Hanuman

I bought vials of Hanuman from Boadicea, London long back but tried it just now. And seemingly a great deal of maccaration has taken place. Similarity with Bal d'Afrique is the first thing that comes to mind but Hanuman is certainly much better blended with more natural smelling ingredients and projection is like a forest fire. (But that takes away nothing from Bal d'Afrique which is a hugely popular fragrance) I asked a fragrance lover friend to decipher the notes of Hanuman that I was wearing and he came up with banana, citrus fruits, white musk and mild woodsy smoke. He didn't get the flowers. Smokey aspect could be from vetiver and sandalwood. Hanuman is a spectacular fragrance and a great deal of attention has been given to the blending and ingredients like white musk etc to create the banana note. Hermes Vanille Gallant has a similar banana vibe but that is where the comparison ends. Is it bottle worthy? If you have deep pockets then go for it by all means. The bottle itself is strikingly beautiful. Hanuman a winner and among my most complimented fragrances, others being BR 540 ext, Aventus 15x21 & 15y11, vintage Diaghilev and Clive Christian No 1 for men. Until about two years back almost all the Boadicea fragrances were available for purchase in vials and 10 ml travel sprays but the choice has now become very limited. Perhaps their focus is now to sell full bottles only. Nevertheless my experience with Boadicea online was amazing and I was humbled by the kindness and patience of Yulia and Katie at Boadicea, London.

A gorgeous citrus oriental gourmand with patisserie notes that die back in the dry down. It is neither too feminine, nor too masculine; it feels truly unisex. For a man, it is strikingly elegant without being aggressively assertive. The longevity is absolutely exceptional for a citrus fragrance and the sillage is also good. Whether the delightful and satisfying scent, great performance, and gold-plated bottle together justify the similarly exceptional price will be up to the individual to decide. Those with better knowledge of the Hindu deity Lord Hanuman may see connections to aspects of his character and nature; for me, the scent made me think of the orangery of a stately home in late spring or early summer, in which amid a riot of citrus trees heavily laden with fragrant blossom an elegant couple sit down for a repast of caramel-filled pastries that are dusted with icing sugar. A few hours later, after the couple have left and the empty plates have been cleared away, the orangery is empty; in the peaceful quiet of the evening, the blossoms gently fill the air undisturbed.

Like other people said, stronger better performing version of Byredo Bal D'Afrique, I also find it sightly more dense and thicker in a way. Is it overpriced? Absolutely! But I absolutely love it, I love the DNA, it performs much better than Bal D'Afrique, which I purchased second bottle off because of how much I have to reapply, so all in all if you calculate how often and how much used of each, price might be even, or Hanuman might be just slightly more. Also I am 100% always looking for more feminine fragrances and not a fan when men wear feminine leaning fragrances, just my personal opinion, but this one is really unisex, I wouldnt mind if my husband decided to wearing it too. I think its perfect balance and really work with skin chemistry. I would definitely not call it very feminine or masculine. Is it worth selling your kidney for it? Absolutely not, no perfume is worthy your kidney, and I think Bal d'Afrique or even Al Rayhan both smell amazing as well, but if money is not an issue, give this one a try.

Boadicea the Victorious Hanuman Boadicea the Victorious - Hanuman is pure, unadulterated peace in a bottle. This sensational fragrance has become an essential part in my collection, striking the perfect balance whether I am dressing up for a vibrant night out or simply winding down and relaxing at home. On a recent short trip, its true power revealed itself. The moment I walked into the hotel restaurant, people literally turned their heads. It opens with a bright, tart burst of bergamot and black currant, but the dry-down is where it shifts into something angelic on my skin. It transforms into a soft, velvety and intricate blend of neroli, magnolia and smooth sandalwood. Carrying this luxury in a compact 10 ml bottle makes it the ultimate travel companion for a quick weekend getaway or a long vacation. Hanuman is a complex, smooth and lifelike blend that brings absolute tranquility every time I wear it. I am addicted to this brand 😃 Goran

I LOVE this. If I were to have a signature scent, this would be it. It's soft, semi-sweet, clean, aromatic, citrusy, unbelievably well-blended. If Bal d'Afrique by Byredo and Musk Therapy by Initio had a baby, this would be it. Keeps the sweetness of Bal d'Afrique and that earthy roundness of Musk Therapy. For me personally, having another fragrance very similar to two others that I own would be redundant, but if I ever finish those two and still crave this scent profile, this would be it. It's versatile and can be worn at anytime and with anything. Perfection! 10/10 for me. Update: ...and fast forward a month later and it now sits proudly on the top shelf. Is it redundant? Please. How can perfection be redundant?!

