luxury of Chanel perfume is all about to me. Cristalle EDP has more weight to it than the EDT, but it still retains its airy white floral essence. It's light but, strong - you don't need a lot of it. The EDT is the original fragrance. Chanel used to release the EDTs first. In re formulations the modern EDP now smells like vintage EDT. I was keen to grab this before it became a boutique exclusive in some countries. This perfume makes me think of walking in a garden with the sun and the breeze in my hair. It's a clear, clean, uplifting but, heavily laden white floral with a whisper of woods.

If Cristalle in EDT is spring in its early, infant stages, with cold frosty nights and tentatively warm days, the EDP is full blown summer, slightly stale, hot humid summer with warm sticky nights and long hazy days. Cristalle EDP is a dense perfume with a green understory. There is a bit of greenery and melon on top, and the melon eventually morphs into a ripe juicy peach, melded with some white flowers. Underneath is a hint of green grass and oakmoss. This EDP is not loud, or particularly long lasting, but the added fruit notes to the mix add a heaviness that the EDT does not possess. Also, there is no hyacinth note, in all her bitter, green, nascent glory. I find the EDP to be a summery sweet perfume, with green grassy undertones, but still less mossy, less 'chypre' than the EDT. My bottle of Cristalle is older, the ingredients simply stated "Water, Parfum, SD40" or some such and that's it. I don't know if it had been reformulated in the meantime.

This was for many many years my Signature Summer Scent. This is Oysters and Champagne on the French Riviera. To me,this was absolute perfection. Always worn with pride and joy. I've never tired of this scent and have gone through many many bottles. No other perfume has ever given me so many compliments. It's hypnotic and ethereal. One of those that you only smell a few times in your life and know that it is part of you and is your smell. My friends won't wear it as they know it's mine and it smells of me. Now the but.......... Unfortunately due to the Oakmoss regulations the recipe has changed. The smell is the same,but it doesn't last or waft off me as it did before. I used to turn heads wearing this,but no longer. I'm heartbroken but will keep buying it and drenching myself more. I hope they find a solution to the problem. I will never stop wearing my favourite scent in the world.

Crisp and classy indeed. Whenever I don’t feel like contemplating what to wear today, my hand always reaches for Cristalle, and the green, citrusy opening leaves me feeling like I can take whatever awaits me. It then evolves into a beautiful blend of oakmoss and vetiver, the joyful citrusy optimism steps away a bit while the bossiness of oakmoss gains the lead. I also detect lily-of-the-valley somehow. It’s interesting how different generations perceive it – my friends (we’re in our twenties) love it while my mum considers it a bit old-fashioned, having been fed up with this kind of fragrances probably. In general, it gives off this cool attitude, it’s not a scent you’d wear to appear conventionally “sexy” and this is a part of why I love it so much. 2016 EDP. Had a vintage decant, it lasted longer, being more rounded with a more prominent oakmoss base note.

There aren’t many hyacinth blends my skin makes friends with but this one has been done so well. It recalls Roudnitska’s famous salty (basil & lemon) and ripe fruit accords but makes it posh. Diorella is wonderful but I think Cristalle EDP takes it up a few notches to modernize the chypre accord. I don’t find the overpowering fish sauce and cilantro accord found in Diorella here. Instead, the animalic fury has been toned down and hazed with jasmine and peach. It’s really wonderfully done. It’s damp and dry at the same time. Floral. Citrusy. Spicy but all done in French flair. Cumin and civet are like flintstones evoking heat for the classical austere chypric accord. Melon, cumin, lemon, basil & moss. Sounds simply structured but it’s a damn chic one. I just wish they transfer it to the same flacon as Chanel 19 EDP. Put it in a decanter flacon!

