Le Lion Eau de Parfum Chanel for women and men

HueloBien, Glad you caught that. Two great perfumers.

4/11/23

@kimvalley picklewitch posted a half true about the perfumer.

Le Lion was created by Olivier Polge, so was a Dior Homme. Dior Homme Intense was created by Francois Demachy.

4/5
A dryer, woodier spicier Dior Homme Intense without iris and lavender. Good, but quite dull compared to something as great as the livelier, fluffier, considerably more complex Dior Homme Intense.
Both of them made by the same perfumer.

True to its name, it smells like Lion/lioness in the best way possible. Its very unisex and animalistic. First thing that came to my mind is someone very determined, rich and powerful, someone dangerous and desireble, someone who you either love, fear or despise. Cesar-esque perhaps. Im in love. I really would like this to be my signature scent one day.

I ordered a decant and my goodness, this is gorgeous.

The opening has a little burst of citrus that only last 5-10 seconds.

Then, it gets powdery quickly.
And here is where I think it has some similarities to Shalimar, for what I remember.

The labdanum is noticeable after 5 minutes. The sweetness, it’s hard to pinpoint of is the vanilla or the amber.
The patchouli pops up after 5-10 minutes, and stays.
The musk is very light in the opening. It also showed a vey faint hint to Musc Ravageur, which it doesn’t work on my skin, so I am happy the musk is very light.

All well balanced. It projects but is not aggressive. It last but is not beast, unless you apply heavily with those Chanel atomizers.

In the dry down, reminds me a lot to Rosendo Mateu No.7 (RM7)

It’s unisex. It’s more mature and has a style from other times when perfumery was an art.
Anyone can wear it.
I requires confidence and understanding about classic fragrance style.
If you think is outdated, or gives you an old person’s vibe, good. Move on, and buy those 10 panty droppers YouTubers post daily.

Take some time to understand the fragrance, don’t over spray it.

Office friendly, only if you use 1 spray.
Date nights, of course but again, it’s a mature scent and requires confidence to be worn by a man (sorry kids, this is not bubblegum annoying sweet scent). 1 spray.
Interviews, no.
Casual events, yes but moderate your sprays.
Formal, definitely, 3-4 sprays and you will shine.
Parting? Look for other scents. Le Lion will wear you, instead of you wearing it.

Season, cold weather. I think there are other fragrances for warm weather.

Since I own RM7, I think I am all set with my 10ml decant, unless I find a good deal of Le Lion.

This is a true church incense on top of a beautiful creamy base. Sadly it has the same antiseptic smell that Shalimar has, just like a hospital.

Think of the creamy Chanel base on which is layered citrus, then smoky, musky, leather. Ten years ago I'd have struggled with - possibly even hated - this perfume because I wouldn't have understood what I was smelling. Hundreds of bottles and samples later, I regard this as a phenomenal scent. It has a complexity, and a contrast which I find stimulating. The top notes are as as juicy as any great citrus, but so smooth. That draws you in as the perfume develops, with that smoky leather coming through. I see some reviews talk about this being animalic. Yes theres an impact here but I find Le Lion incredibly well blended and balanced. And the performance is excellent. Okay £215 for 75ml is toppy, but there are Chanel boutiques in airports so get a bottle duty free (but try it first). Regards Les Exclusifs, I havent tried them all but if the King (or Queen?) is Coromandel, Le Lion isnt very far behind.
5/5

I first experienced this offering whilst watching the film 200 Million Years BC with Raquel Welsh.
It will forever remind me of a pre historic Aroma from another epoch. Simply outstanding & beautiful in equal measure ❤️🙏

It's a very conflicting fragrance, as are many Chanel Exclusifs. At first I didn't like it at all. Smelled like 1800s oppression. But I brought the little replica-styled sampler to Cabo Mexico, and it's actually performing pretty well. I put it on last night about 4pm for dinner, and I can't complain. It's still a tough scent. But I didn't dislike it as much as before. It's a skin scent as I'm writing, and has surpassed 12 hours, as sweet and smokey as it started. I'm sure my clothes smell stronger. I did however intentionally over spray, which may have contributed. But layering this with the right balancing floral or citrus may make this easier to wear

This is a very wearable animalic scent ....love it .

Glad I didn't blind buy this. Someone said this is an acquired taste. And how! From the opening there is this animalic note that I don't like already. It gets milder as it dries down but this is not for me. Just looking at the note breakdown, it looked like it's going to be a pleasant smell. It is not.

Dare I say, perfection. A well-blended powdery amber that lasts all day, a dream on both clothes and the skin. It is the epitome of class and elegance — wore this to orchestra night yesterday. I am absolutely dying to make this my signature scent.

This smells extremely similar to Roja Fetish Pour Homme.

Like scarily close. How is it not in the ‘this reminds me of’ section?

Ok, this one was an acquired taste for me, but boy, how I love it now.

I smelled it near the beginning of my two-year love affair with perfumes - felt it was too masculine, animalic, repulsive, and never would be something I'd wear.

Right now - amazing.
It's essentially a smoky, rich, thick labdanum. One of the BEST Les Exclusifs and I'm sad it took me so long to like it.
I like this much, much more than Shalimar (at least the new formulation - don't crucify me, purists) or Labdanum 18 by Le Labo. Nothing about it is animalic to me now - it's just smoky and thick and slightly leathery.
Le Lion to me, feels like impenetrable armour. You wear it on days where you wake up and feel the world is against you. Something about this is also really sexy - it makes you feel protected and warm. I wore it on a day where I felt absolutely miserable in the office (applied very lightly and under my shirt, of course), and it made me just that much happier. (I also actually like it sprayed on bed linens, and especially lightly combined with Portrait of a Lady? Amazing.)

compared to Shalimar:
- Shalimar is much more citrus-heavy, astringent, and "sweeter". Shalimar sits lighter on the skin, and IMO (sorry), doesn't smell nice close-up. The magic of Shalimar is in the scent bubble it creates around you.
- Le Lion, on the other hand, is round, rich, thick, and while there are also citruses in the top, they don't detract from the composition in the way Shalimar does on my skin.

compared to Labdanum 18:
- Labdanum 18 is closer to Shalimar than Le Lion to me, but Labdanum 18 is just flat.
- Labdanum, to me, smells "top heavy" - the top notes with the labdanum and citrus hit you hard and fast, and everything disappears. On my skin, it smells thin, disappointing, and feels like biting into a macaron that deflates too quickly in your mouth.
- Don't waste your money on Labdanum 18, and definitely not as a substitute for Le Lion

TLDR:
Scent vibe: solid, sexy, protected
Longevity: full day
Projection: average
Polarity: Unisex to very slightly masculine - I'm female but am comfortable wearing this

I have 4 Shalimars & I like this better than any I own. WARNING! I went on Mercari to see if I could find a partial bottle & found 3 "new" ones, from different sellers, different prices, different backgrounds. HOWEVER, the bottom of the box has tiny spots/ blemishes that are exactly the same. They tried to change the background, & in one placed something over one of the blemishes, but I can still see the others. NO reason for these at a low price unless is FAKE. So just don't! They would have been better off making sure only one account was selling it, if it was real, they would have had no problem. I asked about authentication, of course they said it was real. Get real decants, or buy on legit websites. These ppl piss me off!
I want a full size bottle sooo bad! This reminds me of old school Emeraude & Obsession, a lot. I def get the shalimar vide, but I swear, the more it has sat & I have worn it ( 5 ml sample, only need a bit), It's bringing back the Emeraude & def Obsession! I LOVE it! SCREAMS SEXY woman!!

This comes out as baby powder on me.. has anyone else had this experience or do I somehow have a bad bottle?

Undeniably high quality and posh. Incense in the drydown makes this a very dry and mature smelling scent. Would not buy a full bottle but enjoying a sample. You only need one spray, it is very very strong so it's a pretty good bang for your buck if you want something strong, classy and intruiging. I think this is much better than Shalimar, as it smells very natural and more unique despite at the same time smelling a bit simpler (although it's also complex at the same time, a contradiction only achieved by very well blended scents with good materials).
A scent for a perfume lover and business professional. Objectively 9/10, for me 7.5/10 because it's not a versatile scent but I am really impressed by this and will delve deeper into this house because of this fragrance. It seems like it would be a great scent to make an impression. Smells very French.

To make this clear.. This is not unisex and it certainly isn't a woman's fragrance. It has a minor similarity to Shalimar, but not to the extent to be compared with it that often, mostly by the female audience. This is an extremely masculine fragrance with notes of leather, labdanum, frankincense, patchouli and musk. It reminds of a luxurious leather jacket.

Really reminds me of Shalimar however, less complex. Retains that astringent citrus and smoky raspiness of Shalimar’s opening for the longest… whereas Shalimar starts to mellow out and introduce a beautiful wave of vanilla, powdery iris, patchouli and leather.

It’s nice, I enjoyed it. Heavier on the smoke and incense on my skin which I really liked. Smells nothing like Labdanum 18 whatsoever to me.

Exceeded expectations. A chimera. Always delivers some different aspects depending on the day and place of application.

Not similar to any modern Shalimar, in my opinion, as the vanilla is subdued (if at all obvious) with nothing burning. It’s the way I imagined (but never smelled) the original 1920s Shalimar but without the other add-ons described below. If I were to compare it to a modern perfume, it would be to Ambra Aurea by Profumum Roma, but Le Lion also has add-on features.

A chimera because it’s at least two perfumes in one - the amber/labdanum and pure Coromandel stages that come, replace the amber profile, then go. Coromandel is way too linear to me so I’m enjoying it here as it doesn’t stay long. This interchangeability of the two scents without getting blended is a bit odd - I could do without the "extras".

Lasts ages and this, after Ambra Aurea, is the second most long-lasting scent in my possession. This longevity and its similarity to Ambra Aurea makes me think there’s ambergris in it as well.

It’s very difficult to describe the Lion to someone completely new to all those reference scents. If I were to simplify, it has the intensity of very strong unsweetened bergamot tea (both in scent and flavour) with bouts of heavy patchouli popping in and out.

I prefer it outdoors and wear my ambers in summer, excluding the modern Shalimar and Co. from this list because I find them far too gourmand with so much vanilla. Ambra Aurea, pre-1970s vintage (not modern) Shalimar and Le Lion are the “gold standard” of amber to me.

My introduction to Chanel Les Exclusifs began with Coromandel, a scent so exquisite it conjured images of owning a fleet of yachts off the Arabian Gulf coast. This propelled my curiosity towards other fragrances in the Les Exclusifs line, bringing me to Le Lion.

Before sampling Le Lion, I reviewed its scent profile, where the term "animalic" caught my attention, a note I was unfamiliar with at the time. Upon receiving my sample, the meaning of "animalic" became unmistakably clear. It's a scent one might expect to find revolting, yet it possesses a raw, almost sexual quality that only a living organism after millennia of evolutionary attraction could understand. This is how Le Lion smells when bring your nose close to the nozzle.

Upon spraying Le Lion for the first time, I was immediately reminded of Coromandel, yet this resemblance has faded over time. My current impression is dominated by a smoky and intense citrus note, underpinned by the rich, resinous scent of Labdanum.

Regarding longevity, this is easily one of my longest lasting fragrance. It lasts on skin all day, and can even survive showers. On clothes, it'll last an entire week from a mere two sprays. It even projects like crazy. Because I like Le Lion so much, and because of it's lasting power, I bought a second bottle, safeguarding against any potential reformulation by Chanel.

