Sunday 26 February 2017

Persil Biological Laundry Detergent Review


Jean-Claude Ellena likes to tell the story of the time he was turned away at Edmond Roudnitska’s doorstep because his clothes smelt too strongly of washing detergent. As a non-perfumer, I’m happily free from any such constraints and can enjoy the daily ritual of putting on a freshly laundered shirt and taking a deep breath as my body heat warms the fabric. 
Granted, many laundry care products these days are obnoxiously strong and with the advent of scent boosters like Lenor’s massively successful Unstoppables, only getting more obtrusive. 
Persil’s green-capped liquid detergent however, bucks the trend and smells fantastic: fresh and green with a big dose of very incense-like aldehydes (my favourite part). The scent lasts well on laundered items yet is subtle enough not to clash with the perfumes I wear. The biological formula is effective, too. 

Saturday 25 February 2017

Bat Review


There’s so much Geosmin in Bat that wearing it feels like your perfume is trying to waterboard you. Heavy, humid notes of damp earth catch in your throat and oppress the smell of green banana and berries. Only in the late drydown phase does this feel integrated with a rich smelling base of strong, even a shade steroidal blond wood, resiny spiciness and a wet, Cashmeran like muskiness. 
It’s a very thoughtfully considered response to a brief, but for portability’s sake, I would prefer to see the levels adjusted. 

Nose: Ellen Covey
House: Zoologist
Release date: 2016
Notes (per Fragrantica): banana, fruity notes, soil tincture, fig, tropical fruits, myrrh, resins, green notes, musk, leather, vetiver, sandalwood, tonka bean. 

Friday 17 February 2017

Panda Review


It’s been said there are three basic types of green notes in perfumery: (1) galbanum greens (including spicy greens); (2) violet leaf greens (including ivy and fig greens); and (3) cut-grass, hexanol/hexanyl greens (including fruity greens). Locating Panda within this triangle is not entirely straightforward, though it pulls more towards corners 1 and 3 than 2.
Panda’s overall theme then is fresh, cyclamen-aldehyde like verdancy; powerful, slightly metallic greenery over a fruity-floral heart of lily-of-the-valley and orange blossom with concord grape and melon nuances and a very subtle, sichuan pepper contrast. The effect comes somewhat at the expense of naturalness of feel and come the late drydown of pale woods and musks, the scent remains close to the skin. This however, is in line with expectations given the fragrance’s (presumed) objective.

Nose: Paul Kiler
House: Zoologist
Release date: 2014
Notes (per Fragrantica): buddha’s hand citron, bamboo, Sichuan pepper, green tea, mandarin Zisu leaves, osmanthus, orange blossom, lilies, mimosa, incense, sandalwood, pemou root, cedar, fresh musk, bourbon and haitian vetiver, damp moss.

Sunday 12 February 2017

Rhinoceros Review


A boozy scent that’s as big and boisterous as its namesake, Rhinoceros announces its presence with an arrestingly terpy opening of elemi whose lemon-citrus notes dovetail with bergamot and a herbal accord of lavender/sage/armoise. Detectable even in the top is the elaborate blend of nearly a dozen different musks (c.15%) and this complexity is further expressed with one of the most convincing liquor notes I’ve come across. The official pyramid lists rum, but to me the richly textured accord - alcoholic, woody, leathery, smoky – reads closer to whisky, at least initially. As the perfume dries down, the dried-fruit facets of the oakwood extract do become clearer, as does a honeyed sweetness that links to deep, woody amber fond.
Colour me impressed!

Nose: Paul Kiler
House: Zoologist
Release date: 2015
Notes (per Fragrantica): rum, bergamot, lavender, elemi, sage, pine needles, artemesia, tobacco, oud, immortelle, geranium, cedar, vetiver, sandalwood, amber, leather, musks.

Tuesday 7 February 2017

Figue en Fleur Review


A straight fig fragrance (meaning sundry Stemone type green notes over coconut lactones and a sweet coumarin/tonka, musky base) of no particular merit or distinction. 

Nose: unknown
House: Andrée Putman
Release date: 2015
Notes (per Fragrantica): fig leaf, fig tree, rose, tonka, almond, sandalwood.

Thursday 2 February 2017

Je Suis un Homme Review


Je Suis un Homme is a take on the masculine herbal-citrus genre, aspiring to such classics as Guerlain’s Derby. 
From under the toppy citrus notes develops a dry herbal accord that has a lightly burnt quality. Patchouli, labdanum and musks meanwhile, make up the fond.
Technically accomplished but not wildly exciting. 

Nose: Antoine Lie
House: Etat Libre d’Orange
Release date: 2006
Notes (per Fragrantica): bergamot, orange, lemon, myrtle, clove, cognac, leather, patchouli, animal notes.