Black Oregano

The opening hits with a combination of cardamom, oregano, rosemary, and oud that comes across very body-odor-like to my nose. This phase lasts for about an hour, and in Japan where I live, it would probably be considered socially unacceptable. Wearing this to the office would feel as tense as going commando at work. After around 15 minutes, the lime and rosemary start to fade, revealing a drier and smoother woody accord of sandalwood and oud, enriched by labdanum that adds a light yet rich leathery nuance. This leather note isn’t the Iso Butyl Quinoline or saffron type — it’s more like a diluted Pyralone, with an understated elegance. There’s also a subtle musky-animalic tone, somewhat reminiscent of Muscenone, perhaps from the herbal elements. Around the 2.5-hour mark, the pungency of the oud softens, and the dense resinous quality of the labdanum also subsides. What remains is a beautifully balanced tea-like aroma created by the lingering sweetness, cardamom, and sandalwood. The contrast from the wild, challenging top to the calm, refined drydown really conveys the “contrast” concept behind this scent, and this stage feels particularly pleasant. Oregano stays noticeable all the way to the base, where faint wood and leather notes carry the fragrance softly for 4–5 hours. Occasionally, hints of lime and cardamom reappear, and a gentle trace lingers on skin for up to 8 hours. I couldn’t clearly detect vetiver or patchouli, but they likely contribute to the dry texture and subtle sweetness overall. It’s quite a polarizing fragrance, but if you enjoy oregano, you’ll probably appreciate this one. The middle to drydown reminds me somewhat of BDK Parfums Gris Charnel.

After testing all four, probably the one I like most of the extrait collection. It's much more approchable to my nose. It's also easy for wear for me. You definitely get that oregano blast in the opening all the way to the base, although it gets more subdued as hours pass. Because yes, this lasts several hours on me. A good 5-6 anyway. Certainly more in the heat. The oregano comes across as somehow quite metallic to my nose, like that metallic note I get from Luna Rossa Carbon but also from Zoologist's Penguin. Strange, since there's no juniper listed here but I definitely pick that up. It's not intrusive but it'll probably be divisive. An acquired taste, I'd say. Truth be told, none of the extraits truly captivated me, which at the premium asking price, is quite a shame. Stick to Atelier Materi's main line, there are some gems in there.

After first test Im not gonna continue. Fragrance is not that bad, but fades enormously quickly on me, like 15 minutes till very soft linger directly above sprayed skin and thats with 3 generous sprays directed on smaller space. After hour you need to look for it very thoroughly. And as its weak its indistinguishable from generic AXE by main volume of its sillage. No oregano, no rosemary no leather, there is some citrus but not necessarily a lime, then vetiver and labdanum.

Whyyyyyy the generic amberwoody base?? Whyyyyyy??? Haute perfumery my ass, for all its herbaceous, woody, oudy, leathery abracadabra in the top, this ends up smelling like many an overpriced amberwoody fragrances out there.

Straight up Acqua di Sale flanker with some spice in the background.