Le 3e Homme de Caron

***** Top: The opening is a flurry of yellow-green notes with an underlying hint of pink: some sweet and tangy lemon (or so I read, yuzu) supported by orange (both bergamot and mandarin are listed somewhere, but I’m not exactly sure... the effect is a syrupy citric medley). There are some sharper edges too: likely something mildly anise-like to my nose (it might be tarragon), establishing a musty barbershop fern accord with mutedly sweet, natural lavender that you may recognize as coming from the legendary Caron Pour un Homme, with its raw edges softened towards soapiness. Heart: Sharp, even strident greenness of coriander and vetiver come to the fore after the initial top notes settle, but dominating the heart thematically are flowers: a peppery carnation paired with a sticky jasmine note, the latter of which seems to have a notable indolic facet (this means the hint of body-odour that lurks in ripe white flowers). This could be an illusion (the musk asserting itself, or, as Thomaso7, above, suggests: civet?) Anyway, the skank is more insinuated than spelled out, sensually suggestive of sex (cooling sweat or saliva on skin) rather than skat, and melds well with the not-quite-dirty musk used as a base by Caron in both Pour un Homme and Yatagan... a rind of candied citrus and a ghost of powdery sweetness is still evident in the skin scent. Base: The smoothly played base is an old-school vetiver warmed by tonka bean, dry vanilla and musk. My bottle doesn't list oakmoss, but it does smell mossy. Clove and cedar add an edge of camphor to the tart-sweet/cool-warm mix. The 'steam-iron' or 'snuffed candle' scent of aldehydes, lends a hint of waxiness, a worn-in/lived-in touch like the memory of a casual smoker. Every stage of this fragrance is bevelled, translucent and luminous. When all is said and done, the smell on the sleeve of my shirt produces a mix of soothing beauty and uplifting keenness braced with just a little machismo. As you will note from the contrasts played out in the reviews below, this results in some cognitive dissonance!... The persistent tang of the yuzu opening seems like a stimulating freshness just out of reach, the heart an almost femme tenderness of flowers in the midst of a sultry summer evening mixed in with that body-conscious breath of skank. Despite its heavy use of citrus, it’s not a ‘light’ fragrance, but somewhat aggressive in its density. It feels complex yet linear, and, with its solid projection and excellent longevity, can be a little relentless if sprayed too heavily. Lightly applied, its quality shines. Objective: As a citrus-lavender fougere, it is datable but too well made and blended to be reducible to a cliché. I would say it relevantly transcends the limits of its origin and genre, especially in the age of reformulations. Sometimes this reminds me of something from an earlier vintage, like Eau Sauvage or Chanel Pour Monsieur, for instance, and other times it recalls the risky approach to masculinity that was emerging in the late 70's and early 80's (the aromatic fougère continuum from Azzaro Pour Homme, Paco Rabanne, or even Kouros) assertively masculine, but also creative, with a hint of vulnerability. I can see this appealing to niche lovers because it uses high quality materials to produce an unexpected and memorable impression. To sum up, this is a clashing-yet-smooth, stealthily addictive and highly dependable hybrid of an aromatic citrus chypre, a spicy/soapy/green fougere with a heady dose of woody-floral-musk and a deftly delivered hit of skank. It makes me want to reach for stylish, well-cut clothes and a cigarette (and I don't even smoke...) Like others in the Caron 'Holy Trinity' the ingredients are of very good quality and thoughtfully blended so as to continue giving gratification deep into the well-paced drydown; there's really not one false note or suggestion of cost-cutting from the bottle to the sprayer to every phase of its development. If you are one of those people who cares about longevity and sillage, my bottle (which is a few years old now, a 2014 or 15 batch, and has opened up a bit) has very strong projection and superb longevity. Something I'd confidently put in powerhouse territory (by today's standards, certainly), although I prefer a light wearing myself. Subjective: Like all the Caron masculines I've tried, it takes some getting used to... This one ('number three') maybe most of all, but it's quickly becoming my favourite. I find its social complexities (gender-bending or tough-yet-sensitive? Come-hither or barbershop?) suit the film-noir ethos of the movie, "The Third Man," with its mystery and moral ambivalence, quite well. The overall feel is best held together by purposeful tailoring (choose a suit that fits you well enough that you can slouch in it and still look elegant), while its mix of dissonant notes makes the most sense to me in cool weather. Wear it in selfish reverie and make like nothing’s going on.