Aptly named and aggressive to those who will not enjoy this scent, le lion de chanel is masterful. A scent anyone can wear and be seductive to a point of nauseating, they can impress or offend, this person can be easily pinpointed and mysterious, and all from a fragrance so balanced and beautifully Chanel as this is surprising. Typical Chanel and yet atypic to the Chanel buyer. Amber everywhere, musk suffocating a room, and a slightly coy lightness as to not kill. If we could have perfection, this would be approaching something near perfection.

Greatest Generation era cosmetics and powders is what this smells like. And it's wonderful, warm. A lion indeed

I could not do this and I normally love Amber frageances. I love Coco, Coromandel, and Shalimar. But I had to wash this off then wear a light floral fragrance.

My Favorite Chanel associate gave me several samples of this since I love Coromandel. The leather scent in this is too much for me. It’s overwhelming and just about all I can smell. As it dries down I can smell the similarity to Coromandel. But I really don’t like Le Lion. It smells like a musty, leathery, dusty, room. It’s more masculine than I want to smell. Some people might love this but it kinda makes me a little sick and headachy. But it’s not a safe blind buy.

This has a lemon/patchouli opening that transforms into a beautiful musk/incense dry down. It smells very regal, and has an elegance to it that really demonstrates its craftsmanship. Although, I would consider this a hard to wear fragrance for daily use. I think it's reserved for an opulent setting, but maybe you're someone who lives amongst wealth and dresses as so.


Side note:

I'm not sure what others are speaking to when they mention the performance aspect. My sample of this lasted me about 3 days because it was barely staying on me for more than 3 hours. I would say performance is average to poor.

I tried this about 10 days ago and was knocked out by how good it was. Bought a bottle and it arrived this morning. Chanel's customer service is AAA. One spray... good for the whole day... and night. Longevity and sillage for miles. This stuff has some serious horsepower. It's like time traveling back to the '80s, or early '90s when so many fragrances were trying to be a 100 story skyscraper instead of today's tiny homes.
Blind buy? I wouldn't recommend that. Find a sample or get a decant. Trust me, the sample's gonna last for month.

I definitely get the Shalimar reference; it's like Chanel does Guerlain and gives it a little. Maybe a bit more pepper and spice? Kinda naughty and she's not trying to play nice. Incredibly sexy, smoldering, slow burn scent. I love it. When this bottle runs out... which will probably take years, I'll be re-upping with the larger "Lifetime" size. Le Lion: 5/5.

Edit: For "Price/Value" I picked "good value." Why? Believe me... one spray. That's all you need. Two sprays, you're gonna either fill up or clear the room. But maybe that's your intention, lol? I would recommend a bit of restraint with this stuff. It's insane.

Notes are misleading as to what it smells like. I can see the shalimar
Reference as it has a major incense feel. NOT safe for blind buy or anyone unde 40

it's true that the base of this perfume is very similar to Shalimar, but it is hidden underneath a thick layer of leather and incense notes, I have a very varied taste palette in terms of perfume and I like boldness and I wear perfumes for men, but if you are a woman do not blind buy this perfume ,or be seduced by the reviews,or influencer , I cannot appreciate this fragrance, even if I'm used to wearing very strong or middle eastern perfumes

True story:
Once I sprayed this on Friday evening, only 1 spritz to the chest after the shower, and then couldn't have shower for the next 3 days (until Monday evening) because of the unexpected hot water problem at my apartment, and it lasted and lasted and even survived the next shower.

After owning Bleu and Allure Edition Blanche way in the past and eventually selling them, I had kind of written off Chanel as a house for me. A few years ago I tried a couple from their exclusive line; 1957 and Boy and hated both of them. However yesterday I gave them another try. Apparently the Chanel in the Holt's I was in is the flagship store in Canada and they carry every possible fragrance they have here.

A very nice sales lady first recommended Coromandel to me, which I liked but then she suggested Le Lion and it was an instant love. I knew I was going to get it right away but I tried it on my skin anyway and went with the 75ml bottle.

Strangely enough, the sales guy that sold me Allure many years ago was there so we caught up. On the way out he sprayed Cuir de Russie on a card and I'm pretty sure that will be my next purchase. They also gave me samples of Sycomore and Coromandel.

I feel @InquisitiveReviewer has nailed the review, I couldn't say it better. However, I want to defend the "beast mode" label people are giving Le Lion. Yes it performs well but there's a difference between a Chanel "beast mode" and say a Orto Parisi "beast mode". I did three sprays and it's perfect. Present but definitely not choking anyone out.

Excited I have a new house to check out further!

Having owned this perfume for a while, I think it's time to post a review. This perfume speaks for itself. A middle aged, handsome man with dark stubble who owns a nice car collection. A man who likes to sit down by his fireplace every night, with a cigar and whiskey in his hand. He enjoys listening to classical music, brushing off dust from his fathers favourite book. Spicy, woody and sexy. Every boy who is transitioning into a man MUST give this a try.

After sampling Coromandel, Le Lion de Chanel is the second of the perfumes in Les Exclusifs for me. Coromandel, while the scent profile isn't something I personally want to wear, impressed me in a major way, so my expectations for Le Lion were set. And by the end of the day, I had enjoyed my stay with this perfume even more so than my day with Coromandel.

The opening is probably the most challenging part of Le Lion. It's a strong mixture of synthetic leather notes, musk, some generic animalistic musky-sourness and somewhere behind that, a warm honeyed background that I must assume is part of the Labdanum. Much like with Coromandel, here, too, I didn't get any part of the supposed citrussy top notes. If they are there, they disappear behind the rest of the accords. And in the first 10 or so minutes, Le Lion did nothing to win any friends. It's loud, it's strong, it's just a lot and I experienced it to be a bit messy here.

However, that first impression that left me bewildered (in a literal sense) dissipated soon enough and Le Lion settled into a much more refined experience. If I would need to describe the dominant notes then I would describe them as incense-labdanum in the front, mellowed by a very polite amount of vanilla-patchouly sweetness (that never dominates but just accentuates) and a sandalwood-amber base that warms everything up, but I feel this does not really do the perfume justice. As with most perfumes in general, the scent is more than the sum of its individual parts.

And here's Le Lion's strength. As an amalgamation, it's a warmly lit incense stick, glimmering with just a perfect blend of spicy-smokiness, mellow sweetness and a lot of glowing amber. While the fragrance isn't shy in its projection or presence at all, the incense does never go into the burn-your-nostrils frankincense direction. While there is sweetness in its vanilla and patchouly base notes, it's a muted, accentuating sweetness that just rounds the edges of the smokey incense. Lion is not a sweet perfume. It's extremely warm, warm enough that I likely wouldn't want to wear it in summer. It's very present, but not in a loud, screamy kind of way, but in the way of a person entering a room and their presence immediately being noticed in subtle ways. It's an extremely confident scent but it's never domineering or shouting for attention. The Lion is sitting in the middle of the room. His presence alone is enough to be noticed. He doesn't need to threaten or growl. He is majestic as is.

The incense stick association is kept for around 5 hours, after which the smoke- and labdanum-heavy accords dissipate on my skin. From here on, Le Lion resembles Coromandel a lot in its scent profile, so I consistently got reminded of it. Coromandel and Le Lion share the same slightly powdery, creamy Vanilla-Patchouli drydown - only where the incense in Coromandel is only a very faint memory, Le Lion keeps a bigger part of it throughout its later stages. Still, I consistently found what I also found in Coromandel here and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I later got to know that they both apparently share a fair amount of aromachemicals, so I assume their background has a similar "DNA", if you want to call it that. Here, Le Lion becomes a bit more polite, and a bit less projecting, but it still keeps its confidence throughout. The imagined animal is now lying down on the floor, relaxed. Maybe the lion even allows you to touch it softly. And after 10, 11, 12 hours, there is little of it left but a faint, creamy sweetness.

I enjoyed my time with Le Lion tremendously. Where Coromandel is earthy, Le Lion is incensy smoke. I am a fan of Amber-Labdanum heavy scents and Le Lion gave me a lot of what I look for in a perfume with this scent profile. It's present but not domineering. It's warm and smokey and slightly sweet but never opulent. It's refined and elegant but it's not quite as polite as Coromandel is.

Only my partner did not enjoy it much on me. In her nose, the musky sourness that I only very rarely got a tiny bit of after the opening was much more present and she described me as smelling like a mixture of an incense stick and Play-Doh, which... isn't exactly an amazing combination according to her. Depending on how much of that "Play-Doh"-effect you get on your skin and your nose, you might find Le Lion more or less challenging and so will - likely - your surroundings.

A really animalistic amber musk with citrus on the initial spray. A unisex lion or lioness comes to mind. True to the name.

Shalimar turning into Cuir de Russie turning into Coromandel. Patchouli, patchouli, patchouli.

I didn't expect this from Chanel. Le lion is an animalic, smoky, leathery-like labdanum, a rich amber on a bed of lovely vanilla and woods. Very loud and intoxicating, not your typical soft chanel. Excellent fragrance.

8,5/10

It's an OK woody, smoky, powdery Amber but that's not my preferred style of Amber. I get very little similarity to Shalimar, Habit Rouge, or Musc Ravageur. I think the woody/smoky/powdery accords are as prominent as the amber. Amber by a campfire. A bit of a rough ride, but not bad. I just prefer my Amber fragrances to be smoother and creamier. No obvious animalic accords despite some reviews to the contrary. The Musk is clean.

Ambery chypre with bergamot atop a loud labdanum. Reminds me of Shalimar, Habit Rouge and HdP 1740. Not my thing

Loud woody leathery opening. Softens up slightly over its lifespan but remains rough, dry, uncompromising. Do not look for nice or appealing, you won't find it here. Not a cosy amber sweet vanilla type of affair. This is a here-I-am-deal-with-it kind of fragrance. You'll either admire its boldness or hate it with a passion. Possibly both.

The most prominent notes in this perfume by order
1.labdanum
2.lemon
3 vanilla

Labdanum and amber are the main notes in this fragrance, then it dries down to a dominant patchouli, smells beautiful, you do get the nice presentation and performance is very strong. Many people say this smells like vintage shalimar and therefore somehow dismiss this fragrance. But in reality, those vintage bottles are already incredibly expensive and are in questionable condition, with the chanel fragrance you are getting a fresh new bottle. I rather a thousand times buy this over vintage shalimar on ebay.

Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel participated in one of the many Parisian high society balls of the 1930s. The two designers hated each other so much that Chanel, asking Schiaparelli (dressed as a tree) to dance with her, took the opportunity to push her against a candelabra. The fire was put out, the "Italian" was sprayed with soda by the amused guests.
A strong, majestic woman and, for many other aspects of her life, with great tenacity: with this fragrance Coco is represented as a true lioness, also making reference to her zodiac sign.
Strong notes: labdanum, with slightly leathery nuances and an incisive amber are accompanied initially by light citrus scents then by vaniglia in the drydown.
An amazing, bold fragrance that I would really happily use, perhaps for the colder seasons.
“King of the Forest” painted by Antonio Ligabue.

Its amazing that Chanel would put this out, given they released something like Gabrielle. This is a monster and I love it. Apply named because its scratchy and rough yet regal like a lion. The Chanelimar vibe is only in the beginning, and then its a love child of coromandel and Cuir de Russie. I don't need to go into the notes or anything, it has to be smelled and worn a few times - not at all a safe blind buy. Projection, longevity and such a gorgeous lifecycle as you wear it - the drydown is absolutely sublime.

