Les Exclusifs de Chanel

Sycomore Chanel 2008 Eau de Toilette

Version from 2008

Sycomore (2008) (Eau de Toilette) by Chanel

Bottle Design Jacques Helleu

Sycomore (2008) (Eau de Toilette) (Chanel)

8.3 / 10 500 Ratings

A popular perfume by Chanel for women, released in 2008. The scent is woody-spicy. The production was apparently discontinued.
Pronunciation

Main accords

Woody

Spicy

Green

Earthy

Smoky

Fragrance Notes

Vetiver

Cypress

Juniper

Sandalwood

Aldehydes

Pink pepper

Spices

Tobacco

Violet

Perfumers

Jacques Polge, Christopher Sheldrake

Ratings

Scent

8.3500 Ratings

Longevity

7.9368 Ratings

Sillage

6.9361 Ratings

Bottle

8.2331 Ratings

Value for money

6.536 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 28.03.2024.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance was part of the collection "Les Exclusifs de Chanel".

Reviews

13 in-depth fragrance descriptions

02/07/2020

8
Sillage 8
Longevity 10
Scent

Torfdoen
22 Reviews

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Torfdoen

Top Review 25

The path taken Part 1

Two paths led into a yellow forest. And since I'm a perfume wanderer, I took them both. I didn't stand around for long, but walked the darker, feral ones first. You can always go back if you don't like it, I thought. In the thicket, I lost my sight.

The branches are sharp and deeply rooted. A little harsh, I think, at first. A sip from the flask soothes the first impression. Heidewitzka, what is this strong stuff! In a slightly milder mood, I take a look at the surroundings. Genuine liquorice, moss-covered, releases essential oils after breaking. Juniper bushes, planted along the side of the inaccurate path, point the way with their typical warm spicy aroma. The earth steams in the first hours of the morning. I'm rolling myself a cigarette. It was the right decision. The dense forest eclipse glistens in the incoming sunshine. Colours come into play. Green orange. Earthy red. The warming dullness gives way to a noble freshness.

Arriving on a wide plain, conifers sway in the warm wind, crickets chirp through densely overgrown, half-dried grasses. The scent of wild pepper orange trees wafts around me, reminds me of the earthy warm liquorice haze of the forest. I look back and see no darkness. Merely the alcoholic sharpness of the entrance, makes me question my flask again. Then I come across a whole field of salty-juicy sweet grass perennials, which exalt their typical citrus-nutty smoke in outstanding mildness, yet strong and full. The sky does not occupy a living cloud. The way is long lost. The distance the goal.

How nice to have chosen the dark path. The naturalness of the landscape has an electrifying effect. It can't be perfume, I think. I walk through the fields in a dream, pulling my hat lower, lying under a woody, ossified tree that offers no shade. Endless impressions. The filter jumps to harmony. A better reflection of nature. That's heretical, I think. And subtle. A man-made natural spectacle. A natural human spectacle. A rough, pretend idyll.

Be that as it may. I lie in the middle of it, it suits me, I never want to leave.
This Lutens Sheldrake, that's one, I think, in ecstatic happiness. Chanel episode, I still think
Yes, something's pushing me back...

10/06/2021

Intersport
62 Reviews

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Intersport

Top Review 23

1930, 1957, 1959, 2002, 2008, 2016

Vétiver, this clearly multiform ingredient experienced a remarkable boom in the period 2002 - 2010, which apparently still continues, so regularly appear Vétiver titled perfumes. The strict masters of Carven, Givenchy and Guerlain were at this time almost half a century ago, in the 70's 80's and 90's there were only sporadic, but wonderfully differentiated interpretations, including Jean Laporte, Goutal, Etro.

What has now initiated the vétiver focus again is questionable, trends in fragrances, new developments in distillation processes? Something like this is what Fréderic Malle claims: around this time, Laboratoires Monique Remy would have introduced a new vétiver extract, making part of Vétiver Extraordinaire (2002), a fragrance that certainly also opened a new round of conservative-analytical-precise vétivers. Comme des Garçons Vettiveru from the same year is infinitely softer and a timeless lightweight vétiver that does not hide its proximity to Givenchy's classic. Serge Lutens' Vétiver Oriental (2002 - my attempts here to correct the date of this perfume despite triple 'evidence' always fail - so be it) is the most original throw of this decade with its indirect vétiver that still polarizes in how far it is still a vétiver or already something else. These three vétivers, all from 2002, perhaps offer perspective on Sycomore, which for me offers a synopsis of different vétiver facets from smoky, balsamic, sweet to dry. Jacques Polge and Christopher Sheldrake have refined much that has been charted in the vétivers field since 2002, detail by detail, in Sycomore.