Sharing a Bottle of Champagne at the Barbershop with Alain Delon..... Le 3e Homme de Caron reaches perfection on so many different levels for me that it is something of a struggle to review this timeless and truly great fragrance. First of all, the associations with Carol Reed's film noir adaptation of the novel of the same name by Graham Greene are loose but have some relevance. More directly, however, is the fact that the perfumer has in some way achieved a more modern rendition of fragrances that may have been familiar to the international characters in the war-torn Vienna setting of this story. And this is quite an achievement. Moreover, the suggestion of a 'Third Man' is at the root of what this fragrance is about: not overtly masculine, not dandified, but something else...A fragrance for an elegant, slim, good-looking man, perhaps? The first metrosexual scent, perhaps? (But very solidly removed from the current crop of blandly asexual fragrances on the market.) Undoubtedly, for anyone interested in such classic English fragrance houses as Floris, Penhaligon's, Geo. F. Trumper, Truefitt & Hill, and Crown Perfumery - the kind of fragrances that would have been more familiar at the time of The Third Man - the question that may be on your mind is how much do these fragrances give off an unwanted 'dandified' vibe (and how can their cost be justified with such often weak longevity and projection)?....Similar questions may come to mind about some of the earlier fragrances from that famous house across the channel, Creed. Very often such fragrances may seem to be more risk than payoff. And this is where Le 3e Homme de Caron comes in..... The opening of this fragrance smells like nothing else so much as the opening of a bottle of champagne, but the very evident beauty which is there from the outset and through the life of the fragrance is still masculine, refined and - dare I say - gentlemanly, with a degree of very definite charm. While not a dandy fragrance it does suggest at least some of these old English fragrances, but yet has enough of the French barbershop-feel about it to redeem it. It is without doubt a fragrance that you have to live up to a bit, and wearing at least a shirt and tie is the norm for me when when I wear it. The development of Le 3e Homme is rather linear - others have commented on this - but it is so enjoyable over a reasonably long period with good projection that this is no trouble. In fact, it is one of those fragrances that you will have to struggle to stop yourself from sniffing - it is that good. So, in short, Le 3e Homme de Caron is a fragrance that I would highly recommend. It is extremely versatile but is at its best in Spring and Autumn days when there is a bit of heat in the air. Lastly, it is also one of those rare fragrances that asks you "Are you really handsome and classy enough to try this?" I decided I am and never looked back....

*** UPDATE *** I managed to get the earlier release, the one with the color spectrum band on the box and tall smoky glass flacon. I prefer this to the current release, as it is not as loud, while richer in notes variety. The newer formulation is still very good. You may enjoy both or prefer either one. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I first sprayed this on (recent formulation), I was overwhelmed. The aroma came across rather strong and almost suffocating. The combination of lavender, bergamot, bitter citrus, and coriander accompanied by vetiver, oakmoss and galbanum brings to mind a sweet resin or wax. I guess maybe I've smelled too many lavender scented candles in my day! Either that or it's some kind of opoponax/resinous mimicry? I'm a bit confused about the notes depiction of this fragrance, because another trusted site has a different set of ingredients that does not include coriander or clove. Then I discovered the reason why -- this fragrance was reformulated since its introduction in 1985. The original 1985 list of notes includes bergamot, rosemary, lavender, anise, geranium, rose, jasmine, carnation, amber, musk, oak moss, patchouli, cedar, tonka and vanilla. But then a 10-year-old ingredients list mentions lemon, bitter orange, bergamot, coriander, lavender, vetiver, oak moss and galbanum. However, for the current release oddly enough Caron lists only Italian lemon, bergamot, coriander and vetiver (which has to be an oversimplification). Into the dry down, the intensity does eventually subside. The lavender, bergamot, coriander and oakmoss remain prevalent. As it settles, I get an impression... a faint echo of Chanel Pour Monsieur Concentree. Like distant cousins. I tried this fragrance a couple of times and just couldn't get past the "sweet wax" impression and decided I would get rid of it. I very much enjoy Caron Pour Un Homme (vintage) and the only thing I detect similar between it and Le 3rd is the lavender. CPuH is much more gentle and understated and softened by the vanilla. But a friend of mine became quite animated about my giving it more time. "Don't give up on it--it's a masterpiece, just give it time!" So I did... And I gradually changed my mind. I don't know if it's something to do with "olfactory familiarity" or simply air getting into the bottle to let it tone down a little (maybe both), but I'm warming up to it more. It's in my "like" category and may just make it to "love" one of these days. 7.9/10.