An uber-Oriental - stripped of the Guerlain primness of the overdoses of bergamot and vanilla, but still lacking a true animalic roar (which actually you get more of in a old bottle of Shalimar, which used to have real civet and castoreum in it). I suspect there are some synthetic animalics knocking around in the base, it feels that way, but they are rather too tame for my liking. This needs remaking by an independent free of stupid IFRA restrictions and it would be a cult masterpiece. It's crying out for a proper dose of real castoreum to give it the growling base it deserves. Top quality labdanum resin though, that's without question.

Chanel does Shalamar, but without the citrus and a little more butch. (Unisex)
I love Chanel frags, but this is Shalimar at 4x the price. (Also, the smoke/burning rubber I sense is a non-starter.

Well a Lion and a perfume !! if this is a perfume then many other scents are not !!
This is not really something you can wear it ...unless you are frankenstein ! or fragrancetein like me !
This is happen at first but not for long at the end is just a normal edp like Dior (99%)??? very mature but in a good vintage way !
But, for that 10 minutes, maybe worth to have a sample for the experience ! ..older guys only !!

This is beautiful however this smells almost identical to the 1970’s goutte flacon edt of Shalimar that I own.
The smoky tea like bergamot at the top.
The elegant powdery patchouli and amber.
I’m hoping this deviates a bit in the dry down but so far it’s Chanel does Guerlian and all I’m smelling is Shalimar.
I’m glad I just purchased a 4 Ml deluxe sample for $10 ( can you believe Chanel used to give 19 Ml bottles as a gift with purchase? Now it’s 4 Ml!) if I spent $$$ on a full bottle of Le Lion only to have Shalimar 2.0 I’d be very disappointed.
Edit:
Okay, this isn’t *exactly* like Shalimar.
Shalimar has a brighter, sticky, aromatic, bergamot tone in the opening where Le Lion has a smokier, earthier, dried-tea like bergamot in its opening.
Shalimar is sweeter and warm where I find Le Lion to be cool.
I actual experience incense when I wear Le Lion instead of the smoky, oriental vanilla of Shalimar.
To me, Le Lion reminds me of the mid and dry down of Shalimar with an amped up incense note. I would love to add a bottle to my collection but the price is prohibitive for what it is. I’m very happy with Shalimar.

I left another review about how it smells so ill say this, you can easily smell alot of the notes and its extremely high quality.

Its woody, musky and animalic with some slight sweetness which gets overpowered by other notes. For some the animalic notes might come off as smoky and there's a rubbery vibe from the labdanum i think. Its kinda waxy and very old school. It's creative but I didn't like it. It has beast mode performance, sillage and lasts forever. If it had more vanilla/ was slightly sweeter it would be so good so I give it a
6.5/10
(NOT A BLIND BUY)

This fragrance is enigmatic: both sweet and dark, alluring and heavy-handed, immediately impactful and slowly, smoulderingly penetrative.

The initial impact is severe, like immersion in a bucket of antiseptic wash. Then there is a leathery/birch tar phase, which had me reaching for the scrubbing brush. Then the magic begins, transforming the lion's opening roar into a long slow purr of pleasure, as labdanum works its magic: heavy, smoky, sweet and woody in turn.

My initial dislike - I've only just passed on my bottle of SMN's Peau d'Espagne because I tired of leather, - gave way to a growing attachment to these subtler notes, which provide the patchouli and incense lover in me with satisfaction in equal measure.

I have already received a rare "You smell nice" from my partner. Now I intend to wear Le Lion for a family wedding this weekend, to test out the fragrance's wider impact.

I've moved from scepticism to faith in the course of my first day in the company of this fragrance, but I still feel the need for a few words of advice to other would-be worshippers: apply ONE spray and one spray only, preferably not directly onto clothing, leaving a couple of hours between application and exposure to others. This not only presents the fragrance in its fully evolved state, but means that you can enjoy your own private olfactory conversion experience over and over again.

Bold and luxurious, if perhaps slightly challenging.

Opens very amber-dominant, before drying down to a smooth, dry wood-and-amber balance.

It's got plenty of round, warm, vanillic sweetness, but there's also a slightly sharp and animalic undertone, especially for the first hour or two.

This leans masculine to me, and feels opulent—ideal for a formal event on a long, dark, cold winter night. Expensive liquor and crystal chandeliers and hobnobbing with acquaintances who feel increasingly like friends with each subsequent drink. Then gasping against the bitter slap of cold when you stumble arm-in-arm from the venue well after midnight, expensive dress shoes crunching loud on snow.

Side by side with Shalimar EDP, the overall similarities are immediately recognizable, but with definite differences too. Shalimar is creamier and brighter, with a feminine-leaning elegance from its floral heart notes. In place of those elements, Le Lion yields rich, warm spice and a slightly bitter woodiness. Both fragrances are very, very good, imo.

Side by side with Labdanum 18, Le Lion is sharper, woodier, less mellow and more complex.

Beastly, loud and resonating!
For me, it’s a manly Shalimar and a sweeter Habit Rouge..
I get the earthiness of Coromandel, the smokiness of Cuir de Russie and the powderiness of 31 Rue Cambon..
It is like wearing different Chanels at the same time!
A flirty Lion, indeed!🦁

I have a strange reaction to this. For something as suffused and thick, it’s also fuzzy and diffuse. It has an old-fashioned aunt quality- like the memory of a fur coated relative leaning down to kiss you goodbye on a wintry street when you’re 5- and you always remember her enveloping you in scent, hints of secreted cigarettes and something menthol in her purse.

Linear smokey leather. No evolution or development. Chanel can do much better. This is a big pass for me. If this fragrance didn't have the Chanel label, I wonder if it would still have positive reviews. I seriously doubt it. Just MHO.

hm. no 22 on a suede leather jacket.

nice.

This is honestly the most waxy fragrance i have smelled. It's soooo waxy!! Not for me at all. Pretty strong fragrance though, very unusual scent

Perfumenut- there is a slight cooked meaty smell for me. Lmao, like someone is wearing No. 5 while cooking steaks.

Actually, I figured it out. My super naughty pet lion knocked over a two ounce vintage Shalimar PARFUM, broke a bottle of No. 5 EDP all over, and then rolled in it.

The strength in this is unbelievable, beyond nuclear power.

One spray to the chest and you are done, you will easily fill rooms everywhere whole day, if you apply more you will choke yourself, guaranteed ::D

I blind bought this badboy because I loooove animalic scents and Shalimar. Reading this described as Cuir de Russie meets Shalimar?! It can't be done! Too good to be true!

Oh my god. It is. That same leather/smoke I call Bitchy Birch Tar from Coco's cigarette found in CdR, but it's now combined with Shalimar's amber and resins. Does it SMELL like Shalimar? No. It's 1/8th slice of Shalimar pie.

But it does smell familiar. That waxy Chanel DNA? This starts out quite masculine and dirty. I like it, but it doesn't suit me (43 yo female) However, this WARMS right up and becomes one with skin. I don't find the nuclear strength that others do, and I have a March 2020 bottle. However, 3 sprays is PLENTY. It will start out nuclear and be kinda iffy while it calms down. The Leather/birch is just overwhelming. The base that radiates from skin does have that caramel-choc patchouli going on- all while the amber and leather are still there enough to remind me of CdR and Shalimar. This is fantastic.

I have no place to wear it tho. Haha, I will wear it for me. But if anyone else is going to smell this on me- I need to apply about 1-2 hours prior. And I'm still on the fence with this being worn in public- overall it's quite masculine. What I picture with this, is my whole body lightly scented with the warmth rather than a perfume/cologne. Mmmmm.... does it have a body wash?

And for a real EXPERIENCE I do 1-2 shots of Le Lion to my body (leave 1 hour) with 3 shots Musc Ravageur over. My eyes roll back.

I Love Chanel. I love Guerlain. I love Shalimar. When I first smelled this I was in HEAVEN. This is classic perfumery - complex and rich. Immediate purchase - in love with the entire idea of this fragrance ...and the opening!! But the dry down has a weird raw meat smell on me and I had to let it go. So sad...I wanted to keep loving it but I can't.

Beautiful. If you like signature fragrances that you make your own, and can pull this one off, it is truly amazing. Not for the timid. I would not blind buy this one due to the price, and its not for everyone. I find it very different than any other scent, with a bit of Chanel class! Absolutely beautiful.

I do love Le Lion very much but the note pyramid is not complete coz I definitely smell some incense . Especially in the base. This is one of Chanel’s true masterpieces. A must buy before they reformulate it…

Literally smells like a Lion, the animal itself.

Currently wearing when writing this review and feeling like I am a Lion.

As many mentioned there is similarity with the epic Shalimar but they are completely different beasts, regarding Guerlainade reviews I don't think Chanel had such intention.

My understanding is that Le Lion is genius son Mr. Polge's answer to the "How does a Lion smell" question.
There is no other niche which was so accurate or came such close to resemble the smell of an animal or any other thing.

Le Lion is a piece of art.

The nichest of the niches. Hail you Chanel!

Nuclear performance. Very potent and loud, so be easy on the trigger. Lasts easily 24 hours.

Top quality! Worth every penny.


★★★★★

I made it through 3 ml. of this but now that it’s gone that’ll be it for me. It’s just too strong and leathery for me. I much prefer softer fragrances, but I can see how people love this; it’s gorgeous. I can wear Shalimar but that’s softer than this.

Smoother more leathery flanker of Shalimar also a tad more masculine than Shalimar imo.
Worth testing not a safe blind buy, doesn’t wow me though kind of been there done that compared to Shalimar.
I don’t particularly enjoy Shalimar, it is still bolder than Le Lion.

Insanely strong unisex fragrance. It literally takes multiple washes to remove from my skin. If strength and animalic projection are the goal and you also love a lot of dirty labdanum and an undertone of patchouli, this is for you. You will NOT smell like anyone else in the room I promise you that. This is not for the novice fragrance connoisseur. Not a safe blind buy at all but still this is a solid fragrance worth a sniff.

This is an absolute masterpiece made by Olivier Polge, the son of the legendary Jacques Polge who made the first version I believe. I am almost certain that Chanel perfumer Christopher Sheldrake had a nose in this one. I recognise a slight Serge Lutens dna. But the silage is typical Chanel and one of the best in perfumery. It breathes royal class and timeless style and luxury. I don't get the citrus in the opening but a beautiful powdery lavender and a mesmerising patchouli and leathery resins and labdanum. The only downside for me is the animalic sweaty cumarin note that I smell. But for the rest this is utterly beautiful with a gorgeous Madagascar vanilla dry down. This is a frag you remember for ever once you smelled it. The price is also royal and the main reason I will not buy a full bottle. Absolutely a signature scent nevertheless.

Trump wore this when he had his mugshot.

Seems to be getting better with age. As if it is smoothing out. I recall it being harsher in the opening. Reached for it today has I am working remotely from home and wanted something I usually don’t wear. Smells fantastic and better than ever, if memory serves right.

Rather straightforward labdanum-amber with a touch of smoke, which is, to be fair, a winning combo if not groundbreaking. It lasts well though without evolution, as it's all base notes.

At half the price or less this would be worth it … eh, still my favourite of the Exclusifs.