As with Vétiver Oriental - also designed by Sheldrake - there is enough modulation through sandalwood, cypress, Chanel aldehydes and minimal tobacco that Sycomore can be read both as a vétiver and as far more complex - the perfume wants to be more than Chanel's vétiver, that it is called Sycomore is a welcome change from the ingredient names that have become more and more common in these years, but also - like almost everything in Chanel's exclusifs, a reference to an earlier moment or moments in the company's history or rather Rumor mill: a fragrance from 1930 with this very name - Profumo's review goes into this history.

Sycomore - EdT - remains for me the most sophisticated vétiver of the 00's - although two aspects still make me wonder; Sycomore was often and gladly compared with Lalique's Encre Noire (2006). Although Lalique's perfume is not as delicate, and is rougher and smokier in its overall texture, there were moments where I perceived a clear kinship in the vétiver note, which brings the question of developments and distribution of specific distillations from those years back into play. in 2016, the basis for such speculation was removed in one stroke: Jacques Polge's son Oliver took on the role of Chanel's house perfumer and - are there family therapists among parfumos? - maltreated a lot of the paternal 'Exclusifs' so badly that even the push of concentration to the Eau de Parfum could not help over these bloopers. The vétiver texture of the first bottles of the 2016'er EdP resembled too much Guerlain's classic (!), meanwhile, there was again vigorously steered back, the current EdP is again closer to the EdT - Polge Jr's rehabilitation and a return that was unfortunately not granted to all 'Exclusifs' EdP's: 31 Rue Cambon and 28 La Pausa are still AWAY from their original originality.

The eponymous Sykomore tree - see Josch's review - is probably also to be read as a reference to its functional as well as spiritual significance in ancient Egypt, among other things, similar to already Chanel's Bois des Îles or Coromandel , another, coherent episode to wooden exotica, extended Orientalism and most exclusive wood polish.

09/22/2018

6
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 8
Scent

Novalis
43 Reviews

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Novalis

Less helpful Review 7

... unfortunately nothing new..

Sorry, but here the wheel was not reinvented.
The competition is too big and it has been decades ago. Of course, it's noticeable that I didn't rate this scent so bad, how could I if I (in my opinion) praise THE vetiver scent (Guerlain) go to heaven.
It's simple: It's not a reinterpretation of anything. Here they tried to impress him with some pepper. Here the similarity to Lubin or Guerlain cannot be denied. In my opinion, they are nuances.
For me, it's almost a peekaboo at a cheeky price.

02/06/2012

7.5
Sillage 7.5
Longevity 6
Scent

Missk
1165 Reviews

Missk

Very helpful Review 6

Earthy and masculine vetiver

I absolutely adore rich, woodsy, smokey scents, especially those with tobacco as its most dominant note. Chanel's Sycomore fits this description, however in my opinion, this fragrance is far more masculine than feminine. I'm usually accustomed to gender-bending scents and I often wear fragrances marketed towards men, however Sycomore is far too masculine for me to even touch and the funny thing is, Sycomore is a female fragrance.

Despite the initial surprise, Sycomore is rather enticing. The fragrance opens quite strong, with the vetiver and tobacco notes making a rather loud entrance. Once settled on the skin, the sandalwood and cypress blends in with the tobacco and vetiver creating an interesting dryness.

Every time I brought my wrist to my nose I detected a powdery woods note, rather like the scent of fresh saw-dust. I was very relieved to see aldehydes as a listed note here, which proved that I had not been misled into making up ingredients.

Smokey, and in some ways, bitter, Sycomore reminds me of a recently burnt Australian bushland after a rainstorm. It is the scent of a scorching hot Summer, however I can't say that I'd wear this anytime other than Winter.

There are many words to describe Sycomore; dry, smokey, salty, earthy, masculine, nutty, dark, classy and balanced are only just the beginning. On each individual, Sycomore seems to differ. On a man, I'm certain that this fragrance would shine. I'll just put it out there that Chanel's Sycomore is and should be unisex.

12/21/2012

7.5
Bottle 5
Sillage 5
Longevity 9
Scent

Drseid
819 Reviews

Drseid

Helpful Review 5

A better (And Much More Expensive) Encre Noire...

Extremely similar to Encre Noir but a bit softer and more polished. Sycomore most likely uses more natural ingredients. As Encre Noir is one of my favorites and Sycomore is slightly superior to it naturally I love it. That said, Encre Noir is easily the better value and is probably good enough for most folks. If money is no object and you want the best in your collection, then I recommend Sycomore. 4.5 stars out of 5.

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