I was watching a video of Leonard Bernstein describing Beethoven’s compositional style. To paraphrase: “Though he was not a good melodist nor a good harmonist nor a good orchestrator, his works are works of genius. How? It was the form. In Beethoven, every single note that succeeded the prior note was the right note. Invariably. How he did it, no one knows, because he struggled: he scratched out, he beat himself up, he never left his rooms, he was constantly in agony, always saying he was merely touching the tip of the iceberg. And yet every single note in his works checks out, no matter how unpredictable, they are always right. No one had that, not even Mozart. It’s like he had a direct telephone line to God.” Sometimes I get a similar feeling with a perfume. Le 3e Homme de Caron is one such beauty. From first spray to final drydown, every single note that follows the previous one is the right note, the perfect note. The entire composition flows seamlessly, like an inevitability. Like it was wired to us directly from Heaven. To put it in context, it swam upriver when masculines were thumping their hairy chests with macho bravado, belting their husky baritones and revving their muscle cars. And it didn’t go the way of water and woods, those aquatic-antiseptic-alien-hyper-synths that were to sweep the fragrant ecosystem the following decade. This was a different sort of creature, in a category that is historically bereft of exemplars (the floral masculine), and done in such a way that only Caron could (Françoise Caron was creative director, to boot). It’s floral, yes, with carnation and geranium and jasmine and rose (?) at the heart, but it’s a spiced up and green floral. To paraphrase Tania Sanchez, its message is pretty simple: “I’m beautiful before I’m anything else, masculine or feminine.” Now, you have to love cloves (eugenol) and anise (anethol), because the perfect blend of one or both of these warm spices with that dreamy Caron lavender in the opening is a marriage made in heaven. This is a mood lifter that makes you say with a big smile on your face: IDGAF today, I’m just gonna feel good! But the real magic lies in the backbone: sultry and warm animalics that run through the bright opening and the floral heart and flow into the semi-sweet, earthy, musky dry-down for which it’s so well known and loved. Among my all-time favorites.

Gorgeous and a successful blind buy for me. Normally I don't buy blind because it never works out. But, between my passion for Caron pour un Homme, the five star review in the Guide and how stupid cheap it was ($22 for 4 oz delivered), I cracked. While I was waiting for it to arrive, I worried that I almost certainly wouldn't like it. Clove? Not a fan. Fougere? Not a fan. Barbershop? Just no. Classic masculines? Uh uh. I sprayed it on paper first and left it to settle. An hour later I was back to find something subtle, unique, meltingly soft and quite unisexily beautiful. Today I'm wearing it on skin and am enjoying the heck out of it. I think the note pyramid is pretty accurate but also largely irrelevant. This is one of those fragrances that is so well blended it smells only like itself and not like the notes that compose it. The opening I would describe as "sweaty lemon sorbet." I know that doesn't sound very good but it's so soft and caressing, I find it lovely. It get's sweeter, softer and possibly more floral as it settles. I know that lavender or clove are there but I can't really pick them out. This is one that you pretty much have to try to see if you'll like it. Truthfully that's true of all perfumes but this one even more so. Even if you don't like any of the notes or classic masculines, you might love this. Every fragrance fan, male or female (like me), should give this a try. Edit: Sillage and longevity are crazy good for something this natural smelling and inexpensive. It just keeps getting better - sweeter and softer. Second Edit: I keep looking at all these reviews saying that it's a classic masculine and best suited for a "mature gentleman" and shaking my head. Perhaps this is obvious, but that is purely their associations and underestimates how unique this fragrance is. If a mature gentleman is wearing it, it will smell like a mature gentleman and maybe people will experience it as a classic barbershop. When my seventeen year old son wears it he smells very fresh but also warm and slightly sweet, classy but unique and youthful. When I (a middle aged woman) wear it, it smells more floral, spicy and soft. In Tania Sanchez's five star review in the The Guide, she says that she's never smelled it on a man and seems to believe that it's simply too beautiful. It's for everyone who appreciates beauty.