A natural and powerful fragrance with a super-strong performance. Longevity is eternal and the silage is enormous. Love it so much and I am sure this could be someone’s signature scent. There is softness, sweetness, cleanliness, aroma, and citrusy vibes in this perfectly blended fragrance. Highly versatile fragrance that may be worn at any time of the year, at any place. Bets of the oriental gourmand fragrance. To me, this feels really unisex with equal vibes of masculine and feminine scent. Performance is totally beast with the eternal longevity and enormous silage. P.S. the bottle is stunning too just like the stunning scent. Little expensive yet delightful and joyful.

Definitely has a bal d afrique vibe. Having said that, this is 1000% more powerful and natural. This projects far more than Bal, which I also own. The notes in hanuman are much more defined and able to be picked out at different times throughout the life of the fragrance. I LOVE this. It’s absolutely unisex rather than “female.” I am a man and have gotten compliments wearing this. For a collector, this is a must. For the average person who enjoys fragrance but doesn’t necessarily collect as a hobby, they could probably be fine with the byredo. Personally, I would never sell this and love wearing this in the spring/summer but also for indoor occasions in other seasons.

Today I received my free sample of Hanuman directly from Boadicea The Victorious and I sprayed a bit on my wrist and I love the smell, however, while I kept smelling it hit me that reminded me of something I already owned, so I googled and noticed at Fragantica it was Sospiro Contralto, so I went for my bottle and did a one on one comparison, and oh man they are almost identical, except that Contralto is more potent and Hanuman a bit more refined, Hanuman has a little something that makes me prefer it, but price wise, Contralto is a no brainer, you will smell the same and only you will know.

Take price out of the equation, and there isn’t a single aspect of Bal d’Afrique that makes it better than this. Actually...maybe there is one, Bal d’Afrique is better if you don’t want anyone to know you’re wearing a fragrance. In all seriousness, I absolutely love the smell of Bal d’Afrique but it’s so fleeting...this solves that problem and makes it creamier and sweeter. Boadicea the Victorious may sometimes be considered a “clone” house, but if it really is cloning other fragrances, it’s actually elevating them and I have no problem with that if that’s the goal of Christian Provenzano.

I LOVE this fragrance. It is so well blended and just plain breathtaking. But the price is super high. Also- it does remind me a lot of Hundred Silent Ways but in a more refined, better blended way. If you can afford this, this would be the better one to purchase between the two in my opinion. Opulent scent.

Hanuman is very close to Contralto actually (tho the latter is younger, 2022 release) To me it's less fresh than Byredo's Bal, but it seems to be more projecting & long lasting Probably tad sweeter but less citrusy as well

If you can afford bal d'afrique, buy bal d'afrique. If you can afford hanuman, buy hanuman. They're both great..with hanuman stronger and longer lasting. . . Enjoy!

Beautiful fragrance , soft,hugging yet present. I love how it's starts as soft citric and changed to soft powdery charming breath taking romantic fragrance.

Ok so you know what i hate... Bal D’afrique came out before this and this brand basically copy it and try to sell it 4X more price... thats why i hate it.

At first it was bright and citrusy, but when it cooled down... it became pure magic soft, powdery, and angelic. It feels like peace in a bottle.

Gorgeous and very similar to Bal d' Afrique on all fronts (scent, longevity) Considering the price difference, i would go with Bal any day

This is good, i really like it but that price is just Ridiculous! Are yall joking?!? Imma just buy Bal d'Afrique from Byredo .. SMH

