Boy Eau de Parfum by Chanel

Chanel Boy smells like Rubinstein piano concerts playing Brahms: elegant with energy and moving. I bought it last weekend looking for something talcum-powdered and clean without testing it blind first but trusting the reviews. And it didn’t disappoint. I’m fascinated by how its aroma evolves; I’ve never felt this dynamism in another fragrance. It has that Chanel backbone: a restrained, formal powdery base. But the top notes are progressive and changeable so much that in different stages they remind me of others from the house. At the first spray, I thought of Allure Pour Homme (I used it almost ten years ago): a sparkling entry of warm citrus and that clean skin smell when sunbathing that stays at the top of the nose, hard to describe (probably vanilla when comparing them). As hours pass, the fragrance unfolds interestingly: at times it’s animal and citrusy recalling Antaeus, and at others it’s sweet and ladylike very similar to Coco. I’m intrigued that it oscillates between opposite poles of very masculine to very feminine but does so subtly and discreetly, holding itself on that Chanel base. The dry-down is consistently warm and talcum-powdered; the cinnamon is noticeable. It never seemed fresh to me, always warm: sometimes sweeter, other times more citrusy but always warm. Although it’s not soapy as I imagined, it is quite talcum-powdered. I feel it’s versatile except on very hot days. It has admirable longevity (I smell it in the sheets when waking up although I applied it the day before) and a trail that fills small rooms demonstrating Chanel’s engineering. It’s neat but with style; elegant but with that warmth that recalls home or a hug; moving and majestic like a Zurbarán canvas or a poem by Sor Juana. Boy is a transgender fragrance. I wouldn’t say unisex because the unisex is generic while Boy emphatically transitions from one to the other. It makes me question why we associate certain aromas with the masculine or feminine; it’s admirable how a single fragrance can mutate like this. I still ponder whether to make it my daily signature or reserve it for special occasions but in summary Boy caught me. Bravo Chanel.

It is a very beautiful fragrance a little retro but not outdated rather transporting you to the past. It is comforting and endearing. I perceive it as very soapy like a room freshener although after a few hours I sense some citrus sparkles. In my opinion it leans more towards the masculine side yet without clashing on a woman.

Chanel was right to call it ‘Boy’. Obviously it is a tribute to Captain Arthur Edward ‘Boy’ Capel and for me the nomenclature alludes to Coco’s androgynous designs challenging preconceived ideas about the feminine or masculine. It is a clean perfume with lots of lavender and a soapy touch… well but nothing out of this world.

Well, yes, Boy is a jewel, though it hurts that it costs more than a shroud. It makes me think of two things: first, that the great houses pull our legs, leaving the vulgar rubbish for the general public while hoarding quality, evocative, and suggestive perfumes for those with money or who know how to save. Second, that among the exclusive lines proliferating like mushrooms, Chanel’s is probably the best; almost everything in Les Exclusifs is exquisite. Boy doesn’t invent anything new, but I wish all current launches were like him. It’s a classic barber shop formula with spiced lavender that turns into a crystal-clear fougère and then something creamy, spiced, and ethereal, with hints of Guerlain without being it. The finish has all of that with a spicy but bearable musk, neither too animalic nor too clean. It’s neither feminine nor masculine; it’s for whoever falls in love with it. It transports you to the 1930s without anything outdated; it’s not a journey to the past with a memento mori, but living that era in the first person, feeling that such fragrances were modern, avant-garde, and youthful. It’s feeling like something new from something old: youth, speed, subtlety, and premium quality. It’s a classic fougère but terribly modern. Friends, this is a beauty. Longevity is excellent; three hours after applying it to my hand, the notes are still dancing and moving.