This might be the perfect fall fougere. Every note, from start to finish, is marvelous and perfectly executed. I say fall fougere because it is one of the deepest and darkest of fougeres you can find, despite having ample doses of pink and white florals. The opening notes of lavender, bergamot, anise and herbs is divine. That lavender... oh that lavender... it makes me weak at the knees. It is so smooth, fresh and vibrant, and pleasantly floral, it smells better than anything I've ever managed to grow in my garden. The top notes give way rather quickly to the heart notes, which are the stars of this perfume. I get plenty of jasmine, and also what seems to be carnation and rose. The floral notes are less about a particular floral or two and more about the overall 'effect' of florals. What Francoise Caron gets perfectly right with Troisieme Homme are just how well-rounded these florals are. Their floral qualities and their indolic qualities, particularly the jasmine's and the carnation's, speak at nearly the same volumes. It's this execution that gives TH the effect of "darkness and depth;" there are no huge springtime bursting and bright notes here, all flower and no indole, there are equal parts. This gives TH a warming effect one wants for the fall. No less is this achieved by the superb base notes that gradually take over during the dry down, propping up the floral heart hour upon hour until they seem to swallow them whole. The base has plenty of tonka, woods, patchouli, mosses, and musks to go around for hours. It is rich, deep, earthy, only-so pleasantly sweet, and superiorly evocative; you won't want to stop smelling it. How I miss the days when perfumes were executed like Troisieme Homme. The layers of it are so expertly built: light, airy, fresh and refreshing, at the top; and maintaining a lot of those qualities into the middle while gaining noticeable depth, warmth, texture, and complexity; then finally proceeding to the bottom, where it is all about that depth, warmth, texture, and complexity without ever becoming burdensome or cloying. TH feels like warm, supple, and soft wool jacket on a chilly day, so comforting you find yourself pulling it tighter around you to feel its embrace. A true gem, first among equals, in that classic fougere style.

one of my favourite fragrances for gentlemen! inspired to a famous movie, le 3 homme de caron is so damn classy, balanced and well crafted. it's aromatic with a nice composition of herbs and spicies. u can get lavender, coriander, clove, jasmine, anise, vetyver and oakmoss which gives a retro taste to it, and i get that sort of coca-cola vibe. basically it's all about herbs and spicies, never pushy, never offensive, old-fashioned but in a good way. i wear it with no problems, i think people under 30 can find it a bit dated but if you love the world of parfumes you cant say it smells bad or cheap. i prefer to wear it in all seasons except for summer, for formal and casual situations, better with a good outfit. le 3 homme de caron reminds me another masterpiece, chanel pour monsieur concentree(not the new edp which is a bit different): both have this beautiful herbal-spicy combo, the chanel one is less spicy and more oakmossy but both are great. i dont know if le 3 homme is discontinued, i noticed that the prices of all the fragrances from caron are increased and the remaining pieces are less and less, at least in italy... modern vs vintage: i also have a vintage bottle and i dont detect major differences between old and new formula, the scent profile and the performance are the same. maybe the old is a bit more mossy but not enough to seek only for the vintage. le 3 homme de caron è forse il mio preferito di quelli di caron un fantastico blend di erbe e spezie. la lavanda, il muschio, l'anice, il vetyver e il muschio di quercia caratterizzano questo profumo old-school ma affascinante al tempo stesso. a me ricorda chanel pour monsieur concentree(non la versione edp che è leggermente diversa). scent-8,5 longevity-8 sillage-7 uniqueness-8,5 versatility-7,5 backup bottle? yes compliment factor-7 presentation-7 my vote-8,5 in one word-impeccable alternative- chanel pour monsieur concentree, santos de cartier concentree.

