Choc de Cardin

I had no idea that this perfume was reintroduced to the market, not that this would upset me au contraire, the new formulation seems a little more astringent than the classic, which is strange because generally they "sweet" the formula for the new generation, candy pralines lovers. I like the new variant much more, it is slightly modernized not by the sweetness but by the power of the citrus, the citrus part has more power and lasts longer, which in the past was not so, the dominant being the moss , carnation and basil l, the classic ingredients of chypre. This time the citrus keep the balance and gives the combination a much cooler, more vibrant air. I like that I feel the peach and the green notes, which is not the case with the old one, and I certainly approve of the decrease in honey, honey was the reason I avoided this perfume in the 90's, it was much too present on my skin. The civet is to much more balanced in this new form, which is amazing because you can wear it in more high temperature now without choking you. It really feels a lot like the old Rochas formula indeed, but honestly even there I prefer the effervescence of the new formulation. All in all, it is a fantastic perfume for the office, for the suit, for a perfectly professional image, demands respect and coldly defies, but I don't really think that every successful professional woman can wear it, you need to be a little "frozen" very sober, bitter...I certainly wouldn't wear it every day, I don't think it's a easy signature perfume, it's more the perfume in which you warn that you hit the table with your fist when needed, but still you don't because the perfume to sober and calculated for that, it's like a gun without bullets, you see, it terrifies you because you don't know it doesn't have bullets but can't hurt you. I would recommend it to for court lady, to a hearing, or at a difficult office meeting, things like that. I don't see it wore with jeans or something like that, it's a perfume that demands the most sober suit in your wardrobe, the funeral one if possible. And yes surely a man can wear it, but attention gentlemen just because you are men doesn't mean you can wear this little thing all around, no, the things above is still valid, otherwise the perfume will wear you, not you the perfume. As for the price ....I have the feeling that Cardin brand wants to go bankrupt, the perfume is worth it much more than is required on it.

A Forgotten Masterpiece Wearing Clean Gloves and Dirty Boots Every now and then I come across a perfume that makes me wonder, Why did we ever let this disappear? Choc de Cardin is one of those fragrances for me. It's a study in contradictions: clean yet faintly indecent, fresh yet dry like gin botanicals, elegant but with a mischievous glint in its eye. The opening immediately caught my attention. Bright citrus sits over something just slightly bitter and unmistakably grown-up, setting it apart from so many modern perfumes. It feels brisk and sharply tailored, almost as if it's trying very hard to be polite... but there's an undercurrent that tells me not to trust that innocence for too long. As it settles, it blossoms into that unmistakably vintage character that I love. It's full-bodied without becoming sweet, sophisticated without ever feeling soft or delicate. Gentle florals emerge alongside a subtle animalic warmth, like a secret the perfume can't quite keep to itself. The drydown is where it truly won me over. Mossy green, quietly sensual, and beautifully balanced, it lets clean and dirty blur together until the distinction no longer matters. On my skin, it feels like crisp linen that's been worn just long enough to become deeply familiar and intimate. Perfumes like this remind me that elegance didn't always strive to be flawless. Once, it had shadows, texture, and just a touch of danger. Choc de Cardin feels like a forgotten masterpiece, and rediscovering it has only made me appreciate it all the more.

Well, I commend Cardin for making something so unusual. But as with many people here I find Choc to be too extraordinary to understand. In fact I actually went so far as to get another bottle (this was a few years ago and it was extremely cheap) because I thought my first one must have turned. It hadn't though - it IS supposed to smell like that. It does amuse me to think of English-speakers expecting a lovely warm vanilla-ish chocolate fragrance and then getting this :). A subtle little French joke perhaps? I appreciate Natalie's review above - oakmoss eh? Like her I am a big oakmoss fan but as with patchouli I suppose you can have too much. Unfotunately I don't care for Rose Cardin either so perhaps this house is just not for me. Pity. EDIT - a couple of months later I appear to have completely changed my mind. I gave this one final spritz before consigning it to ebay and erm - I love it. Now it's refreshing, lemony, but with a subtle chypre background that keeps me sniffing my arm over and over again. It's a hot day, so perhaps this works best as a summer fragrance? Perhaps the bottle has mysteriously matured over the last few weeks? Perhaps I was just wrong before? ...