VINTAGE Houbigant Chantilly. Not the modern imposter. VINTAGE. If you remember how Chantilly used to smell, this is close, except VINTAGE Chantilly included more sandalwood. Le Lion is very close.
Did I mention it's the VINTAGE version that this reminds me of?

Le Lion is gorgeous. This phrase is overused but in this case I can't think of a better one: instant classic

Its very nice, even if a (slightly) modernised version of Shalimar. Can’t go wrong with this one. Ambery vanillay bergamoty heaven.

It's porn between Shalimar and Habit Rouge oiled up with Ambra Aurea.
Top notch parfumery, top notch materials..

Wow. Just incredible. Another great fragrance from Chanel.

Woody, Amber, Citrus, musk and light floral notes are perfectly blended together to create a beautiful masterpiece. Alot of natural ingredients and raw materials used which results in a fragrance that does not smell synthetic at all and has no chemical harshness as this is really high quality stuff. Leathery labdanum with strong dose of amber, creamy sandalwood, smoky patchouli with fresh lemon and bergamot. The very smooth, leathery and slightly sweet musk is very well done and adds on to the fullness of the fragrance and compliments the other notes perfectly.

The amber and labdanum give this fragrance alot of warmth and sweetness which is attractive and is great for winter and citrus freshness makes this fragrance usable in the summer which is why it is so versatile. Sexy and sweet enough for date night, fresh and bold enough for the office or formal occasions.

Extremely smooth, classy, elegant, formal and mature scent that will become addictive. This is great for a mature confident person and this fragrance is great for formal occasions and making a statement. Le Lion De Chanel is unique but without being too unusual. This fragrance is generally quite appealing to most people.

8-10hours longevity on skin around 12 hours on clothes
3 feet projection; projects far without being harsh or annoying, smells gentle and attractive. Great 4 season fragrance can be worn in summer and spring but is better suited for autumn and winter.

This is proof of what an amazing fragrance house Chanel is and why I think they are the best fragrance house even above Niche brands. They are capable of producing such high quality scents.

This is the second best Chanel fragrance and one of the best out there.

9/10

Chanel doing Guerlinade! 💨
This is like Shalimar on steroids.
The epitome of parfumery! 🦁

Gorgeous, labdanum forward fragrance that I will forever be sourcing samples of, because labdanum is so addictive. This blooms beautifully and softens in the heat, so don't restrain from trying during hotter seasons. On me, it starts off packing a punch with a smoky, almost woody top. I imagine the initial 'punch' is from the lemon/bergamot/patch combo, but blended smoothly, so I don't pick up on any of these notes much individually. This stage passes within an hour on me and with heat, fades into a gentle, warm, almost powdery, seductive labdanum, vanilla base with hints of smoky reminders here and there. On skin, it has moderate projection, keeping me in a warm scent bubble all day. In colder months, the top takes longer to develop to mid, which is also a nice experience. This would be a great amber/labdanum layering scent to offer that depth to any of your fragrances. I've also layered over Sycomore, which helps to keep some of that punchy top throughout. I have MFK's Grand Soir and several other resinous, incense-forward ambers, but if I didn't I'd purchase a full bottle for sure.

Omg THE DRYDOWN YOU GUYS!!!

The King has come.
Kneel down and obey!.
The Lion.

Everything else has been said already.

★★★★★

This is raw and animalistic but an upscale and sophisticated version of that. Classic Chanel soapy/powder from their musk accord. This reminds me of Shalimar, but I like this a lot more. The top notes in Shalimar are too harsh for me here the citruses don't stand out as much. Also, the dry down is not tar like it is w/ Shalimar for me. The thing is I find it leans masculine. I would love to smell this on a man. The above accords are exactly what you get w/ this perfume in that order and the amount. I love the musk here and the balsamic accord. This is very sexy. Again, I think I will give this sample to my husband. I would love for him to wear this on our anniversary. Guys if you want sexy classy perfume that will really impress women this is it. A deep rich amber that is smoky, slightly sweet, slightly soapy, musky amber fragrance that is well worth the price tag. As I keep smelling this, I think it is something a woman can rock when she is feeling her prowess. Le Lion is the fragrance of a powerful, charismatic, dynamic person. The more this goes along I think this is more unisex than I thought. I really want this; my husband and I can share it. A really interesting, powerful and sensual perfume.

Edit: A good feminine companion to Le Lion IMO would be Patou's Chaldee from the Heritage collection. I find they really pair well together. I plan on buying this and wearing it for myself, but I think if my husband would wear this out on a date night, I would wear Chaldee by Patou.

Edit Again: I've tried quite a few from the Exclusive Chanel Line. Jersey, Gardenia, Coromandel, Beige, 1932, 1957. I hope to try them all someday but my Favorite it Le Lion and I doubt that will change. There is just something really special about this fragrance. If you love deep amber perfumes like I do check Le Lion out.

Edit yet again: Sorry, but I can't say enough good things about this perfume. I did not shower last night (I always do) because I did not want to wash this off yesterday when I wore it. Like I can't get enough of this perfume. I wore YSL Opium for years as a signature (vintage) this is a signature type of perfume. I could wear this every day for years and not get tired of it. Absolutely addictive. I have like maybe 5 perfume in my collection I feel this way about. Le Lion just shot up to the top. I cannot get enough.

The more refined, less grungy sister of Amber Kiso. If AK is a Brooklyn mosh pit, this is a Manhattan orchestra. Otherwise, really pretty and unique, don't mind wearing this at all

Shalimar/Habit rouge base + raw,animalic,leathery amber from Ambra Aurea. All wrapped in classic French parfumery.
Another stolen item from Jacques Guerlain's old black book.

I'm not a perfumer but I know what I like, this is the only incarnation of Le Lion I have smelled. To me this is classic French perfume, it is sensational absolutely gorgeous, amazing projection and you don't need to spray much. I did find it quote musty on the opening but once it opens up and life is breathed into it, it is so so wonderful I absolutely adore it.

Upon spraying my skin, I got the citrus opening and let the perfume develop. I couldn’t get past the first 30-45 minutes because my spouse and I thought it smelled like an old book or as Pilikins said a church - but I disagree with them that this is “a lot like Shalimar”. My skin did not react well with the ambery, leathery midnotes. I had to wash it off. Definitely glad I tested this and did not blind buy a whole bottle of this based off the overwhelmingly positive reviews.

ETA: I purchased Shalimar and the main accords of these perfumes are not alike. This is not a Shalimar copycat. So for those of you who are interested in both, you may like both. For me, my skin reacts well with Shalimar (and I do consider myself a Chanel gal) but does not get along with Le Lion. I wish it did. I own a splash bottle of Le Lion so I have had plenty of time to try them both out.

This is overdone and too loud. Not at all a classic in my opinion. I love Olivier’s work just not this one. For rich fall scents, Coromandel and Shalimar do it for me.

This is a lot like Shalimar but with a hefty dose of incense. It reminds me too much of cold churches to grab me. I love Shalimar so I will stick with that.

Great!!! Musky, animalic and unusual!!!

I was not prepared for that opening… and as a result in the boutique I was too quick to dismiss this wonderful fragrance.

However, Le Lion is all about the dry down. It is just lovely and it lasts on my skin all day long. Seriously! After shopping for over two hours I had to go back to the boutique and buy a big bottle. (I’m worth it)

Coromandel is equally beautiful with its bright and happy patchouli, but doesn’t last very long on me. Whereas Le Lion opens with a super strong citrus and then dries down into an intoxicating rich amber scent with hints of patchouli and smoky incense. This really well blended fragrance that is worth the money.

Ok, but absolutely inferior to Shalimar of any vintage. Not as complex. If you like Shalimar, but it's too much for you, I'd say still get Shalimar edc or edt, but this might be an option.

A powdery, classic amber-vanilla. Very linear, straight forward with a blast of citruses to start, followed by a chaleureux (I can’t think of an English word to explain that feeling), scent of labdanum and amber. It’s very nice. Decant worthy. But not full bottle for me

Le Lion is Chanel’s take on Guerlinade.
But Le Lion is not a pioneer. Ungaro ll was the first “Chanel” exploring Guerlain’s territory. Papa Polge, as always, did it first. And did it better. As always.

Shalimar squared. As if Shalimar wasn't exquisite enough already, Chanel goes and does Guerlinade as well as, if not slightly better than Guerlain.
Fight fight fight!

Le lion devours the likes of Grand Soir (which is great but less great), then casually sits licking its paws. Yummy.

Le Lion is a mystical experience to my nose, a dark, dense, musky experience, oriental but with a classic western finesse. I am reminded of the smell of Papier d'Armenie, small benzoin-coated paper strips that you light on fire like incense. They smell quite sweet but also slightly smokey, like burnt caramel. At the same time Le Lion is much darker, heavy on the smokey almost woody incense, sandalwood compounds in the base with a good amount of patchouli, but cloaked in a sweet benzoin-heavy amber accord and heaps of animalic musk notes in the base.

What i didn't expect is that I would get a certain spiritual almost gothic dimension to it, i think because it reminds reminds me of a snuffed out candle, the unlisted incense, the dark animalic musk accord in the base gives it a certain dark ritualistic element to it. I find it very sensual and mysterious, but also very heavy-handed.

I'm not certain when you would wear this, or who it is designed for, I can't imagine wearing it during the day, because of the aforementioned dark musky smokiness or in even remotely warm weather. I'm still experimenting with it myself, but if you enjoy this genre make sure to check it out.

This smells utterly fantastic! Has a beautiful citrus burst in the opening whose zesty sprightliness is disrupted by just the right amount of skanky anamalics. I tend not to enjoy dirty scents (and haven’t understood anamalic fragrances until now) and this is absolutely not an anamalic fragrance, but it’s definitely there. A lion indeed.

After the lovely opening becomes a warm amber vanilla hug! I love it!

The first couple of minutes is a smokey citrus, followed by a heavy birch smoke which makes its presence known and felt to anyone within 6 feet of you, The dry down after a few hours becomes very very reminiscent of MFK's Grand Soir.

A big love on the smell but it leans a little feminine for me to feel comfortable wearing. At the same time, I feel you'd need to have quite a strong personality as a woman to pull this off - I'm talking CEO vibes. I got a sample and lightly sprayed it on my bedsheets. The bed feels luxurious, safe and carnal. I might buy a bottle someday just to keep that experience going.

This, in the most lovely way, reminds me of waxed leather boots in a garage. Bergamot and citrus, leather, resin, a little bit of must. Yummy. I don't know if I'd wear this every day, but it's a great special occasion scent. A bit strong.

Very dry ambery, animalic labdanum. Perfect olfactory association with lion. I can smell the dry plants of savannah, sandy, dusty and oily fur of the lion and some faint gasoline notes from the Safary travelers Landrovers. Sunset in Africa.

intense amber and leather all around. very animalistic

Le Lion is a dry, dusty resin with not enough bounce to it.
It suffers from the same issues that plague Avignon -- aside from the frank, there's not much of anything else going on.

Le Lion, however, is a resin-heavy scent, with not enough of 'something else' going on. I'd like there to be something else here, ANYTHING else, to give an effective counterbalance to the whole incense.

Whilst it's not straight frankincense like Avignon (there's myrrh, frank, benzoin and maybe amber), it is a little on the two-dimensional side.
I reckon an odd, little-known floral combo here would've worked wonders, here.
Maybe some weird geranium-hibiscus combo, or something like that.
Anything, really!

