Reviews of Chloé (original) by Chloé

There are two versions of vintage Chloé; the original Parfums Lagerfeld and the inferior Parfums Chloé.
The Lagerfeld is lush and creamy, an aldehyde with fruity and spicy tuberose.
The Chloé is dry-woody green and sharp.
Avoid the Chloé and get the Lagerfeld. It made the Kaiser's name in the perfume world, yet the perfumer - Betty Busse - is still unknown to this day.

A kind basenoter sent me two versions of original Chloe parfum for comparison: one labelled " made in France", the other "blended in USA". I tried them separately first, starting with the French-made version:

This is a sweet, fruity, soapy white floral blend, with so many notes that it's hard to pick apart. lf pushed, l'd say the most prominent notes for me are lilac, tuberose & carnation, with hints of ylang & coconut lending it a slightly tropical air. The projection is initially quite powerful, & it could be cloying if overapplied, but after two hours it begins to soften. There's little development, although it takes on a more creamy-ambery tone as it dries down, & it lasts a good twelve hours before fading out.

Although it was launched in 1974, this one definitely says "80s" to me, & l do recall smelling it around that time, although l never tried it for myself. l'm not sure if or when l'd wear this as it might be overbearing to some, but it has a cheerful exuberance that makes me smile, & l think it'd work well in springtime as a mood-lifter to bring one out of the winter doldrums.

The US version has the words "essence imported from France, blended in USA" printed on the label, instead of "made in France":

This version seems much more soapy to me, & although aldehydes aren't listed, there's a definite whiff of "snuffed candle" about it. Perhaps because of this, or maybe a higher dose of galbanum, the florals take longer to become apparent, & seem less smooth & rounded to me. When the florals do appear, the tuberose is less dominant, & there's less of the fruity aspect here. lt also takes longer to soften, about four hours, & stays more soapy & clean with less of the creamy aspect in the base. The lasting power is similar though at around twelve hours.

l didn't expect to find much difference between the two versions, but l do wonder now if the formula was indeed adjusted for the US market, whether deliberately or not. l think l have a preference for the French version, & l think Mr teardrop would agree, as he expressed distaste for the US one, while the French version elicited no comment. That's as good as a compliment coming from him!

Trying the two versions side by side, the differences are in fact very subtle. The French version still smells more creamy & fruity to me, while the US version is more soapy. But for any vintage hunters out there, I'd say the differences are not so marked as to make it worth searching out one in preference to the other.

I've had the Lagerfeld version before. It was long ago. I don't remember how it smelled but, this is pretty and acceptable for my taste... Deep, dark, and heavy top notes. That is, as far deep as florals can go. The fruit is buried deep within. Honeysuckle, ylang ylang, and galbanum are the stand-out notes here on top. There is an almost boozy, cognac aspect.

The flowers in the heart are well-mixed. They are "dark" as well with no sugar thrown in for sweetness. They're raw. There is a rich, jammy-like-a-savory-jam vibe. Miss tuberose becomes dominate for the most part. Narcissus and carnation run a close second. This is an old-style floral with no modernity present. Tuberose continues its reign in to the base.

There is an addition of barnyard qualities, as a wet straw note and wet wood note appear. A light, wet earthiness comes into play. Musky, musk, too. I suppose one could wear this year round. I know I used to back in the late 80's - I didn't care about seasonal wearings then. This Chloe runs feminine without being overtly "girly".

A vague, mysterious, thick honey note appears on the skin hours later. It is almost "toasted" or browned somehow.

Very femme and floral.

My high school sweetheart wore Chloe in the 80s and I quite liked it.

This is a great feminine amber. It is about tuberose, but in the end, it smells like a floral-amber. Warm and a tiny bit sweet.

I love this fragrance. Apart from vintage Fracas it is the best Tuberose fragrance ever; nothing compares to it, nothing comes close. It is such a shame that it was discontinued.

It was my mother's favourite fragrance, so I may be a tad biased!