I find Choc to be the driest of oakmoss scents - green but not sweet. Floral ingredients, also the fruity peach, but Choc is pure peppery sophistication. I feel very French while wearing this unusual perfume. It reminds me of the hard to find Yves Saint Laurent Y, but Y is sweeter. The aldehyde topnote requires a degree of commitment from modern noses, but the drydown is unabashedly sexy - a triple whammy of patchouli, civet, and amber anchored by the unmistakeable oakmoss note. Maybe not for everyone, but unforgettable on the right woman.

Only choc-ing thing about this is how effortlessly elegant and understated it is. You know, like how young ladies from good families should be, discreet, demure and utterly charming. This is how they smelt in the '70, I suppose. Not too formal, but still with great posture. If you're fan of chypre-floral perfumes and you find yourself in France, take time to go to the supermarket and look for this little beauty. Yes, bottle changed again and it got diluted, but its essence and charm is still present. You will not regret it.

This was my first kiss perfume...every time l smell it, it reminds me of my younger, more innocent and dewy eyed self. Smelling it almost 40 years later, I it brings a smile to my face. I love it. It's so sophisticated, with a dry and airy spice, and fresh, crisp aldehydes. I'm so thrilled to have it again. I do remember that my original seemed to have some more sweetness than this gold lid version... this is absolutely sugarfree... no sweet. The perfume version of Limoncello La Croix, if you will! Very dry.

Can we all just take a minute to appreciate the blend quality of Choc? It's incredible. The opening is like a corpse of a citrus fruit stuffed with basil and the green accord and then reanimated with the aldehydes. It's nothing short of brilliant. This fragrance is blended so well, that it's difficult to tease apart individual notes. This is going to be one of my go-to summer fragrances. Really bright, effervescent perfume. Love!

Fresh, citrus opening, reminds me of being a teenager in the 1980s. I have a vintage 30ml bottle and it smells the same as I remember. Sensual drydown. A quality Chypre fragrance at an affordable price.

I have only one word: GREAT, thanks to all my friend, this is a great gem from the past of perfumery. 9,5/10 (Choc is really a Shock)!:-)

I get thr most beautiful fresh vintage soap accord. It's remarkable!

This review is for the Coty version. ---- Choc de Cardin is a fragrance I have known very closely since the 1980s, and yet I rarely have worn it, and have always been afraid to review it. You see, it was my mother's signature perfume from my childhood through around 20-something years. It's really difficult to describe this fragrance as, for me, it smells like Mum. (She later started mixing it up a bit with vintage Miss Dior, and finally found vintage Opium which she and I both adore with a passion! ) These last few days I have tried it and will make the effort to review the fragrance as if it were new to me. --- On me, starts as a very bitter, very dry citrus mixed with oakmoss. The citrus is uplifting yet not sunny-yellow-joyful. It's instead a dry, dark, almost philosophically serene citrus. The basil is dry and herbal but not kitchen-y at all, and the orris root and iris lend it just a hint of classical femininity. But indeed, it is just a hint. While on my mother the feminine aspects of this fragrance are amplified, on my skin the oakmoss and the base notes come forward more, mixed with the dry, dry, bitter citrus, blending into something that reminds me of the feeling of leather without the tar note of leather. I can't explain it better. Dark but airy, dry but citrusy, bitter but not smoky, Choc is very difficult to describe. It's beautiful. Lasts quite a few hours, maybe 12. In the drydown phase it is very unisex on me, while more floral on my mother, beautiful in both but different notes are enhanced. A grand perfume in its multiple faces, Choc is a hidden classic with a great personality, even in the modern formulation.