Too much base for mine...

First. I'm a Chanel Exclusifs fangirl. Second. I don't get this at all. All I get, straight off, and for the next two hours is a combination of Tauer L'Air du Desert Marocain and Au Coeur du Désert  with a faint hint of vanilla. Too faint. To make a difference, it needs way more vanilla. I love ambers. Anne Klein II and Charles of the Ritz ambers, Le Lion doesn't fit into that amber category, too sharp by far. I don't feel this at all, which is disappointing, I expected much more, and something original. I get nothing regal from it at all.... it's very hippie trail, there is a definite tang of weed in there too. If I have to say something positive, it's this. If you like Tauers, this will last longer. It's exotic, definitely leaning toward the masculine for my tastes, reminiscent of cactus, camels and spicy leather water bags in some north african souk. I'm a bit sad now.

First spray and oh my it was awful!Gradually after a few hours I loved it and the smell reminded me of being at Mass.My husband loved it immediately my daughter did not.Lucky to have a sample and its a maybe purchase.

never thought i would be into something like this, but i guess i am now 🤷🏻 it evokes a cozy warm feeling. never experienced anything like it. i could imagine this on my husky

I got it available for decanting. Pm me if interested

And the Lion roars.

How often do you fall in love with scent at the very first sniff? Do you believe in love at first sniff? Well, I'm of the opinion that one should give a fragrance ample amount of time to fully understand the composition and its various aspects. But Le Lion de Chanel is an anomaly. This hit me, on so many levels that I'm literally bewildered. How can i miss this sensational, opulent, gorgeous scent when it first came out?

With the associations like Shalimar, you would think to put on some classical Beethoven, put on a spray or two of Le Lion, relax and enjoy the scent. Isn't it? Well you would be wrong because it starts off with punch (infact a headbutt) of birch tar and it is so strong that you would kicked out of Ode to Joy, into Metallica's Fade to Black. When people associate this opening with Lion's Roar, they are not wrong.

But don't forget, Lion is a majestic being and this scent mimicks its majesticness, its calmness, its stature. This scent is smokey, leathery, slightly sweet, creamy, ambery, powedery and smooth as baby's bum.

Longevity on this one is phenomenal. We are talking 8 hours on skin and even more on clothes. But projection is not loud, it stays under a close bubble. Furthermore, I find this scent to be a formal scent but can be worn easily in office. As for season, i would say, strictly fall and winters. But i guess, i will be using it whenever i wish.

So would i recommend it? Well if you are someone who can carry such magnafique on your shoulders and still walk straight then don't think twice. For me personally, this is a masterpiece and may climb very soon into my list of Holy Grails.

I am finding it difficult to believe that there is no castoreum in this.

This is strong but fuzzy, cocooning, warm. Ambery, resinous, musky, fuzzy, slightly suede-y. Sorta musty, but in the best way. Smells old, like an old library or old book pages. I see this fuzzy and weathered beige/creme colored sweater that is incredibly thick and warm. maybe it's been sitting in an attic for years but now it's on and you're around a fireplace at Christmastime and there are Christmas spices in the air and you just feel cozy, loved, warm. It smells very mature. Almost brings a tear to my eye; it evokes a deep, ancient sadness. It's a truly beautiful fragrance.

I blindly bought this from the notes and the name to be honest lol. It is a beautiful scent but was way too strong for me and truly feels like a masculine scent. I have a brand new bottle if anyone would like contact me for resale. I’m also open to trading for Louis Vuitton.

One of the best things I’ve ever smelled, easily my favourite use of labdanum to date and a superior blend that one can only expect from Chanel. However, I know in my heart of hearts that I absolutely can not wear it because it doesn’t suit my personality in the slightest. I hope y’all out there know that I love smelling it on you though, wear it with pride.

Unreal. Swirling lemon vanilla amber and smoke. The notes never fully blend together, instead retain their identities. A work of art. 3D and dynamic. AAA+++

I've tried this before and never written a review, but I saw a video of Sebastian "The Perfume Guy " on youtube comparing this with Gucci Eyes Of The Tiger and I didn't remember them being terribly similar, so I went by the Chanel boutique and got a sample to test out more throughly. On my skin, I don't find them similar at all. They are both Amber fragrances, but that's where the resemblance ends. I'm VERY picky about amber, and this is a good one no doubt, but I don't get any animalics on my skin like that youtube personality said was there was. What I do get is a smokey patchouli with some bite. As far as the differences with Gucci Eyes Of the Tiger, the Gucci is more smooth vanilla with no abrasive patchouli. To me, the Gucci is superior for my taste, so that's what I ended up buying (heavily discounted).

Scent 6.5/10
Performance 6/10.

Luxurious. It smells like royalty! Gorgeous, deep, dense, well blended. One of the masterpiece of perfumery.

I feel so many things when I wear this fragrance. It reminds me of entering an abandoned Cathedral, nearly surrendered to nature yet still standing. It has such a classic, vintage smell that exudes class and luxury. Smells quite natural and a bit masculine. 10/10 for me.

A true masterpiece. A tribute to the timeless classics of French perfumery art. Totally devoid of any synthetic feelings, or unpleasant artifacts. Labdanum at its best, like you direcly play with the softness of the nature’s gift. This is the latest offering from the exclusive line, yet the most striking! Enjoy

Le Lion has slowly grown to be my favourite from the entire Les Exclusifs line.

I think it pleases a lot people within the fragrance community but the wider demographic may find it challenging. Even so I’m surprised at the low rating for such a good scent.

In terms of performance both longevity and projection are great. Overall Le Lion is a very solid fragrance and definitely worth testing at the very least.

A light touch of baby shit with a sprinkle of latex glove Accord in the opening, settles to a lovely leathery smokey experience. A+ performance, and manages to be distinct and different but still distinctly Chanel. Great stuff.

There is this hazy, dusty, birch tar smoke feel to Le Lion that makes it a compelling variation of the vanillic amber theme and not merely a gussied-up Chanel variation to what is decidedly an oft-visited theme championed several times over. Is there room for another at the royal table? Hell yes.

There is a uniquely processed labdanum produced by Biolandes called Dynamone. It is dusty, ashy, smoky incense-like, with a mildly animalic undertone and mineral and leather back notes. Being familiar with the raw material, I could swear that Olivier Polge uses a good slug of it here, with Le Lion's opening flourish of bergamot and lemon really only giving an initial resemblance to Shalimar, as far as I am concerned. However, the citruses are overshadowed by this behemoth Cistus ladaniferus accompanied by toothsome, smooth vanilla that rounds off any coarse edges that would be evident if our star were to fly solo.

It dries down into a tenacious echo of dark chocolate, dusky patchouli fixing it all into the base for a long, slow burn. Suggestions of tarry, ashy leather and sweet smoke linger, making it all feel far more like a lion's den than some intimate boudoir. It's dry, but not powdery, as there doesn't seem to be any other resins like benzoin or opoponax here at all, further belying the frequent comparisons. It is the everlasting smolder of Le Lion that makes it a unique take on the amber theme, in my humble opinion. I would hazard to say it is a must smell (I never say "must own," that's nonsense) for connoisseurs of amber.

I wrote a rave review of this last February. I’m writing again to say how incredible this scent is. Don’t mind comments comparing this to Shalimar, Coromandel, or any other Amber perfume out there- I LOVE those perfumes too, but that’s like saying all Greek tragedies have the same form and plot so you should just read one. NO! This one is so special- I’m amazed once again how perfect it is. It is the exact uplifting radiant smokey-ness that evokes ancient dry but opulent incense that I’ve been looking for for YEARS. I suppose for some this smells like any other amber spicy perfume, but nothing satisfied this need for smokier (but just the right amount, nothing actively flaming here), holier incense that conjures up a vision of that opulent Byzantine gold a lot of Chanel jewelry takes inspiration from. What a perfume. It’s radiant! Absolute beauty.

Does it smell good? Yes, it is OK.
Is it unique? No.
Is it worth the price? Absolutely not! $250 for a 75ml bottle which you cannot find for much cheaper at discounters? You can get so many much more interesting things than this for the price.
Should you try it? Yes, this is one of those frags that may work way different for different people since it has floral leaning musk in it so if you wear it on skin you may get a range of different things. You may get luckier than me.
On me, this is a floral woody fragrance that smells like a quality soap and very unisex. Longevity and silage are just about average.
If you are a lady who likes CHANEL N°5, then probably you would enjoy this.
To me it is a very overpriced fragrance for what it is.

It's interesting how this works differently on different people. On me, it's less Guerlain and more Le Labo, specifically Patchouli 24. Both have a smokey birch like opening and settle into a creamy amber/vanilla. However, Le Lion projects SO MUCH MORE and lasts longer.

The opening is rather harsh: a burst of smokey leather, slightly burnt rubber and an abrasive loudness that ROARS. Then it starts to transform, lessen the aggressiveness and turn into a soft purring kitty. Le Lion becomes so beautiful in its dry-down, it's difficult to dislike it, even if the opening initially turned one off. The dry-down holds onto an intense cloud of warm incense and vanilla bean roasting over a fire, you can smell the woods and the smoke, but it's been covered with a gourmand scented cashmere blanket. SO WARM. I think this is a beautiful winter/cold weather, or fall scent. I can't stop smelling my wrist. Another scented masterpiece from Chanel! Coromandel is my absolute favourite and there are some similarities to it in this fume. I'm more than okay with that :)

This is beautiful, sexy and unique. A male scent to me, but not for boys. It's a sophisticated, 30+ man.
I want to sleep in it and surround myself in this fragrance. I can't imagine falling out of love with this one.

This has stolen my heart and given me all Shalimar couldn’t. My reaction was visceral and I wanted to roll in this stuff from first sniff.

Very similar top notes - perhaps more expanded in Le Lion because the glorious citrus start lasts longer and is deeper in Le Lion. But recognisably says Shalimar. Now for me where Shalimar goes left into deep not too sweet Amber and lots of leather (at times very animalic) Le Lion goes right and there are heavy resins, sweeter amber, vanilla, chocolatey patch and a smokey persisting finish that I love.

Le Lion is almost gourmand, with the texture of a thick but soft cats coat, purring, warm and with a muscular base. Shalimar is sun warmed cognac coloured leather, with an aridity and little sweetness. It’s truly what I had hoped for with Shalimar but never got with my own skin chemistry.

My 2023 “must have” list is being edited hard. But one thing I know is Le Lion is coming home.

Today, I am testing Le Lion on one hand and Shalimar EDP on the other (current version, sadly I do not own a vintage bottle).

Shalimar is muuuuch more citrusy in the opening and much more animalic. On me it is unpleasant when I put my nose close to the skin. It's a scent I can enjoy only in the drydown.

Le Lion does bear resemblance to Shalimar, but I find it to be much smoother, lighter in projection and (to me) easier to wear. It has a note that's missing in Shalimar: smell of sth burning (wood? incense?).

The verdict is: Le Lion is staying in my collection as a much more friendly and versatile perfume

As a huge Shalimar fan, I almost blind bought this because of the reviews from people who also love Shalimar compared Le Lion to it. However, on my skin, all I smell is mega tons of smoky birch, very similar to the smell of Patchouli 24 from Le Labo. I can get some faint resemblances to Shalimar, however the birch is just so overpowering. Don’t get me wrong now, I do like birch a lot, however it is a very linear note and smells like burning wood. Not sure how I feel about this one.

