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YGG – :
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.
val5905 – :
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.
dek161 – :
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!!
death1385 – :
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?
sergeichavto – :
I tried the vintage one, it smells bizarre
sawa12379 – :
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.
8631160446 – :
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.
fatum – :
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)!:-)
An.Perev. – :
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 🙂
Haci21 – :
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? …
ArturC – :
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.
erq036intitytek – :
Was bought this as a teenager in the eighties. Smells like gone off perfume. Yuk
fil913 – :
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??
kolyaba – :
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
vizen – :
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.
rexkrab – :
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.
appossese – :
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.
rozdm14 – :
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!
gnom47 – :
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 ?