I saw this fragrance on a discounter site and ordered it as it was an extremely affordable blind buy. The fact that some members had voted it as similar to the original 1975 Azzaro, a fragrance that I had in my teens back in the mid-eighties, sealed the deal for me. Interestingly, Choc does not really remind me of Azzaro (what I remember of it at least). Yes, they are both earthy, mossy Chypres, but Azzaro had a smidgen of sweetness that Choc does not have. Choc is way more bitter, animalic and abrasive than Azzaro and much less floral. In fact, Choc - its animalic aspect in particular - reminds me very, very much of Lauder's Azuree. I'm wondering if some of those who upvoted the resemblance to Azzaro possibly confused it with Azuree.

Citrus..earthy...a tad soapy. A touch of civet for balance. Green...herbal-sh aromatic. I do get the green aromatic florals in the end. And, maybe a little bitter peachskin with a pop of honey..? I actually really liked this one at first sniff. I find this unique..compared to today's scents. Has a classic vintage vibe. Moderate sillage/projection. Under-rated scent..IMO.

The drydown is great. Mossy animalic citrus. I was lucky to find a vintage original round bottle, and the juice is still strong. Such a multifaceted frag. While wearing it I got peppery root beer, at other times it bordered on mosquito tablets, then it turned into a musky leather, then I would catch a decaying flowers composition. What a gem

This was my first proper perfume which I got for my 15th birthday. Loved it at the time although it was a bit odd and different - it's a low key, subtle and cool perfume. You can still buy it in the Pierre Cardin shop in Paris. I nearly bought it again but decided I didn't like it enough to buy a big bottle

It starts bathroom freshener-lemony BUT in 10 minutes it morphs into a beautiful leather (?) that I don't know where is coming from. It was a 'choc' to me how it started so bad and ended so good. Unisex, long lasting but discreet sillage. For leather/Chypre lovers 👌

Citrus, green and refreshing. The newest version with a gold cap. Light, nice for summer. A dry gin and tonic type freshness, nothing dewy here. Will be great to spritz on when the heat and humidity arrive. Great price too.

I thought I had owned this years ago..might be wrong..it was all the rage back in the early 80's. Won mine on E-bay. Reminds me of Imperial Leather soap...I would say a good everyday perfume...nothing outstanding :)

Can't really remember what this smelt of vague memories, I had a huge bottle bought for me by an old boyfriend, so must have liked itat some time!

I have the new version. Maybe I need to try some more but I'm having a hard time with the opening, which smells exactly like Lemon Lysol disinfectant spray. If it were Mr. Clean, Pine-sol, Comet, Gain, Pledge, or Scrubbing Bubbles, it wouldn't bother me. But I hate the smell of that Lysol spray. I love chypres and I want to love this. Edit: my boyfriend said this should be called Chode because of the bottle. I say because of the smell. LOL I'm dying!

Tra le mie bottiglie c'è anche questo. Non è fra i miei preferiti, è uno stile che non mi appartiene,ricorda molto la colonia, classica, fredda. Sullo stile di Bandit, Cabochard, molto austero anche se ricco di fiori e muschio.

Upon the passing of Pierre Cardin I bought a bottle on eBay because it was so inexpensive. I was expecting something green, but what I got was an absolute bomb of moss and ganja, maybe a bit of sage in there. On me there is no fruit or sandalwood or any other notes- well maybe a tiny bit of musk once it's down to a skin scent (1-2 hours/ very poor lasting power). It just smells like I've been smoking a lot of weed. Maybe this is why it's called Choc (Shock in French). NOT a safe blind buy at all. Not very feminine but I suppose weed is possibly the most unisex of all scents. LOL Reminds me of a cross between Outremer Mosse de Chine and the weed aspects of Outremer Thé.

I gained a half full bottle of the vintage today. Knowing is one of my absolute favorites in this class and Cho (after dry down) smells a lot like it. I was raised in this chypre filled era and wallow in all these wonderful chypre florals. So glad I found another!!