Whilst it’s internal timbre isn’t unique to the industry’ this is an Aroma that only Chanel could have created. Smooth as ever’ & it takes me on a journey through The Serengeti to Arabia. Absolutely stunning. 🙏

There's a very strong resemblance here to Carner's Volcano - it's what happens when you mix a sweet and resinous amber with this chocolatey patchouli that produces a true 'Warm Spicy' vanillic scent.

Absolutely unisex, leans ever so slightly masculine.
Treat this as Tom Ford's Black Orchid as far as occasion, season, etc.

To me this is great ingredients coming together to form a Leather accord. It’s simple, bold, and very much unisex. Performance is solid. 8.5/10.

Kind of like a darker version of Amouage Imitation Man which I'm not really a fan of. Has a bit of a hospital smell especially when smelling the atomizer which I like personally. Good performance too, maybe worth the price if you really enjoy the scent.

A woodier and muskier take on OG Shalimar. Very deep and warm, with a noticeably smoky vanilla note that lingers through the scent's life.
I got 10 hrs off this yesterday, leaves a very noticeable trail.
Best suited in cold weather.

Shalimar has many children, Le Lion might be her favorite son though.
Smoky, luxurious, long lasting, delicious and charming.

It’s been a long time, I mean 30 years plus since I tried Shalimar so I can’t comment on similarities. Initially intrigued by coromandel but was recommended le lion. I was scared if I’m honest but decided to take a gamble.

Upon first spray I thought “Oh lord, what is this? I really don’t get it” but then not long after, it morphed into this leathery amber with a touch of sweetness in the dry down and then eventually the patchouli and vanilla. This is smooth on my skin and not rough like others have mentioned.

Upon reading reviews it seems to be a fragrance you have to ease yourself into. I can tell your 4 days in and constantly wearing this stuff, its addictive and bloody strong! I’m obsessed and already wishing I’d purchased the larger bottle. I don’t know what it is with chanel but they just seem to have this sexy elegance than no other house for me can match.

Best purchase in a long time.

Ps I’m hiding this from my husband, he perked up straight away to ask what I was wearing.

Shalimar just returning home from a barbecue.

i love it. it smells like an expensive vanilla/woody candle and it smells super festive like fall in Vermont. it is perfect for the fall/winter. something about it just smells so nostalgic even tho it was just released 2 years ago. it also smells so luxurious and i would totally buy more if it weren't for the $300+ price tag in my country. live, laugh, chanel. <3.
batch code : 7601, may 2022 formulation

Nope. I don’t understand why Chanel made a fragrance to mimic Shalimar. This to me is just like Cuir Mauresque by Serge Lutens. Shalimar can be copied, but why? If I wanted to wear a complex leather, petrochemical scent, I’d go with the OG and wear a vintage Guerlain Shalimar, which has infinitely more nuance and numerous other notes than are in Le Lion. This fragrance is two-dimensional. I’m glad I didn't buy this, but only received a mini. This is a scrubber for me.

Gorgeous amber oriental that lasts & lasts especially on clothing. The dry down is just beautiful. The vanilla in this one is really special. Not for the faint of heart. This is quite a beast of a scent, hence the name. I’ve noticed my bottle purchased early 2021 has darkened.

Nope. I wanted to love this , I tired to convince myself but no. It is loud and pushy. Elegant? Sure, the way that bitch driving a black BMW, in a thousand dollar, organic cotton, coordinated sweatsuit is elegant. In a “look at ME ! I AM FANCY” kinda way. Not to be mean, if you love it then it is probably great on you. I smelled like I trying to impress people I have nothing in common with.

Selling bottle with 60ml for 120 euro with shipping in EU, pm me if interested

First things first, I've never smelt an actual lion. Have you? Funnily enough, the scent IS what I imagine a lion to smell like...hot, sweaty, musky, bit dirty...

I really didn't enjoy my experience with this scent. Fascinating though that many people do hold it in such high regards...that's the beauty of scent I suppose!

Long-lasting, very smooth, ultra-luxurious, warm. For that price, it'd better be, and it delivers. A short, very short, citrus opening that settles into a steady, deep warm amber and patchouli heart & base that lasts. You can't really go wrong.

So I can pick up the woody note, combined with the vanilla amber and musk which I'm assuming is giving me the smokey musky impression. Sorta smells incensy also.

So not overly woody or sweet which is ok, wouldn't wear this to an office. Maybe a date? Thinking a little harder it's pulling similarities with my Dolce Gabbana Royal Night

This is just perfection.
What a luxurious scent, opens up a bit citrusy then you’re immediately hit with the labdanum, patchouli and vanilla combination, smells phenomenal definitely got the Shalimar vibe just more masculine with a touch of Chanel's magic, it's vintage smelling and lasts 24 hours so if you got some on your clothes good luck with trying to get it off.
10/10

Badly wanted to like this as I'm enjoying many scents from designers' private collections. I hated it! Smells like a wild animal enclosure.

This has one of the most beautiful, long lasting drydowns of any oriental. On fabric, it’s indefinite. A powdery yet creamy, incense-laced vanilla. A few sprays on a shirt in my closet and a week later, it’s still a confectionery paradise in there. Very different to Shalimar. Unlike from early mid to drydown.

I haven't purchased this one but at the first whiff it smells totally like Shalimar. I'm a Shalimar lover but wouldn't buy a Chanel scent to smell like almost exactly like Guerlain. So it's a pass.

A warm musky, woody, dirty vanilla with a hint of salty amber. This shares the same patchouli note as Coromandel. But while the patchouli there takes on a gourmand composition, here the patchouli is animalic. Similar to its namesake it has a stately presence. This isn't as versatile as Coromandel; you have to dress Le Lion up, otherwise it will wear you. A statement fragrance, a bit expensive for what it is, but another good offering from Chanel. 7.5/10

Crisp, cool, sunny, dry, windy, perfect early fall day. All windows thrown open. Four sprays and my entire home smells like syrupy-yet-dusty, sublime, sweet, citric, powdery yet potent, labdanum. One of the best oriental ambers, bold and enough to stand on its own regardless of comparisons. All fragrances refer to their forbears.

I imagine people walking down the street will smells wafts and wonder if I’m baking something delicious. The vanilla and sweet patchouli have come out to play, too.

to my nose, a slightly less dry and sweeter Gucci Guilty Absolute. Has the same primary school art class paint smell. Not worth the money imo.

Heavy on labdanum and patcouli....
Reminds me of Taklamakan from SHL.
Lack of uniqueness.

Was so excited to try as I have & love coromandel & Shalimar but there was indeed as @papatlooch said a weird burning smell. To me it’s like a melting or hot black liquorice scent that I couldn’t get past & which dominated the scent. Not for me at all :(

I like something about it except the harsh burnt rubber and hot tar notes that don't jive with the rest of it. It kind of reminds me of TF F'ing Fabulous in the way that nothing about it seems to work well together. Like a burnt leather jacket with baby powder all over it.

Le Lion smells very much like Le Labo Patchouli 24. It reminds me of the smell one’s clothes have after sitting around a fire. It is very strong and masculine and too much to wear to work. There are a few fragrances that I love which I don’t wear to work, because they are too strong, but they are pretty. There is no pretty in Le Lion.

I thought I’ll like this based on the notes and the comparisons to Shalimar and Musc Ravageur, but I really couldn’t care for it. I liked the leather accord in the opening but as it dries, all I smell is Shalimar-like incense (my least favorite aspect of Shalimar extrait). In a way I’m kinda relieved that I don’t want it because I don’t have to obsess over it and pay the hefty price tag.

How I adore this one! My small bottle (75 ml) is over 1/2 gone (from last winter mostly) and I am bummed the large bottle is $400 oh well. Anyway yes it opens very similar to Shalimar- there must be an ingredient in common. But Shalimar turns powdery and vanillic and loses the scent they have in common. This one however, has the most tenacious, golden, resinous grip upon the wearer and it wraps you in the very punch of that slightly shocking opening and it lingers with a touch of sweetness and a hint of lemon that is just so warming. I am wearing it today and yesterday again for the first time after the summer. Basically I had to wear it again today because it lasted through the night and I was already wearing it when I woke up! This is one of my main winter signatures- this and Malesia (Xerjoff) are my favorites, and I get many amazed compliments. I need new bottles of both🤣

Great, but amber kiso is more powerful and cheaper

Le Lion filled the Chanel boutique immediately upon the sales associate spraying the test strip. in that moment I knew there was something special here. I fell in love with this fragrance because it made me imagine falling in love while wearing this 😁

initially it reminded me of Musc Ravageur, and I can see the comparisons to Shalimar as well. however, those resemblances fade as the fragrance dries down. it's easy to see this is not a clone of either, but sometimes we rush to judge before this eternal scent unfolds over the following 24 hours. it's just as close to Armani Prive Bois d'Incens as it is Shalimar.

what I love about this fragrance is the gigantic, smoky, labdanum-patchouli combination, making it lean masculine. The remaining notes of vanilla, sandalwood, and amber are blended to perfection and compliment those masculine notes perfectly.

I'm happy to see Chanel make something more complex and rich versus the typical transparent elegance that I associate with their fragrances.

I'm not sure how people dislike this. maybe it's just meant for me to wear when I meet the love of my life. I know he will never forget me after wearing Le Lion, and I will linger on his bed sheets and clothes for days, and in his memories for that much longer 😏

Le Lion opens with a sprinkle of citrus before we move into a heart of labdanum and amber. And what an amber this is! This is a fiesty, ferocious beast that engulfs the mind and enthralls the senses. The experience is dry and resinous, the amber accord animated by leathery and smoky touches. There's a slight animalic quality that creeps in at times, almost like one is encountering the namesake creature head on, but it's kept at bay by the other notes and never gets too challenging.

As it dries down, we move into a softer and cosier territory. Vanilla sweetens things up while patchouli adds a light balsamic flourish. It ends up lightly musky and spicy.

Performance is above average, with solid projection and sillage in the first hour or two before moving closer to the skin. It lingers beautifully for hours, tantalising one with rich, glorious whiffs.

If you're a fan of dry, aromatic scents like Ambre Sultan, Barkhane and African Leather, you will definitely relish this outstanding amber.

Pure incense on my skin. From spraying it on to dry down, it is incense decreasing in intensity. First it’s burning, then it smoulders, finally it lingers on as an ambery scent. The name perfectly matches fragrance. Only for the bold!

Only smelled this on a test strip and I loved it. Dries down to a leathery and slightly smoky amber. It’s a little animalic but it’s so smooth and well blended. Wish I could get my hands on a 10ml decant of this.

Le Lion de Chanel is a beast. 14+ hours and I can still smell it strong on my skin.
Can't determine the silage, or longevity of projection yet.
When I first sprayed it, it did not last and I was so disappointed (brought the 200ml bottle). 6 hours and it was gone.
After 3rd use, I'm getting the 14+ hours and I'm extremely satisfied. It's one of my favourites currently! Now, just waiting for the silage to shine.

The labdanum in this is too overpowering for me. It gives the fragrance a fruity rubber vibe that l'm not a huge fan of. It's definitely not for everyone.

