Égoïste: An original fragrance for men with mysterious and amber charms... Chanel's Égoïste was born from the meeting of Bois des Îles, the 1926 fragrance by the talented Ernest Beaux, and Bois Noir in 1987, which did not meet its expected audience.
Gabrielle Chanel is one of the most renowned creators in France. Able to boast of having largely contributed to the emancipation of women in the twentieth century, she first devoted her life to creating clothing, before also venturing into perfumery. Initially feminine, her fragrances later turned toward men as well. And this is how the masculine fragrance Egoïste was born, on a fine day in 1990. Presented as a woody, amber and spicy juice, Egoïste by Chanel does not lack character. Its name, meanwhile, comes from a survey conducted among women: what is the main characteristic of men? The result was unequivocal: according to them, they were Egoïste. And that is how this fragrance found its name! The anecdote is amusing. This fragrance is untamable. But what about its bottle?
Chanel's Égoïste's sober and clean bottle
While the name of this fragrance does not go unnoticed, its composition too is far from lacking in temperament. Yet its bottle proves much more understated. Far from seeking attention at all costs, it relies on refinement and elegance. Its shape is fairly standard. It consists of a rectangle of clear glass topped with an opaque black cap. The names Chanel and Egoïste, meanwhile, appear in very understated capital lettering on its front face. Visually, no superfluous detail has a place.
Note, however, that this sobriety is emblematic of the house of Chanel. Moreover, this bottle takes its sturdy, assertive silhouette from the previous bottle of the very famous Chanel N°5, designed in 1921. It is somewhat as if it transposed the crispness of its lines into a more masculine register. The result is a timeless vessel, one that could hardly be guessed to have been born in 1990. But after all, is this not one of the finest hallmarks of the house of Chanel?
The striking contrasts of Chanel's Égoïste design
Beyond this apparent sobriety, one detail remains striking when observing the Égoïste bottle by Chanel. It sets two highly contradictory elements against each other. The transparency of its base faces a totally opaque black cap. Yet a perfect harmony emerges from this visual. This element was added to the Égoïste bottle to bring it an extra touch of masculinity. Furthermore, this cap is entirely carved from raw wood, thus echoing the very woody character of the fragrance it holds. The use of wood also gives this bottle a very fashionable edge. Here, different colors and different materials become one. It is also a way of evoking the interplay of light and shadow found in the scent of this fragrance. The balance is absolute, and the connecting thread between the olfactory and the visual of Égoïste is indeed present.
As for size, the Égoïste bottle comes only as a 100 ml spray bottle.