Label said "Choc". Sounded inviting. Wasn't. Sorry in advance, but yes, the smell on my arm really was a "SHOCK". Geddit? Spelt "Choc" but pronounced "shock". Couldn't scrub it off. Can't explain the horror.

All I can smell is patchouli and lots of it, to the point of chocking. I would definitely put it under the category of male perfumes, not female at all, I wouldn't be happy in a company of a man wearing it though.

All I can smell is patchouli and lots of it, to the point of chocking. I would definitely put it under the category of male perfumes, not female at all, I wouldn't be happy in a company of a man wearing it though

I am grateful to have found a bottle of this marvelous citrus floral chypre where the top notes have nearly no degradation over time (dumb luck, I tell you) and that is where the magic of Choc begins: in its top notes of lemon and bergamot, with sheer green undertones. Francoise Caron definitely knows her way around citruses, as evidenced in the classic Hermes Eau d'Orange Verte. However, she really is a master of exalting mossy notes. After all, she is responsible for the infinitely dense oakmoss bomb R de Capucci, and the iconic Le 3e Homme de Caron. Here, with Choc, the moss is in swaths, punctuated by a cool iris, and only reined in by aromatic florals in its heart. Civet isn't necessarily salacious here; it colors the moss with just a bit of animal vivacity, buttered with sandalwood in the dry down. There is this restraint to Choc that sets it apart from many chypres of its time: it wants not to knock anyone over, it has come hither stares and invitations to lean in. There is no discord, which can't be said for the deluge of chypre attempts that overwhelm the market today. It's all harmonics, an elegant consonance that violates all modern conventions of what is truly "haute parfumerie" (who knows what that really is anyhow).

Just when I am sure I don't need another vintage chypre, I try Choc and I realize that there will always be another exploration of this genre that I will be happy to add to my collection. My bottle is the EDP, just like the one in the main photo. Choc is an extremely well executed chypre, and it suggests to me that I should now make a point of trying other perfumes composed by Francoise Caron. The opening is a fresh and invigorating splash of citrus and bergamot, but it is not too sharp or an extreme "choc" to the nose. It develops into a complex scent, in which I get a touch of rose and other flowers (but this is definitely not a rose chypre) but mostly green and herbal notes. I do not really perceive any civet or musks, but perhaps they serve as foundation that I am not noticing since I do not object to stronger animalic notes. No powder, either, if we take that to mean soapiness or dryness. Choc really distinguishes itself in its big finish...a super long drydown of absolutely wonderful oakmoss and sandalwood. In this phase, hours after application, Choc is truly unique.

This is the most bizarre perfume I've ever smelled. Although it's not listed in the notes, I swear I smell cumin. Not good. Edited to add: the odd smell in this is oakmoss, this is the mossiest perfume I've even smelled. I make soap (or should say I used to, haven't made any in a while) and had a bottle of oakmoss fragrance oil, never used. I took a whiff of it and after making a face and taking a few steps back, I knew why Choc smelled so weird. It's not a totally horrible smell but definitely needs to be mixed with other scents, no way would I use the oakmoss FO alone for anything. And I am a moss lover, I go out of my way to get pre-reformulation perfumes. By itself oakmoss is nearly putrid smelling, it almost stings your nose and smells kind of like vinegar, not very pleasant. But once mixed with other FO's it isn't bad, only a little, it's very strong.

I'll never be without Choc as long as it's available. I have the latest, and a vintage form of this scent. The vintage is a bit murkier, darker, but the top notes doesn't seem to have fared well over the years. The new one is lighter, brighter, with a bright citrus snap up top. It's bracingly bitter, and refreshing: like an icey vodka tonic, with with a slice of lime. The base is subtle suede, with very little moss. The vintage has a distinctive mossy haze, over a creamy, suede-like base. The new is presented as an EDP, but it seems to be very much like an edt, or even a cologne. With the price, one can afford to spray on more throughout the day. Choc is a great, easy wearing, summer chypre, that doesn't overwhelm in the heat like some heavier chypres do. Keep a bottle in the fridge for the summer. Feels great on the body, especially on tired, hot, feet.