I'm a huge fan of Chanel, and Coromandel is my favorite perfume, so when I read that they were releasing a new oriental exclusive, I was very excited, and ordered an overpriced sample at the first opportunity. Initially, I thought it resembled Shalimar and even Heritage, but simply not as good. After spending more time with it, I can't get past the woody aromachemicals that some seem to be passing off as incense or leather. Absolutely vile. It smells like a failed Amouage experiment (and I do like Amouage), with beastly performance to match. When this stage dissipates, one is left with a nice but unremarkable amber that can be found in countless perfumes. Le Lion is not refined, original, high-quality, or worthy of the name Chanel. A huge disappointment, and the worst perfume by the house I have experienced.

Pretty strong, sparkly citric opening that lasts maybe 10 minutes before labdanum creeps up in a very strong way. Initially, the labdanum is what I consider animalic; almost— but not quiet leathery. While this facet of labdanum is most pronounced you get the musk which makes the scent texture powdery. Not iris lipstick at all, just musky powdery-ness : at this point you can envision an old, dusty, lions pelt if you will.
For the next few hours, the labdanum becomes more amber and sweeter, but never sweet. The musky powder not transitions into a creamy vanilla. That transition takes place over hours and in the end you have a very nice vanillic base. The transitions are fantastic, the scent is incredible (if you like labdanum) and the whole time it maintains Chanel’s classy / almost old school vibe. Pretty impressive scent; I’ll wear it when I get home from work and feel incredible- wouldn’t wear to work however.

I stumbled on Le Lion by accident, when I was at a mall in Delhi and strolled into the Chanel Botique to kill some time. I sampled a few perfumes on paper. Sycomore, Coromandel, all seemed mild. Le Lion was STRONG on paper and out of curiosity, I asked it to be sprayed on my wrist. I thought it was overpowering. I left the boutique to meet some friends, who complimented me on the fragrance. I smelt it many hours later, and I was enchanted by the lovely, powdery sandal and vanilla accord on my skin. The labdanum note bothered me a bit initially. It was way too strong for my nose. I ended up going back and trying a sample again, many months later, before I finally ended up buying a bottle. It's an expensive perfume and I am happy that I waited and bought it the right way - after experiencing the dry down a couple of times. I would tell everyone, be patient and give Le Lion time to grow on you.

I like and own Shalimar. I can straightaway tell you that Le Lion smells WAY more potent than Shalimar (I don't have vintage, my bottle is a 2021 batch). I get the family resemblance but Le Lion feels like Shalimar modernised, and made contemporary. 100% unisex, but not for everyone.

I love the powerful sillage and longevity which so many modern fragrances seem to lack (and Chanel notoriously lacks). But what I love most, is that Le Lion is a shape shifter. It changes character on different days, and at different points during the day. It surprises me often. It's plain fun to wear. Some fragrances I spray and I forget about all day. Le Lion will have you sniffing now and then to know what's up with it.

If you love Shalimar, if you like vintage perfumes, and if you enjoy leather accords, then you should definitely meet Le Lion!

@Enrium: This is, at least as the bergamot and vanilla go, reminiscent of Shalimar. All other similarities end there. Besides, what great perfume isn’t a reference to, or inspired by, other greats? Jacques Guerlain did so with Mitsouko—an update of Coty’s Chypre. Polge created a beast of many parts that’s more than their sum.

No one I know who wears Shalimar extrait, including vintage versions thereof, smells Le Lion as Shalimar after the first 15-30 minutes. Polge has proven therefore that he’s a master not only of imitation but also innovation.

The lion was an important symbol for Coco Chanel, and Le Lion de Chanel aims to reflect the passion and boldness associated with Leo and the lion. This scent is evocative of Coco Chanel's sun sign, Leo, which she embodied and made her own - ironic, as this scent suffers from an identity crisis.

While Le Lion is a high-quality, nicely constructed amber perfume, the obvious must be stated: as many before me have already pointed out, Le Lion bears a striking resemblance to Guerlain's legendary Shalimar - THE original oriental scent. There is a whiff of Coromandel about it too - a more idiosyncratic, old-world oriental Chanel scent, also included in Les Exclusifs. As good as this is, I can't help but feel that Le Lion is a pointless inclusion.

Le Lion opens with a bold assault on the senses as the top and middle notes unfold - a rich, resinous amber accord bolstered by a bright lemon note (so far, so Shalimar). Sweetened by a twist of vanilla and grounded by woody notes, it is beautiful and satisfying, but here is almost indistinguishable from vintage Shalimar.

A pinch of patchouli adds some dirt as it develops, and the amber accord becomes more animalic with a touch of leather. It eventually fades, becoming a dark, musky, salty animalic amber skin scent. Sillage is strong and longevity is long-lasting.

A rich, well-blended, multifaceted amber scent, Le Lion is as enjoyable as it is redundant. Chalimar. 4/5.

Totally get the shalimar + leather descriptions, but I'm not really seeing the similarities to Coromandel (at least the 2016 edp version). This is very up my alley, and while I find it nice, it hasn't "wowed" me - but maybe I just need to try it in more appropriate weather.

Great fragrance for sure, if you like amber , smoke resion you gonna love this. Great performnace. My nr 2 favorit from the exclusive line. Well done Chanel 👏🏼

@lhaggins is 100% right! This beast is different with every wear and in every climate. I’m rocking two sprays on an 85 degree Fahrenheit, 65% humidity day, and it smells shockingly sweet and fresh. Darker and smokier in the cold… and so forth. Infinite variations. That’s a quality blend.

This is one of my most dynamic fragrances. Out of every EDP I own, this is the only one that undeniably performs differently based on the time of day and temperature it’s worn during. I first wore this in the late spring (75 degree weather) during the evening and it dried down to a beautiful Amber and Vanilla with slight incense and leather in the background. The lion was roaring, and he smelled absolutely intoxicating. Fast forward another month and we’re at the beginning of summer. I wore it in the evening again and this time it was hotter outside (89 degrees). However, keep in mind, 95 percent of the time I was in a climate controlled space. I guess it didn’t matter because this time the lion turned into straight up incense smoke on me. I mean, it literally smelled like someone was burning incense. I wasn’t the biggest fan of this characteristic. So now I’m looking forward to trying it again when the weather cools down. I think this fragrance shines the most when the sun goes down during fall, winter, and spring.

I normally love (or at least like) everything that Chanel puts out; sadly that track record ends with Le Lion. The first few tries I couldn't get past the opening and on the fifth wearing I got to the far dry down without washing it off. to my nose it gives off a heavy yet cheap incense note. Additionally, my wife doesn't enjoy the smell, so I'm glad I only got a decant from my friend and not a full bottle.

the opening is loud, juicy and spicy, kinda overwhelming but it does not last long 30 min to an hour. after that you get all the labdanum, wood, and ambery notes that it almost smells like middle eastern perfume oil, this stage last for around 2 hours on me. the dry down is curious, on hotter days it's more powdery and musky on me, but on colder days the vanilla shows up more than the musk with some smokiness in the background. it lasts a long time on me, enough to not spray during 8 hour workday. i can still smell it on laundry after sitting in the basket for a day or so.

projection is fine on me. my deskmate can smell it but nothing that would be overwhelming to them. it smells expensive and the powdery dry down is very chanel. i do not think it's way overpriced as anything luxury is overpriced, and it is a masterful work by polge.

(also i like the packaging a lot. the magnetic cap does it for me)

i can see myself wearing this for a more formal occasions, like omakase dinner or engagement party. a bit too much for the office for me as i prefer lighter fragrances for daywear.

Use the wrong musk and u ruin the perfume. I don’t like the strange spicy dry down. And I usually love incense spicy perfumes. This one is just wrong. Way too spicy . I liked it when I first bought it, but over the last 2 yrs it’s macerated into a much stronger and spicier version of itself. Im gonna sell my 90% full bottle. I don’t see me reaching for it again.
If I could give a new perfume collector just one piece of advice that will save them a lot of money and regrets, it’s to wait for the dry down. Buy a sample from a reputable source, wear it a while and see if u also love the base notes. They will be what sticks with u. I wish someone told me this before I started my collection. I’d say 30% of my entire collection I just don’t like. They were blind buys, or bought coz I fell in love with the opening/top/mid notes. Oh well, live and learn…..

Absolutely stunning.

The opening is challenging; all the notes are present in a big bang. Then, 2-3 hours in, the amber and vanilla take turns with the patchouli and labdanum, constantly turning over, giving an incredible silage. As the fragrance continues to warm up on the skin, it grows in sweetness and becomes lighter and brighter.

Le Leon is bold, chic, modern, stimulating, captivating, and ultimately iconic.
Try this if you wear TF Black Orchid.

This is interesting, writing this during my first wear. I can smell nothing except for incense, it reminds me of rituals I would do in my fraternity and we would have incense burning for hours. For me that’s comforting with those memories in mind. It’s a dark scent, Smokey and incense-y. I’m liking it so far, it is very strong as well. Briefly in the opening (the first 10 seconds) I could see what some people mean by the cat piss thing, but it’s very very faint and is gone in an instant as the scent settles, so I would not be scared of this scent if you have read those reviews, definitely worth trying for yourself.

This fragrance is amazing. It’s everything I wanted RC’s Sultan to be but never lived up to the hype. It’s deep, sexy, resinous, smoky, and performs like none other. Long live the mighty mighty Lion of Chanel 🦁

Ooo this one is interesting!
No lether listed? No way.
The softest leather, warm, mild, with something creamy, vanilla ??
It has a similar note to me as TF Noir pour femme, that something amber/sweet/mastic/oriental.

Le Lion name fits perfectly... warm, brown, soft, strong ... that's how it smells.

Powerful incense and amber that lasts for absolute ages. One spray is all you need, I think my 200ml bottle will last ages! At first spray it is slightly more masculine and a bit harsh around the edges but soon mellows beautifully. I agree with others, it is somewhat linear in the dry down and that's my only criticism. It must be the labdanum but it reminds me very much of the scent of Fornasetti candles, which I also love. Of the Chanels I prefer Bois des Iles and the original black Coco, and perhaps - slightly - Coromandel too (more complex) but this I really enjoy and I am so impressed by the longevity and projection.

This is not nice!. Very mature, old, vintage, animalic smelling.🤢🤢. Big nono from me dawg

First impression: Hard pass. VERY earthy---almost soily---and leathery and sightly animalic.

I'm surprised because I adore challenging, beastmode, fragrances. I mean, I own and luv T. Rex, so...

It's warm outside and a bit humid, so maybe it's me. To be continued...

Beautiful fragrance but the dry down is a bit boring and linear . I agree with others, it’s a spicy amber perfume that’s been done better by other perfumers. I bought a bottle when it first came out, I was crazy about it, til I expanded my collection and realized how many much better ambers are out there. I do like that it lasts a decent amount of time, I get about 6hrs which is ALOT for me. My skin just drinks up perfumes and most don’t make it past the 2 hour mark. But this one does. None of the Serge Lutens last more than an hour on me, they used to, once upon a time, but he’s sold out and everything has been reformulated and weakened . I’m very disappointed in what Serge Lutens allowed to happen to his house. Every fragrance was butchered . I guess money is all these perfumers really care about. So much for the fake act of “love for the craft”. More like love for the money. And then Serge has the utter nerve to pull all of his fragrances out of the US market. The country that put his name on the map. Disgraceful. To say the least. But we’re not here to talk about Serge Lutens. We’re here to review the lovely Le Lion. Which I’ll wear and repurchase mainly because of its longevity and sillage. Of the 4 fragrances I am wearing and have sprayed on back on each hand and each upper arm, I can only still smell Le Lion and it’s a few hours later. It’s still just as strong. I do prefer the opening a bit more. Still, it’s a beautiful fragrance and definitely full bottle worthy. But always sample first. From all of the great notes listed, you’d assume it’s a safe blind buy, it is, but not for everyone. 8/10

When I read the notes, I thought I could even blind buy it. Thank God I did not and went to the shop. This perfume just smells horrible!! I noted like an animalic scent in the worse possible way (stable/excrement). I was (and still am) shocked, as this should be a masterpiece and instead it is... what it is. Do not blind buy this! Anyone else has had a similar experience?