To my nose, Sospiro Contralto, Boadicea the Victorious Hanuman, and Byredo Bal d'Afrique share a very similar overall scent profile and aura. They aren't exact duplicates, but if you smell them side by side, I think you'll notice the similarities, especially in the way they develop and the feeling they create. Personally, I wouldn't feel the need to own all three because there is enough overlap that I would consider them somewhat redundant in my collection. However, if you love this particular scent DNA, I can absolutely see why you might want to own more than one as slightly different interpretations of the same general vibe. For me, it's ultimately about which version speaks to you the most and, of course, which one speaks to your wallet. 😂 Byredo Bal d'Afrique ☀️ Bright • airy • clean • sunny • slightly citrusy • soft woods Sospiro Contralto 🤎 Creamier • warmer • woodier • slightly sweeter • more enveloping Boadicea the Victorious Hanuman ✨ The "luxury, amped-up" version of this general vibe

Pleasant, happy and overpriced Oriental Chypre designed as a tribute to the Hindu monkey god. The perfume opens with notes of lemon, bergamot, black currant and orange blossom. The heart is neroli, magnolia, cyclamen and osmanthus. The perfume settles on a powdery base of vetiver, sandalwood, cedar, amber and synthetic musk. Cheerful and very easy to wear but far from the best this outstanding line has to offer. Think of a more natural, well rounded Bal D’Afrique. You are essentially paying all the extra premium for the gorgeous gold plated and beautifully etched bottle. Enjoy!

I really enjoyed Bal D'afrique but found the performance to be laughable so going by some of the reviews on here, I expected this to be a much stronger version of that one. It does indeed smell about 95% similar but.... the performance is also about 95% similar on my skin. For a £950 fragrance, very light performance is not acceptable so despite this smelling pretty good, I'll give this one a pass. Very envious of those who are somehow getting monstrous performance from this lol.

Well, technically I blind bought this. I suppose I hyped it up in my head so much that it just didn’t live up to expectations. It is a good smell, but doesn’t last very long. Smells almost the same as contralto. Luckily I got it on a sale. I’ll reevaluate this in a few months.

Another lacklustre release from BTV. Couldn't recommend less. Longevity: 4/10 Projection: 4/10 Sillage: 4/10 Scent: 4/10 Overall: 4/10

Smells amazing, but unfortunately, it barely lasts through four hours and doesn’t project whatsoever after 30 minutes

A feminine scent mixing airey florals with juicy citrus, floating on a woody musk base. Where it falters, apart from the astronomical price point, is that it does smell a little bit like nail Polish on skin (mine at least). And projection (for its price) is not worth the return on investment. I was really looking forward to this, and although it didnt deliver at the very high end, I still liked it. It is different enough from bal d'Afrique, but not enough to justify the price differential.

Byredo Bal DAfrique smells better. Sospiro Contralto is beast mode (and cheapest). Save your coin, honestly Hanuman is meh. There is a note in this one that makes it feel less polished / clean than the above two. Wild they are asking $1,000.

Hanuman by Boadicea the Victorious – 4/10 This was pitched to me as a summer scent, but for a $1000 price tag, it’s really nothing special. Just a basic citrus perfume, which I’m not a fan of to begin with. Definitely not worth the hype or the money.

Very feminine and boring. Don't listen to people who got paid to lie on YouTube.

I love boadicea! There's something for everyone in this house. There's western ouds, Eastern ouds. Freshies and gormads.i recently saw a you tube where someone ranked there favorite 9, 3 from each price bracket. I have not one in my top 9. That just goes to show the diversity of this house. I have yet to find one with poor performance. Some project more then others, but they all have great longevity. Now for hanuman. This could well be my signature scent. I absolutely love everything about it. However, out of my favorites it projects the least for me. The opening is pure magic, it's floral, fruity, and caramel all at the same time. I don't know how they pulled out off but the noise behind this scent is a genius. This lasts for around an hour. I've worn this for a full run but I'm doing it again for second impressions, I'll update on middle and drydown in a little. The dry down is really just a comfortable amber and slight creamy wood. The top stuff is still there, but faint. Scent 9/10, only thing that's holding it back from a 10 is that it is fairly linear. Something at this price should present a journey i think. But I'll most likely still get a full bottle of that says anything about how good the linear smell is! Update: this is actually a beast scent. The projection and sillage are way above average. This stuff is still amazing! How do they make these notes smell like this? Ambergris is not a more per say, they list amber, but I have a feeling it's Ambergris. Or maybe it's for real amber, but that may be what gives this such a pleasant warm feel.

