Tribu

Tribu is truly underrated, in my humble opinion. It was released during a time period that many connoisseurs dismiss as a low point in perfumery, but on the contrary, I find the 90s to have some truly innovative explorations from perfumers. It was a time when we were finding the envelope pushed more so than ever before, experimenting with the "overdosing" of materials to create unprecedented effects. Here, Bernard Ellena (younger brother JCE), pushes ionones, particularly beta ionone, to their limit, and what results is something that reminds me almost of boronia, an Australian flower with deep maroon-brown petals, known for its distinct aroma, spicy, fruity, almost tobacco-like (beta ionone is most often used to build a boronia accord). I own some of the absolute, and it is one of my favorite botanical materials; it is unfortunately quite expensive and finds infrequent use in perfumery. Here, this boronia sensation is accompanied by the feel of both redcurrants and blackcurrants, a chamomile accord not dissimilar to that of Vicky Tiel's Ethere, lots of hedione and sheer florals, almost watery in its effect. I am also reminded of iced black tea, sweet violets, wet stones, even clay. I also think of that aroma of being under grapevines in the summertime, with the scent of fresh clusters and sun-warmed leaves above mingling with the fermented fallen fruit below. Then I also am reminded of opening a fresh box of cigars and what immediately wafts out. Furthermore, there is a light, quenching geranium in the periphery, muddled with blackberries. Surprisingly, over time there it diverts to a sweet-accented rosy-cedar woodiness and moss that is heavenly. This is unique and captivating to me.

I used to wear this fragrance back in the late 90's and honestly would wear it again today! I no longer have a bottle HOWEVER, I was able to purchase one (xmas gift) on fragrance.net for $49 bucks. Only mentioning the site and price because I know it was discontinued and super expensive on ebay. I'm assuming its a new reformulation but from seeing the below reviews, most say its pretty much the same. My memories of Tribu is of a strong almost tea like perfume, kind of spicy, and very 90's smelling. Its a strong perfume that I would not recommend to wear in the summer, as it can be headache inducing. If you have not tried it and find it, I think you should blind buy it because its a one of kind type of scent. The best comparison I have to it is a mix of Love Spell from Elizabeth Arden, with Green Tea also from EA and Escape from Calvin Klein. Its not a fresh scent but a heavy hitter, not sure if my review makes any sense just wanted to share the wealth of what a great perfume Tribu was and still is.

Simply delicious. I've been wearing Tribu today and I can't help to reminisce about my adolescense. It was 1993-94 when my sister discovered this fragrance, I loved it immediately. My friends would always comment on it. It is one of the very few fruity and floral frags I love. The blackcurrant-mandarin-violet leaf combo unfolds beautifully upon spraying for the first time...then it mellows during the dry down without losing its essence and other notes come forth; rose, ylang ylang, sandalwood, benzoin....hmmm you've got to try this. I bought it again 13 years ago... and I still have 1/3 of it. Keeping perfumes in their boxes, in a cool and dry place, away from direct light will preserve the juice for years. We all love the beautiful bottles right? having them covered seems like utter nonsense...but trust me... these beauties need to be protected :-) Tribu's longevity is awesome and sillage is great.

Tribu is truly a gem in perfumery...It is hard to find nowadays, but totally worth it. The opening is so original and creative, it starts out with a strong lipsticky accord that morphs into a dark fruity wine. I get strong benzoins in the opening and black currant, mandarin and ylang ylang following right after. When Tribu settles on my skin, the jasmine makes its entrance and blends beautifully with the rest of the notes. But the jasmine note is subtle and not dominant, it is the silky black currant that is the star of the show here... I get no rose and violet leaf notes. Tribu feels dark, earthy, sensual, warm, slightly woody, and even chocolatey at some point, but mostly boozy and like I said a bit waxy or lipsticky...it feels very high end to my nose, this one is daring and fearless... Sillage and longevity are outstanding!

I desperately want to find a perfume similar to this. It is so complex and unlike anything else I have ever smelled. Wore it in high school and college and well after. Recently bought two very expensive bottles that seemed legit, but since it has been discontinued for so long, they had both turned to alcohol. Does anyone have ANY recommendations of something similar? Even this site doesn’t seem to recommend anything that comes even close. Or maybe, if you loved this, have you ever found any other perfume that you loved just as much? It was such a unique scent that it’s hard to settle on another scent else that is just ok.