I'm surprised not to see more votes for eternal because this lasts easily 18 hours+ on me. And
incredible fragrance.

Perfectly pleasant amber that has been done better by other brands (see: Ambre Sultan/Ambre 114). But the amber plays second fiddle to the powder here and you're left with a pleasant, CLEAN baby powder scent bubble. This is not the amber I am looking for.... I like less powder (see: Grand Soir).

Absolutely incredible. One of the best if not the best recent release in I don't know how long. Very harsh almost astringent opening with the laudanum and amber bursting out through the citrus notes. For some I can see how the opening may be off putting but it's honestly so addictive to me, I love it. Dries down into quite a church-y scent I'm surprised there is no incense listed. The middle is a beautiful golden dry amber experience, very regal and sophisticated. I see the shalimar comparisons but Le Lion is a little drier and masculine leaning in my opinion.
Perfectly crafted, as soon as my samples run out I'll be picking up a bottle.

For some reason when I scrolled down to look at the reviews I reached a conclusion
Most of the reviews here are either from people who know little about fragrances
Or they are Chanel fanboy/girl
Here’s why……..
There is nothing revolutionary about the scent
A shalimar inspired scent through and through
Charging a hefty price for an inspiration is not a wise choice
I thought this one would be the musc ravaguer killer but it didn’t even come close
To simplify what I just said buy shalimar and do not let the brand name fool you

Absolutely glorious and definitely a GOAT scent - price is quite high but the quality and Chanel DNA really shines through. The transition stages of this scent especially from the Bergamot to the Amber is drastic but captivating, Sandalwood at the base adds to the smoothness. Can smell some animalic touches to this scent which makes even more sense with the frag name and Gabrielle Chanel's leo sign embodiment. Really long lasting and decent projection. Niche type fragrance and a 100% must try.

From the very first few seconds, there was an instant "that smells like...uhhh...what does it smell like?" -- and a few hours on, I still can't put my finger on it! I've got it in my collection, too! Dry, powdery amber, dirty labdanum and a smooth sandalwood-musk background note.
Maybe Amber Absolutely? Fire Amber Baby? Man...it's driving me nuts.
Either way, it is STUNNING, but I have something quite similar to this already, so I'll probs not seek it out. But it is beautiful...

My new favorite from the Les Exclusifs line.
Le Lion has a very typical Chanel DNA shared by a number of other popular offerings in the same collection. This is very much an antithesis to all the citrusy and aldehydic Chanels. To me the orientals have a very recognizable backbone which revolves around sandalwood. When you smell Le Lion, you know it can’t be anything else but Chanel. Exquisite French perfumery that is hardly matched by any other house. That being said, if you don’t like Chanel, you won’t most probably enjoy Le Lion either.

The note breakdown is relatively simple. Le Lion is not a crazy cocktail of different notes. There are only a few but they smell exquisite and high quality. The most prominent is of course labdanum. It is heavy, smoky, dry and powdery, sometimes it smells almost leathery. As hours pass the ambery qualities as well as sandalwood become more prominent. I often struggle with more animalic notes in fragrances, however, unlike some of the reviews found online, I do not find Le Lion challenging to wear at all (for reference, I’m a 34yo male).

I’m very satisfied with the performance. Le Lion seems to last forever, especially on clothes. People around you will definitely smell you at least half a day. I don’t think I usually do more than 2-3 sprays. It is just not necessary.

Given the high price, the presentation of Les Exclusives is a bit of a letdown. Unfortunately the box looks and feels kinda cheap. On the other hand, Chanel typically has great magnetic caps and the simplistic design of the bottle is very nice.

Yes, it is very expensive, but nothing else smells quite like Chanel. Nothing else can fully replace it. Le Lion is a perfect heavy oriental creation. If that’s something you as a fragrance wearer enjoy, you need to give it a try. Despite the the recent 2022 price increase I still find it worthy the hefty price tag. The price per ml is actually relatively ok if you splurge on the big bottle.

Edit: it is the next day and I put on a t-shirt I was wearing under a sweater which I had sprayed with Le Lion yesterday. The labdanum is mostly gone but I can distinctly smell quite intense sandalwood. I think others would be able to smell it too. I did some quick math and no matter how expensive the Les Exclusifs collection is (2-3 sprays max, lasts at least half a day on skin, more than a day on clothing), it beats something like Dior Prive (less expensive per ml BUT you need 5 sprays because it is so faint and intimate, lasts 3-5 hours max) when it comes to the fact how long you'll actually keep the bottle. The 200ml Les Exclusifs will last you for several years probably, even if that's your only fragrance. Next time I'm buying a big bottle.

The first time I smelled le Lion de Chanel, I was a little underwhelmed. While it is really nice, I thought it smelled similar to so many opulent amber fragrances already in my collection. Now I am not so sure about that part, and I think I have totally changed my tune overall. It is not just nice, it is extraordinarily beautiful. Alongside what I tend to think of as that lemony-bergamot-musk gold-plated, almost brassy glamorous vintage costume jewelry classic perfumery DNA, there’s velvety rounded patchouli, drifts of leathery balsamic smoke, a dribble of honeyed sweetness, and an intense vision of warm golden resins, like a glittering dragon’s hoard just beyond fluttering veils of vanilla incense. Or imagine…the dragon in question was Kate Bush on the Lionheart album cover. I saw that on the blacknarcissus blog with reference to this Le Lion so I can’t take credit for it myself, but I couldn’t not share the imagery either, because it just so perfectly encapsulates this fragrance.

@IamdrinkingBeer their fragrances - no, not at all! It's rather their bags and heavily branded clothes that's designed to do that.
>Roja, Xerjoff and PDM are more about the flash
Oh yeah!

I honestly do not believe Chanel exclusifs are about showing your wealth and "flexing". They are carefully created olfactory films/stories, from a brand that deeply cares and is serious about their fragrances. I do believe that brands like Roja, Xerjoff and PDM are more about the flash if anything. Chanel makes art here, if they wanted flash, they would settled for something more mass public friendly. This can be quite animalic, this is for the true appreciator of fragrances.

Surprisingly good. Without even going into notes, I'm getting colors of yellow, cream, tan, orange and browns with leather running through all of it. I think Le Lion is the perfect name for this. For me it evokes feelings of sun, leather, hide. Something rough but sophisticated at the same time. Vanilla adds a round creaminess to it all. This has Sheldrakes fingerprints all over it. The lineage is definitely that of Ambre Sultan.

I'll add that I'm very impressed by the leather note in this. So many hyped up leather fragrances.. *cough*..Tom Ford.. disappoint me because they all end up messing up something that is so crucial to the impression of leather. Texture. It's not so much how it smells but how it physically feels in the nose. Chanel got it very right here. This feels full fat, plump. Thats what good leather smells like. A very 'full' smell.

@Deefatani if you think it's the worst perfume you've ever smelled you should definitely order a sample of

Beach Geeza - Juniper Java
and
Bortnikoff - Oud Maximus

Highly recommend, you'll get an EXPERIENCE :)

Wooooow this is damn gooood! I'm not a fan of Chanel at all, all this flashy heavily branded stuff that has one and the only one purpose - show off your wealth, I'm not into that at all. But I've heard about this one from Sebastian (The Perfume Guy youtube channel) and decided to give it a sniff and immediately bought a big bottle. This thing is amazing, so beautiful and sophisticated, just incredible!
I was surprised how cheap the cap is even comparing to Dior's Prive line, here's exactly how I see Chanel, but the juice is heavenly beautiful! Now I can't help myself to not explore the full range of their private blend range. Gorgeous!

This is the scent of Mount Olympus. The fires burning on earth with their fragrant offerings rising to the Gods. The rich amber beads, hot against the necks of the nymphs and the vanilla oils rubbed into their golden skin. The sun burning through the wafts of sacrificial smoke. Literally heavenly.

Leathery amber with herbal and balsamic touch. Its not your typical earthy patchouli neither the chocolatey one, its kind of the dry patchouli which is kind of accentuating the leathery aspect of the perfume.
If the real lion was of green color, it might have work for him.
This scent has very good projection and longevity that I had to wash it off after 2-3 hours as I was getting constant whiffs of the scent.
Labdanum is not my cup of tea for sure.
It has to be very refined and well blended for me to actually like a labdanum based scent. So take this review with a pinch of salt.
Hard pass on this one.

This is a well blended fragrance. I have to say the name does not give me the vibe of a lion, but I can understand why it’s name is so strong!

First of all like other Chanel exclusives this does not project extreme or so what, but you can smell it whole the day if you spray on your wrist and chest (for me). Longevity is good 10 hours.

The scent himself.. hmmm I notice a very very rounded and pleasant patchouli with amber. Think the amber makes the patchouli softer and wearable and actually that’s pretty it. It’s about the patchouli, where the amber makes it softer and warmer, the woods a bit more sweet and depth. Don’t get me wrong this is not a sweet scent! It’s just about making the patchouli perfect and smell rich. They did an awesome job on this to be honest it smells so natural and good, like all other Chanel exclusives this is perfection for what it is. It does not excidr me enough to buy a full bottle.. there are better options: Dior Mitzah, Nishane patchouli Kozha. But have to say this one smells perfectly blended..

Ho hum . . . blah and not at all memorable

After trying it I cannot stop thinking of Shalimar (the vainilla), Coromandel (patchouli) and a very heavy note of church incense.

I really really like it, regardless of its similarities, namely because of the incense. This makes all the difference.

Lots of leather (although not featured in the pyramid, Le Lion’s official description mentions “leather-like labdanum”), smoke with a little vanilla and amber. I don’t see much similarity to Shalimar, that one has more going on - more vanilla, bergamot etc. I don’t get the appeal of Le Lion, it’s another unidirectional fragrance that smells like its ingredients rather than painting an olfactory image, here it’s just charred sweet leather.

A Coromandel look alike it’s NOT. This is a wearable Gucci Guilty Absolut. I get patchouli and leather (labdanum). It’s a pretty awesome scent if you dig patchouli. If I had to get just one of those two it would be Coromandel. I could see myself pulling the trigger on this one day. I’ll have to try Shalimar as many on here stated similarities to Le Lion.

The new Shalimar flanker from Chanel. Polge's creations so far pretty uninspiring and derivative. From the insipid and forgettable Gabrielle to Coco Mademoiselle Privee and now Le Lion; a bold-faced impersonation of Shalimar with a leather simulacrum by way of labdanum and amber. Dont be seduced into thinking that because its Chanel its going to be better than Guerlain; its not. Thats not to say its bad; its just disappointingly unoriginal and smacks of the kind of cyncial and cold-blooded corporate pilfering that has become all too common...I need hardly add that the price tag is as shameless as the risk-averse composition. Buy Shalimar instead and invest the other 200 bucks into something worth it.