Hanuman Of the Boadicea’s I’ve been able to try, this one has the most peaceful opening. The very-opening-citruses still give it an effervescence but it has an immediate elegance that doesn’t need to “settle down”. While it never quite loses the citruses, it does quickly transition focus to the neroli/floral middle that gives this an ever-present velvety softness. While the scent profiles are different, this does deliver a soothing nature like I have only other experienced in BDK’s Sel d’Argent. It’s a “soothing” akin to that of bath salts. I do also detect a slightly powdery wood in the base that is likely sandalwood. After looking up the notes, I suspect that the black currant is critical to the transitional balance. It keeps the citruses from being just “citrus” and the florals from being too “white floral” while also anchoring the base. Personally, I never expected black currant to be utilized as a “spine” and yet, here is an example of an elegant enough composition that it is made possible. Complex, full, and lifelike; Hanuman still offers a tranquility that very few fragrances achieve.

I simply cannot get enough of this beauty. Released in 2016 to celebrate the Year of the Monkey, Hanuman is named after a central character in the Hindu epic Ramayana. As for the composition, it is perhaps the finest summer fragrance in the game, Hanuman is the type of elixir that changes your vision and perception on quality, making you realize that there are indeed “levels to this game”. From the moment it touches the skin with a vivacious cocktail of citrus fruits, revealing a fresh aura of regality that it’s simply breathtaking, like a golden summer treasure hidden under the sun. The heart of the fragrance is built on a fusion of tagetes, magnolia and jasmine synchronized in perfect harmony with neroli, which comes into play as a hook to support the introductory citruses throughout the transitions, creating what I would personally describe as a sweet and colorful symphony. The base highlights a tender vetiver and cedarwood, enhancing the freshness and securing a stellar longevity with a mellow roundness.

This is very expensive, I get that. It's probably a once in a lifetime buy for me. In saying that, I have sampled Bal D'Afrique and Contralto and this leaves them in the dust. If you like this DNA, then this is the best of the best. The fragrance is feminine to my nose, soft and very elegant. It's also playful and fun. The notes to me are fruity and musky. People can smell me even though I am anosmic to it at times. Longevity for me is 10 hours as a skin scent. 6 hours projecting an arms length. Compliment getter for sure. Absolutely gorgeous for most occasions. All ages. I'm 55 yr old female and it would be a signature scent for me.

At first spray, the fragrance opens with the dampness of an old Indian temple wrapped in clouds of incense smoke. There is something cool, stone-like, meditative and slightly mystical about it. But after some time, this humid temple atmosphere slowly fades away. The fragrance seems to carry me outside into a blooming night garden filled with jasmine, osmanthus and lotus. The composition becomes softer, more floral and almost transporting. It develops a sense of nobility, calmness and nearly hypnotic beauty. A deeply atmospheric fragrance like a journey from the shadows of an ancient temple into a warm flowering night.

Absolutely stunning, and unique to my nose. Much smoother than BDA with a far more intricate blend of notes. A heady whiff of bergamot, palpably tart currant, and a nicely fleshed-out white floral middle. In the base I'm getting virtually no amber- lots of vetiver and sandalwood. Wears so beautifully on my partner, but on my skin I lose the florals which are important. This is gorgeous- and classic. It will never go out of style

I honestly think BdA smells more nuanced than this, and I've never had any of the performance issues out of it that people complain about. Sure it doesn't have monstrous projection, but I can easily smell it on myself for a solid 6 or so hours after application which considering the delicacy of the scent is just fine. Absolutely delusional pricing on this one.

Thank god I purchased a sample from Scent Split before purchasing it... I almost blind brought it. I have never smelled the original Bal d'Afrique but I do own Bal d'Afrique Absoul and I like it 100 times better. This is very powdery / floral to my nose and Bal d'Afrique Absoul is more Citrus / BR 540 vibe!

A floral woody masterpiece. I don’t think I’ve smelled anything better, ever. Put it on a 6am and still going strong at 7pm after a long day at the office. Worth every penny they’re asking.

1000 buckaroos to smell like Bal D'Afrique. This world is cray cray and now there's the Bal Absolu

in what world is this worth over 1000$? delusional prices on this brand

8/10 Niche version of byredo bal d'afrique with better performance.

Very very high quality and smells great but not $1000 great

Poor performance and familiar smell.

Hanuman is the name of Hindu God.