This should properly be listed under Lagerfeld--and how closely it was connected with him back in the day--"A woman does not wear my fragrance, she enters it" was the Karl Lagerfeld quote on the print ads. This was so widely worn in the 70s and 80s that anyone around in that time would have a memory of it. It was the lush, fruity floral of its day, with sandalwood and oakmoss supporting the big florals--tuberose and honeysuckle. Totally feminine, very Parisian (at least to the US market) and beautifully packaged (back in the day when peach was a hot color). The frosted Calla lilies of the stopper to the perfume bottles were brilliantly designed. In its day, this sat proudly alongside Halston and Oscar de la Renta and--along with those perfumes--defined an era.

Love the boozey peachy smell of this one. It is big and that's what I like about it on a winter day. A floral with personality. and substance. I don't wear this often but when I do I really enjoy it.

It definitely reminds me of the 1980's but that's not a bad memory. If you like the over the top fruity florals being marketed these days this one is not for you.

I don't know how anybody can think this smells anything like Fracas IMHO.

A floral melange of tuberose, jasmine, ylang ylang, and hyacinth, tempered by oak moss, amber and musk. An attempt to copy the classic Fracas with its luscious peach note.

As such it was one of many who went down the tuberose/peach lane surrounded by white florals, including a number of signature scents by first time out designers, but never quite pulled off the triumph of Fracas.

Nice, but still a copy. It resembles Island Gardenia in its tuberose/coconut accord. Avoid the reformulations that smell mainly of a light pepper, practically scentless. The original is discontinued, but can be found on Ebay. The bottle is heavenly.

Top notes: Honeysuckle, Neroli, Hyacinth, Ylang, Lilac, Bergamot, Coconut
Heat notes: Tuberose, Jasmine, Narcissus, Carnation, Orris, Rose
Base notes: Amber, Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Musk, Cedar, Benzoin

In excess, this can be terribly overwhelming. This is a strong scent which doesn't seem to have a lot of difference between initial application & post-drydown, so a light application will do. That said, this is one of the most feminine perfumes in my collection. A lovely, happy floral with a sillage that lasts. There is a slight baby powder aspect to the scent that I'm not overly enamoured of, but it's not unpleasant.

The notes above say that this scent is no longer in production - I don't think that's true. I just bought a new bottle to replace my 1990's-era bottle which I misplaced. The label on the bottom says it's being produced by Coty now.

I love it, but don't wear it everyday. I like to wear it when we go out for a curry.

If you were around in the 70s, you know this scent well. What I remember of the original was it was extremely sweet/floral on me, but stood out then from the musk oils, patchouli, and Charlie everybody wore then.

This edt is so shamelessly dated--and I love it for that very reason. Close your eyes and imagine Stevie Nicks' lace get-up swirling about you. This is what I would imagine her air to smell like.

A ton of memories came flooding back at first spray. I could smell my mother's beautiful dresses, the ones I used to get into and play dress up. I could smell the beautiful women of my childhood, seeming so sophisticated, fashionable, and regal. They were the women I anxiously aspired to be.

I can't put my finger on what element makes this fragrance smell so dated, aside from the fact that it does not smell fruity or vanillic as most scents do today. The tuberose and lilac come to the forefront and make no plans of leaving anytime soon. Come to think of it, they don't leave for several hours. The peach lends a fleshy-scented quality which leaves quickly and the carnation and ylang-ylang give the fragrance a spicy kick. After several hours, the musk and sandalwood contribute to a floral-tinged incense quality.

An aside, for those of you who want to pick up a bottle of the original formula edt, know that it can be purchased cheap ($20) at Marshall's.

I really love every single ingredient listed in Chloe's olfactive pyramid especially tuberose which is supposed to be the main theme of this fragrance. What a let down. To me, Chloe has no personality. It is nondescript, dull and fusty. It reminds me of an old cheap Avon "perfume" my great-aunt used to wear when I was a child. Considering it's composition, Chloe should be fresh, spicy, exciting and sassy. It is not. It reminds me of overripe peaches on the verge of going bad. How can a perfumer make tuberose smell boring and stuffy is beyond me but Chloe seems to have achieved this feat. In my opinion, Chloe is one of the most overrated fragrances of the 70's. I sure hope the new 2008 version is better than this one.

