Incident Light

I was so incredibly excited to receive my discovery set from Binaurale, which contains their six current fragrances. For each fragrance, I have done a blind smell test, only after thoroughly taking in the scent and determining a true and thoughtful opinion, I will review the notes. After this test, I have worn each scent for a full day, one by one, all on their own. No layering. Today was day three, and upon another blind smell test of the four scents that remain, I chose Incident Light. The first note I immediately detect is the grass. It is sharp, bright, and quickly fleeting, like cut grass, the scent only lasts a day or two before the organic compound dissipates. Then, I smell something spicy, sweet, and still, very bright. I imagine this is a mix of the Pink Pepper and Orange Peel, which do blend very well together. The Aldehydes don't do much for me, they're honestly one of the few notes I have found consistent in fragrances that give me a nose-headache, but this one doesn't seem too over-bearing. After about an hour or two of wearing, the base notes finally shine through, creating a smooth, rich, and deeply saccharine aroma. It is quite cloying but I do love the way it lingers on my clothes. This one by far has the most interesting journey as a scent, and is truly transformative. The review below me called it, "Frutiger Aero in a bottle," I couldn't agree more. 8.8/10

If you ever found yourself seeking out the box of solid laundry detergent for a good sniff (and loving it) this one is for you. Kind of reminds me of a detergent or pine sol (the cleaning concentrate). This isn’t exactly what I was expecting but I really do like the fragrance. Just have to decide if I truly want to smell like a box of Shout or if I’m just crazy.

I'm not a huge fan of aldehydic scents, but this is done well. It's clean for sure, and sits very close to the skin but every now and then the vetiver shines through and it's just nice, all around. I wouldn't rush out to buy a full bottle but it's inoffensive in every way.

A bright, sunny citrus with a mild tinge of grass. This feels like a spring day, where the sunshine Is hot but there’s a cool breeze that balances things out. Fresh, clean, light, and casual

Incident Light is an unrelenting citrus aldehyde scent. I was surprised to see bergamot as the top citrus as i get capital “L” Lemon (definitely in the lemon scented cleaning product way that others have mentioned). I think I understand the solarpunk concept here, and I think this fragrance may be executing that concept fairly well, but I don’t find it particularly wearable or pleasant to smell. The opening reminds me of a big, juicy, oily, iridescent bubble blown by one of those bubble street performers. You know the ones that make the bubbles so big that they could swallow you whole. I imagine one of these glowing drippy orbs floating upwards towards clear hot sky and popping on the edge of sharp leaf. Little bubble fluid droplets falling on your upturned forehead and drying on your skin. It does mellow out a bit over time but it crucially does not develop any sweetness ever. I’m reminded just a bit of Replica Bubble Bath, which is more my speed as far as aldehydes go because it adds a bit of delicate floral sweetness to what would otherwise be an abrasive scent. But it’s not fair to compare the two as they are working towards completely different goals. Even so, I enjoyed Incident Light a lot more after putting on a sweet minty scented lip-balm that added just enough of a counterbalance as I sniffed my wrist about four hours into my wear. This scent smelled through my mint lip balm is what I imagine the Teletubby universe smells like, which is what I wish this fragrance smelled like. So close!

A squeaky-clean citrus. A cold light. Like basking in winter sunshine. But the overall effect is sterile, chemical, air-conditioned. There’s also something metallic behind the aldehyde bubbles. It smells like you’ve never been sick a day in your life, like you’re incapable of BO. It smells like a fragrance-free workplace. It’d be a good signature scent for a robot. Longevity and sillage are fitting for a freshie, at around four hours of mild radiance. Mental Snapshot: An airplane bathroom. Business class bathroom. There’s some ritzy soap in the pump, but there’s no shaking the scent of industrial-grade cleaning solution. It’s an excellent airline; the cabin makes NASA look old-fashioned. But serious. Scandinavian, or German. For dessert you receive a breath mint. tl;dr: kills 99.9% of germs 🧽🦠

Reminds me of SoftSoap aquarium hand soap. I wish it either leaned more green, more citrus, or more aldehydic. As it is, is just a bit of a vague soapiness. I think it’s my least favorite of this house’s offerings.

To me, this smells just like Bleu de Chanel. Definitely more citrus than pink pepper/spicy. This does not smell like Glossier You. Overall, a nice and well-blended scent.

for some reason this is celery to my nose i’ll I smell is celery

This is beautiful on a sunny day. It’s quite energizing, the kind of scent that lifts you up. It’s bright and fresh, makes you feel like you’re in a sunroom whose windows just got cleaned. I personally love lemony, aldehydic scents. Upon first sniff, I thought this smelled like if windex was a hot girl(or person, this scent is very unisex) with expensive taste. The pink pepper and vetiver definitely balance out the “cleaning product” aspect. The musky, cashmeran dry down beautifully plays with the sharp, green opening. Not for everyone, but this a very nice freshy and I’m contemplating getting a bottle for spring.

This is my favorite of the discovery set. It’s so fresh, bright, and clean. It reminds me of Izia but less feminine. It’s very unisex. The review below mine is spot on 1000%. Clean clean clean! But in an appealing way. I would purchase a full bottle if I did not own Izia.

I smelled this and instantly loved it. A citrusy, clean scent... then someone said it smelled like lemon cleaning spray and now I can’t unsmell it. I still like but I’m not sure if I’d buy a full bottle now.

Very clean, very bright, very sharp. Almost like the sun is blinding you! It’s definitely a play on the traditional clean scent but takes it to a level that borders on surrealist.

Pretty clean soapy smell this reminds me of Les Dieux aux Bains Hellenist

This perfume smells like clean horse