VERY IMPORTANT..THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE VINTAGE NOT THE CURRENT VERSION.... I was in one of my favorite store's shopping for a fragrance, by the corner of my eye I came across Le°m3 de Caron. My heart was pounding cause it was a Vintage bottle which only cost me only $45usd....what a steal of a GEM !!! I went on eBay and the lowest price for a 100ml edt was around $140.00 so I knew I had a collector's item. W O W...........YOUR IN HEAVEN !!!! ♥♥♥♥♥ The current version isn't as intense as the vintage....maybe Caron had no attention to keep the original version...but WHY??? When I sprayed it on my skin, what an amazing opening aroma of cloves, lavender. After a bit a real deep aroma of coriander and woodsy notes of oakmoss giving it an overall herbal/sweet LUXURIOUS, ATTRACTIVE masculine aroma. In the Vintage bottle I'm not able to pickup any citrus notes what so ever! The heart of this juice is UNBELIEVABLY CLOVES in harmony lavender making it ABSOLUTELY shoulders above the rest. To compare this creation is like comparing another potrait to the Mona Lisa....the other one might be excellent but its not a MASTERPIECE. The Vintage bottle is!!!!. Longevity and Silage are both of high quality which lasts well past 8hrs. Overall thoughts, If you DON'T think this frag is worth acquiring...well I can tell that bar none there's nothing that comes remotely close in the last 2 decades that could stand beside Le°m3 de Caron. Yes, there are many excellent fragrances from various brand's but nothing like this one!!! The vintage frag is highly worth it if you can acquire this fragrance and you won't regret it what so ever. This is a gorgeously fragrance which I will treasure every ounce. IN A WORD.....SPEECHLESS !!!!! Rating, A+++++ or ☆☆☆☆☆ SIMPLE THE BEST!!!!

I always forget how good this is until I put it on again...and remember why I bought a back-up-bottle. Normally, I'd wait until a cool day in March, but I thought I'd try it as a winter citrus, and what a treat it is. Lemon, orange, musk and lavender offer a traditional barbershop opening albeit with aldehydes that remind me of certain compositions by Chanel (both traditional 'masculines' like Chanel Pour un Homme and the original Egoïste, and classics designed for women like No. 19...) There is that bright, waxy/smoky, basically 'luminous' thing aldehydes bring to the fore that is an interesting complement to a naturalistically vivid citrus freshness. Then the clove kicks in adds both warmth and cool, painkilling remove, while indolic-smelling (read: tastefully skanky) jasmine keeps things interesting. That contrast is key, from my perspective, to 'getting' this fragrance... The clove is a touch rugged (think of Old Spice) in its sharpness and brutal, numbing qualities, almost rendering the perfume abstract, while the smell of decaying florals offer a 'worldly' presence that stops just short of being aggressive, grounding the composition in the here and now, even if never quite down-to-earth. The drydown is multidimensional: keen but comforting, powdery-clean yet smoothly old school with cedar, vetiver, a very dry moss effect, and musk. The funny thing is that it seems very classically masculine while never really losing that gender-bending 'Chanel' feel...Very nice performance too! For me, it's a perfect fougère in the way a French 75 is perfect as champagne cocktail...both may seem a little vintage at first, but there's nothing fusty or stuffy about the pleasure they produce.

From my vintage mini, I gave a modest splash of Caron Le 3e Homme on each forearm and rubbed the excess into my skin. First came a soft wave of something woody and herbal, with a very odd note reminiscent of old-fashioned Band-Aids or bandages. Nothing sterile or synthetic, and not quite as one-dimensional as the “Band-Aid note” that synthetic oudh is often perceived to contain. As the fragrance warmed on my skin, it suddenly seemed familiar, and I realized I was smelling a component of vintage (and modern!) Yardley Lace, a dark undertone, seductive and a bit dirty (and somehow reminiscent of the breath of a healthy child) that can be caught beneath Lace’s floral prettiness and which is missing from modern perfumes. I suspect this is oakmoss combining with something else, something floral. There were snatches of something green and herbal, and a dry wood-smoke feel that seemed it could easily step sideways into a clearly-perceptible leather, or in another direction, into a tarry-pitch burned odor -- but never did. And then, in a matter of minutes, the scent with all its complex trailing elements, had disappeared into my skin. (My very dry, freshly showered skin, that is.) All that was left was that vague floral-oakmoss (?) impression and the tiniest bit of a cola or rootbeer note; fortunately, this stuck around for more than an hour. This was a vintage mini, and I suspect that although there was no repulsive odor of damaged top or heart notes, time had compromised the fragrance’s longevity. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this scent, which I found quite masculine in intention but also very wearable (for me, as a woman), very unusual in its final effects.