I have worn this for years since Pierre brought it out and love but people's skin tones all differ for example Dior and Chanel perfumes apart from cristalle smell like cats pee on me I hate when people teashily put down a perfume they don't like. It make me feel sick to hear how there skin reacts to perfume ie the lady with oak moss. It's as bad a writing a review for perfumes where I react. But people are ignorant and can't just say it didn't suit them or they didn't like. I wonder do they do that for thousands of other perfumes. Get a life and move on Me I absolutely adore Choc de Cardin I wear perfume of that I'll Cristalle by Chanel L'air du temps by Nina Ricci Rice Gauche by YSL And Choc is that light floral but slightly musky smell I adore My question is, as I am running out of it now, ok you can buy at Pierre Cardin in France but how??

I have the newest formula and I very much enjoy it. My favorite time to wear this would be in the dry windy autumn. I just about always layer my cypress fragrances with a floral to femininze it. It’s just how I prefer cypresses. It’s wearing well with my beloved Tea rose edp. I’m not all that great at distinguishing between cypress herbals (I wouldn’t know what a oak moss or oris root note even smells like) but I do not think it leans heavy citrus or herbal in any over powering one way or another, way. It’s dry down is very wearable in this dry cooler weather. IMHO, I do actually think if you like cypress you could blind buy without regret.

I was given a bottle of this when I was in Le Havre in 1984, as it was deemed appropriate to give a young woman (at the time!). I loved it. It came in a neat blue plastic box with a round tin full of pink capsule filled with bath oil. I would like to buy a vintage bottle but I would be concerned it had gone "off". I might try the new version - however in my experience the chypre is removed from the newer versions of chypre perfumes. Any comments?

I had the perfume years ago and remember a strong note of ginger and warm spices. I loved it. It was a change from the big orientals and huge florals that were popular at the time. I thought it had been discontinued. Would love to know if still available. Any suggestions as to similar perfumes ?

I adore Choc for layering in summer. It gives a mature, refined, gin cocktail vibe to the light citrus and pineapple fragrances in every man's collection. Those can skew too youthful for my tastes, and this fragrance adds some depth and character without going too heavy or dark.

You can still buy it very cheap in Paris at the supermarket. It's a reformulation, but it's basically the same fragrance, only lighter, which can be good. I have the vintage and I think I will also buy the current one. The new one is like a nice flanker for summer days.

J’ai testé la formulation des années 2000 , et ba je l’ai trouvé unisex penché masculin que j’ai adoré et porté d’ailleurs en hiver , jean-Claude Helena s’est inspiré du choc de PC pour le belami vetiver, ça sent presque la même chose

To see this just brought me back to a different time, I loved this I remember it packed a fresh punch! Very vibrant and festive...energizing I remember it being green, crisp and almost warm and earthy. Very interesting mix.

I remember smelling this on my mum as a kid, and thinking that this must be the type of perfume "real" women must like to wear. Not a perfume for young girls, but one for chic, strong, older ladies.

Choc actually menas 'shock' in French so don't confuse it with choc as in chocolate. Would be interested to test this given the polarity in the reviews.

Lemon and herbs, white flowers, oakmoss and patchouli! This is a very beautiful perfume with a great performance! Chic and nostalgic! Magic!!!!

I have the squat bottle with black plastic round/dot cap. LOVE IT. Green, astringent and mossy, too. Quite masculine.

Was bought this as a teenager in the eighties. Smells like gone off perfume. Yuk

I have a qustion.please guid me if anybody can. Can it be worn by a man?

Absolutely it can be worn by a man, absolutely.

I tried the vintage one, it smells bizarre