I love woody scents that are alive with juicy richness. Cristalle is once such perfume that I am happy to have encountered. The melon is this fragrance is not sweet, like the cantaloupe / rock melon pictured above, but green like honeydew, ripe and warm. It tempers the prominent character of oakmoss and vetiver perfectly, smoothing anything sharp or too dry. Jasmine is fairly subtle, somewhat green and woody like sambac, tinged with a little fleshy stonefruit and deepened with a hint of ylang ylang, offering a wisp of skin-like beauty. Cristalle would be perfect for those days when I don't really want to wear perfume or want an understated presence that gives me a confidence boost without being obvious. It feels woody, natural, warm yet quietly vibrant at the same time. This is a foundational, sophisticated, fortifying beauty.

The creme de la creme of vetivers 🤍 When I first owned this, I was slightly disappointed in the scent. It is predominately Oak moss and vetiver after all. Not an instant love for sure. However, it grows on you, and the smoothness of these two notes definitely helps with that. It’s lovely and I’m enamored by it now. It’s a vetiver and oak moss grenade thrown into a ground of orange 🍊 ylang ylang and jasmine. It’s green, fresh, crisp and earthy. It’s surprisingly expensive smelling, as I always envision a wealthy lawyer wearing this. A boss in her field. The longevity is decent on the skin but much better on clothing, especially knits. The bottle is fantastically simple and classy, as with all Chanel but the price will make you cry just a little. Pint of ice cream 🍨 for bank the account sorrows. So Win win. Overall a love 💚

Cristalle to many is a cooling fragrance for summer. To me, it's the crystal silence of a freezing winter morning. It's the frost, it's the stillness, it's the magic of cold. It's the 11:11am wish on December. It stars very classy, kind of dry, I feel that the notes pyramid is reversed on my skin. It starts with a burst of vetiver and earthy oakmoss, one can sense a lemon. Then it gets warmer and warmer with additional notes of melon, ylang-ylang and jasmine. Nothing really fruity in Cristalle. But oh, how I love the way it develops! Clearly this Chanel is my perfect match. Maybe it's because I love cold winter mornings, maybe because frost, silence and cold air in the lungs represent to me everything that is philosophically worth writing about

A few summers ago I rented the most beautiful beach house with some friends in Seaside, Florida. There is nothing “beachy” about this fragrance, but something about this fragrance reminds me of the wet wood scent of that house. It’s earthy and beautiful, like cicadas chirping at an outdoor party in the late summer, but somewhere expensive and rich. I don’t get much citrus in the EDP, but I definitely get the melon, something I never thought I’d enjoy this much in a fragrance. The dry down is literally addicting. For the notes, this is so deep, and so so unique. I love a fragrance that tells a story, and Chanel never fails with that. As a long time lover of Chanel 19 EDP, this is a close second, working its way up to #1 with every wear.

To me Cristalle reminds of winter. Cristalle..... that feeling when you wake up with someone happily exclaiming "It's been snowing! It's been snowing whole night!" And you rush to the window to see... Cristalle.... the snow, just fallen, thick white blanket covering all, the soil, the paths, the trees and the rooftops. It is 10am and the winter sun is coming out, shining its lazy rays on the newly fallen blanket.... Cristalle.... the snow shines and glistens like crystals. At home, all cosy and warm, your dear beloved mother is baking peach pie. The aroma fills the house, leaving you thinking of these two dimentions - the crystalline snow and a winter sun (oakmoss, vetiver), and the warmth of your home (peach, melon, ylang).

CHANEL CRYSTALLE EDP is a very ladylike classy scent. Not the wallflower lady, but strong and confident one. Who's not afraid to take a charge of any situation... That's, at least, what it speaks to me... In my late 20s it was given to me as a gift and it was too strong and even aggressive to me... I didn't have enough confidence to wear it. Now, 10 years later, I decided to give it another chance and I was blown by different stages of developing on my skin.... And the staying power is superb. Even after taking a shower I still have soft and lingering scent on my skin... It's so comforting now... I was going to sell it but after getting to know CRYSTALLE better it's definitely a keeper for me;)