To my great surprise, I've found my new signature scent. As mentioned below, despite the lack of a leather note, the vetiver and oakmoss seem to create a gentle leather-like accord (perhaps closer to suede?) with some of the other notes. The citrus blend is very subtle in this - combining with the lavender, clove and that leather accord to create what I can best describe as a "spiced fougere" - all of the components are by themselves quite subtle, but they combine to present a very distinctive scent that is not intrusive but is definitely assertive. The clove worked into the more classic fougere structure is a stroke of genius (at least for those who like fougeres as well as clove notes ;) I have many scents that feel formal or casual (or definitely closer to one than the other), but this one is truly a wildcard and impossible to pidgeon-hole in that manner. It is certainly refined, but also a little dangerous, it makes me confident as well as deeply contented. It has that sweet-sour tug-of-war that I so enjoy in the Pasha line, but those are extremely "formal" scents to my nose. Pasha and its excellent friends are to me crisp work suits, where as this is a comfortable blazer and my favorite loafers. I agree with Santos89, this is very much a classy French interpretation of the 80's screaming loud, hairy-chested powerhouses - actually quite sedate and polite - extremely versatile in comparison to the Kouros, Santos and Antaeus category of testosterone megaphones. And there's always an indescribable, subconscious connection we all have to certain scents - I've made this connection with Third Man.

Bought this in 2021 due to it’s apparent similarities to Bel- Ami which is what I believe to be a Masterpiece and all time Classic. In my opinion there is no similarities, other than the spicy nuances the two share. Upon initial spray and sniff I was very disappointed. It wasn’t what I expected. Smelt like an old lady Fast forward to the next day I gave this a full wearing... WOAH I WAS MIND BLOWN... At last I understood the beauty of this fragrance after getting wafts in the air I predominantly get Lavender, Clove and Amber. Very Classy & Chic. Definitely not a mass appealing fragrance however it does smell put together, refined and handsome 🤨 I’d classify this as a Floral-Chypre. Nothing Quite smells like it but if you enjoy fragrances such as: Chanel Pour Monsieur EDP , I think you’d enjoy this. It’s Masculine but a confident Women could rock this as well IMHO. Rant: Most of so called “ love at first sniffs” become boring overtime (what I came to realize ie. LNDL, Eros, ADG series) it’s the ones that you don’t initially love that become your most cherished. I could say the same about Bogart Signature for instance. Although it does smell like a jar of pickles in the opening the dry down was MASTERCLASS. Highly recommend for those that are into old school masculines. Anyways... LONGEVITY(8hrs) and PROJECTION ( 2hrs) *4-6 sprays* Projection is prominent for 2 hours Moderate to Close projection from 4-6 hours Becomes a skin scent at hour 7-8 This quickly became One of my favourites! top-five all time at the moment.

This is my favorite fragrance- it is so beautiful. It's also one of the hardest for me to describe. Most fragrances remind me of place, or memory, but I don't get that with The Third Man. It opens with a full, ripe, heavy lemon- but don't think bright citrus like you do with Summer fragrances or colognes (though this is one that can be worn year round). Vanilla soon joins it, along with clove and spice and lavender and florals and musk. There's quite a bit going on here. The clove especially is interesting and hovers throughout the life of the fragrance. Something I haven't seen mentioned, but certainly get, is reminiscent of smokiness/ashtray (in the most alluring way possible). Sillage is moderate, and it lasts 8+ hours on me. I find that I keep discovering something new about this every time I wear it. It is so versatile, classy, mysterious and melancholic. This is by far the frontrunner for favorite amongst my friends. However, I wouldn't say this is a safe blind buy. I liked, but didn't love it at first, and my wife has never come around. It has grown on me, and continues do so. I highly suggest you try this- it is so unique, beautiful, and under-appreciated. I recommend you check out the fantastic Third Man movie as well (which features the best soundtrack of any movie ever made). Thanks @alphairone for encouraging me to get this- this is one for life.

This is so understatedly lovely, and I'm throughly impressed by how timeless it is. it could be worn by a Parisian dandy in 1925, an ad executive in 1955, a socialite in 1985 and a Brooklyn hipster in 2005 and never smell dated or out of place. Even more curiously, there is a LOT going on in this fragrance (bergamot, lemon, florals, leather, cloves) but all of it works together to create a whole that is the seamlessly greater than the rather awkward (on paper) sum of its parts. A bright citrus is the opening top note, just loud enough to make sure you are paying attention to what follows. The next hour is a conversation between the spices, woods and oakmoss. Subtle jasmine is the intro to the base of this gorgeously composed gem, and there's a delightful powdery, resinous drydown, with just enough projection for you (and anyone lucky enough to get close to you) to notice how amazing it smells. This is marketed as a masculine, but I can't possibly be the only woman who finds this to be an elegant fragrance for just about any occasion, so either gender should definitely give it a try. I'm usually a devotee of larger, louder, quirkier scents, but this is far too wonderful for me to ignore. Beautiful craftsmanship is in this case, just enough.