When you smell things like this, you step off the planet and all the ugliness to enter a perfect dimension, like putting on clean socks after a bad week. Some of us have to forego perfumes and music to not lose perspective, but this surprised me hugely. Kind, paternal, feminine, childish… it’s like saying ‘this is how I want this moment of my life to smell’. If I use inspiration to describe it, it smells like a blonde girl freshly bronzed and just woken up, with face cream and Chanel No. 5, who went to bed with someone wearing Egoïste Platinum; they don’t resemble each other separately, but Boy could be the fruit of that encounter. It has that classic oily floral sediment, the lavender-geranium tandem, but it’s much more solar, without the fresh edges and resolutely masculine traits of Egoïste, so it’s not identical to it despite what fragrantica says. Nor is it an English Lavender. On my skin it’s woody and floral at first, more vanilla and musky afterwards, neither powdery nor soapy, but unctuous and firm. A 100% old-school Chanel, European, vintage but modern, casual and elegant. Sometimes I’m amazed at how oriental the dry-down smells to me, loaded with sandalwood and that strange lavender; perhaps I note a slightly bitter and delicious bergamot. It smells like flowers or aromatics dressed in flowers elevating the sandalwood, until it becomes Western, unisex, creamy, French, matte, beige, and black. It has a new lavender for me, neither stinging nor dry. Now and then I note an exquisitely polished vanilla that reminds me of Shalimar and some ylang, until it musks, recalling the Egyptian musk of the NRs but dirtier. I think here all the notes skip the gender issue. It’s delicious, the dry-down and its neutrality. A carefree but sober beauty, with little colour and nothing futile. I don’t smell moss, nor orange blossom, nor rose, and although I recall Fernán Gómez in ‘The Grandfather’ insulting the smell of heliotrope, it works well here. It’s an eau de parfum with good fixative and longevity of 8 or 9 hours with three sprays, a trail at first that drops until it becomes intimate and sensual. Versatile? Very, I see it on Sundays and romantic, perfect to share with a partner for good plans. It only reminds me of old Chancels, opening up a new exciting possibility: wearing a 100% old-school Chanel, without smelling like a women’s perfume and without abandoning the 21st century. In short, it’s a very good perfume.

Tested via the difficult paper method. I am left with a pang of regret seeing it on skin because I believe we could be looking at a winner. The moment I smelled it, Brut, cheap, came to mind, followed by Rive Gauche. Both very masculine, but rest assured that if Chanel says it is unisex, women will wear it. Despite so many votes for musk, I do not feel it like in Jersey; the cardboard scent was like barbershop soap lavender, less spicy than Rive Gauche. Today, mid-afternoon, it still smells more similar to Jersey, I suppose due to the vanilla which is perceived as sweeter. I would also say it is slightly floral; now it is much more unisex according to classic classifications. The geranium may contribute its freshness and the typical Chanel sandalwood, softly woody, more creamy and vanillic. I think that although the brand tries to blend characteristics of both genders, the masculine side, despite being recognisable, is not a total plagiarism and is very well done; the feminine side could have been treated differently, as Chanel usually uses vanilla or sandalwood in other perfumes. Variety is the spice of life. All this, of course, lacking a skin test, which changes a lot, but comparing data such as performance with others tested on paper, this cardboard is above average. It seems to perform well and the scent is very good.

Today I tested the latest (I think) of Chanel Les Exclusifs Boy, in honour of Arthur Boy Capel, the only true love of Coco, according to legend, who died in a car accident. Its creator is Oliver Polge, who inherited the post from his father, Jacques Polge. He explains that the intention is the blend of scents that occurs when a woman puts on her partner’s shirt, I suppose as Coco sometimes dressed in men’s clothes, possibly Boy’s. My impressions: It smells very classic; the opening recalls Pour Monsieur by Chanel, with aldehydic notes from Dior’s Eau Sauvage, and at times it makes me think of Pour un Homme by Caron. Finally, its dry-down feels similar to Guerlain’s Shalimar on my skin. In summary, on my skin it is somewhat soft for an EDP, but pleasant, comfortable, and slightly intimate, as I do not feel much projection. It could be unisex, although I feel it is more masculine, but perhaps it would be interesting to see how it feels on a woman’s skin. I applied it at 9 am, and at 10:55 am I feel it about the same as when I first applied it.

In an era where all women seem to want to smell of cotton candy, caramel, and chocolate, this new Chanel fragrance seems to me a beautiful contribution, showing that it is possible to escape market massification. An olfactory experience, a journey through various emotions and landscapes. It reminds me a little of the old soap trail of Aromatics Elixir, although in this case the scent is much lighter and easier to wear. A refined lavender stands out, giving way to a powdery mix of flowers and herbs in perfect balance (the lavender does not predominate as in ‘Jersey’, but in my opinion it adds a more elegant touch). Towards the end, I perceive a sweet sandalwood, while now and then the lavender returns, although not with the clarity of the opening notes. Clean, enigmatic, elegant, versatile, refined. Chanel, in short. A perfume to enjoy calmly, in each of its stages. A kind of aromatic ‘tasting’, for those who wish to take a distance from the stridency imposed by the market.