Beton Brut

The name might be a bit misleading. It's not at all a concrete and hard scent. In the shop I was told that this fragrance was at first meant to be a rather architectural scent but then with the pandemic hitting and nature finding its way back into the streets the fragrance got more of the green. Stone that's cracked open by nature. I like that idea. You can expect to have the green and fresh for a couple hours the base that stays on me is an elegant mix of leather, patchouli and wood. This is a scent that I can basically wear all the time.

I hate that the first scent listed is leather. The leather is a grounding element that fades into the background, instead the primary note throughout is bamboo. The scent is subdued in a way that makes it incredibly versatile. The scent reminds me of concrete planters, cold and waterlogged, waxed to prevent premature wear. While the scent is unique and does last a considerable amount of time, it doesn't have a strong projection. It would do well in a reserved formal setting like an art gallery or around the office.

Blind purchase. After a comprehensive research of the brand background, their spatial architectural concept, the associated visual image and the listed notes here on Fragrantica, I pulled the trigger. A good discount also helped. Of course, it is not the first time that expectations have been different than the outcome. However, in this case, it is not purely a disappointment over the fragrance but really false expectations. I was expecting the atmospheric fragrance suggested by the brand. It is supposed to be an artistic view of the permeation of modern architecture and nature in space, specifically concrete (beton brut), iron and glass with a natural (green), external environment. It’s really a patchouli musc fragrance, from start to finish. Used, slightly raw grassy and dirty patchouli reminds me distinctly of Noir patchouli HDP. However, HDP execution is more sophisticated and harmonized with leather notes. Beton Brut is, ironically, less brutal than NP HDP. However, it has certain qualities, especially the strong presence of saffron in combination with synthetic oud, which emphasizes the very interesting kind of spicy nature of the fragrance. BB is pretty linear, genderless, the drydown is even a little gourmet and lasts a good six hours on my skin. Taken as a whole, it is not bad if there was no NP HDP. The presentation and packaging is really stunning, so it is very suitable as a gift, I would say for a gallery owner or a metropolitan art curator (lol).

I was looking for green perfume. Alas, all green is gone within an hour, all is left is leather. Something that smells nice but does not have that umph to justify the price

Sure, the moss is a bit more complex — but it didn’t win me over.