Just tried it again after a long time and ... surprise! To me it smells like Cabotine. Green floral dirty and long persistence of a bitter drydown. Like Cabotine, Chloe doesn't melt with my skin but this isn't a bad point. I love to have someone else's smell on me, a scent that doesn't blend. Someone said time ago that it is discontinued. This seems not true. I found the EDP without any problem.

When I open the tiny bottle of Chloe on my dresser, a little genie comes out, but she is like Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream. This perfume has real power from its nude, exuberant honeyed sweet entrance to its romantic and spicy heart to the drydown with its never-ending tuberose. This is carnal, but I get a soapiness from the carnation and a good romp in the forest from the oakmoss. The original Chloe is a favorite floriental that anticipated the 80s by a few years. The drydown is powdery and baby shampoo smelling.

If you want something new, cuz you are tired of today's floral fragrances, due to the lack of personality and strength, I think chloe can fullfill your expectations.Chloe is a fullbodied scent like Ysatis by Givenchy but more floral and warm. This beauty is for use on special occasions, is not an everyday fragrance and is not for nightclubs or a first date. Chleo is an expert when you want to attract somebody's attention for your luxury and sophisticated style.

One of the most beautiful multi-faceted floral fragrances from the 1970's, lush Top and Heart notes centred around lashings of Tuberose, Lily, Hyacinth, Orange flower, Rose, Jasmine & Ylang.My memories are of the Parfum, a dark plummy amber juice of monumental proportions similar in structure to Balenciaga's 'Quadrille' sans spice notes. (In my opinion)Strong base of Moss, Amber and White musks with the still beating heart of Tuberose.Stunning sillage followed by a seamless drydown of great integrity with a terminal half life of 6-8 hours + in this concentration.The Oakmoss absolute used in the original formulation was of exceptional quality.A Classic to be sure .............

can't speak for the new version- but the original is wonderful! An ultra romantic and feminine scent- definitely not unisex! lasts and lasts on your pillow... nice! I'm sorry to hear they've changed it- I took a sniff of the new one at the local scent shop and thought it bore absolutely no resemblance to the original- the new one is one-dimensional rose and smells cheap-also, the original Chloé has the most beautiful and intriguing bottle

A classic… Chloe is quite floral. It opens with honeysuckle and lily of the valley most prominent in the floral accord. I get a little fruit a somewhat exotic coconut I think – but those two florals are very strong and dominant, and the fruit do not overwhelm the florals. Then it becomes a tuberose fragrance – strongly tuberose with some powder or amber at its edges. The tuberose is long, long lasting: It continues through the base, which adds some musk and some sandalwood to the still dominant tuberose accord. I was expecting another one of the overwhelming, take-no-prisoners classics, but Chloe is a lighter, more subtle fragrance than I thought it would be… Very nice.

Its a great one! Sexy and sensuous without being overbearing and desperate. Flirty top notes, feminine floral heart, and a sexy base. I hate to think that they are going to stop making it.

Chloe' (the 1975 original) is a treasure from its' time. I don't personally choose to wear it though...mostly because to my nose it shares the same character as Dior's original Poison ~ which I prefer. It doesn't carry the frujty aspect of Poison, but the spiced floral punch are equally dominant & satisfyingly good in both! This is a rich and bold floral, with a spicy sandalwood drydown. It is VERY pretty & VERY feminine, and shares only the same name with the new release.

Playful mix of everything floral but it doesn't get too much. Bright and vibrant, Chloe makes for a youthful scent. Dominant florals are a fresh ylang-ylang, a dullish jasmine and standard rose. That all sounds boring but the mix is well made.

The best Chloe have ever made, this always works with my chemistry, suitable for day or night, I really dont like the stuff Chloe are making now, like the new Chloe perfume or See, very bland with no character, shame this is discontinued