First impressions. Starts with a sweet and spicy accord that creates an association with the sweeter/warmer side of the barbershop genre (lavender, cloves). But it also has a hefty dose of something indolic in it, be it jasmine or civet. The end result is a kind of "golden glow" that also has "bracing" qualities and is somewhat restrained, gentlemanly. The delicate balance between the spicy/herbal and animalic notes is similar to the one in Givenchy Gentleman (1974) or Antaeus. Unfortunately, for me, the animalic side of the Caron's composition creates an association with bad breath odour. And I seem to get an impression of a middle-aged, slightly overweight, well-groomed man from the 80s, who has a light brown leather briefcase, a heavy golden watch, possibly a comb-over and a handkerchief to swipe his sweaty forehead with. Don't know what to do with it. As it progresses, the sweetness gets amplified (relative to the other notes). In the drydown, the "bad breath" accord disappears and the remaining base notes remind me very much of the sweet beeswax/castoreum dry-down of Antaeus. Quite clean, but also very organic and warm. I quite like this phase, but the beginning is more "interesting" than "wearable" for me.

This is such a comforting but complex fragrance. It's got the three big notes (lavender, vanilla and musk) of Pour un Homme from the same house; but this is no mere flanker scent. The lemon in this is as substantial as anything else in it except for the lavender; plus it has some warm florals in it too, and also oakmoss, cedar, and vetiver with the musk for the drydown. I almost never compare fragrances to other things, but this one evokes such a strong and beautiful sense-memory in me I can't help it. This is a sunny early-autumn day in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where I lived in the 1980s: the lavender, vanilla, and musk evoked for me the venerable nineteenth-century buildings everywhere, but the bright lemon evokes the cheerful Indian Summer weather, even as the days are becoming noticeably shorter. It brings forth the odd balance of the comforts of becoming more mature alongside the promise of the beginning school year. This is an elegant but happy daytime scent for the equinoctial seasons, probably best worn by someone over thirty-five. Although you can't get it for the incredible bargains you can find on-line for Pour Un Homme, it's still reasonably priced given the high quality of the ingredients.

Over the holidays I was preparing an Indian meal... I don't often do this, so I was trying to be as dutiful as I could to authentic aspects of the recipe, which involved toasting spices and grinding them in a mortar and pestle. I made a surprising discovery: freshly toasted and ground coriander seeds smell nothing like commercial ground coriander you buy in a bottle at the market... Instead, there is a startling range of odours: a warm, hay-like dustiness, and a sweetness that resembles dried flowers with with an almost syrupy, candied edge, and finally the acid, citric bite one typically associated with both fresh coriander (cilantro) and the commercial ground coriander sold in stores. This is the smell of Caron's Third Man, almost exactly... For all its classic fougère trappings, its heart is a secret soliflor. Clove is still very present as well of course but I could not escape this newly formed impression as I wore it today. It is quite brilliant the way that other notes -- citrus, lavender, jasmine, carnation and clove in particular -- support and extend the impression of the coriander...in the waft of dense but deft sillage, it all becomes a softly blurred abstraction.

Hi Gernsie, Please see my note below regarding the ingredient pyramid (Fragrantica's is inaccurate) -- there is indeed a massive clove note. Also, as one comment below queries, aldehydes are indeed present. This accounts both for what many identify as a champagne-like starched-linens freshness at the opening and the subtle smoky 'snuffed candle' effect you may notice as your bottle matures. I would take exception to the notion that this has been heavily reformulated... Earlier versions (as with all the classic Caron masculines) had a dirtier musk note, and obviously this formula (which still smells very mossy, IMO) no longer has real oakmoss, but instead some substitute like evernyl or veramoss. As you note though, despite the astringency of the opening it is still a very well-blended fragrance. I wouldn't consider it butchered at all. Finally, I think you'll find longevity increases as your bottle ages; A spray I tried from a fresh bottle at the Caron Boutique in 2015 seemed to wind down after 4-5 hours, but both bottles I currently own (circa 2014 and 2018) are very powerful and long-lasting now.

This is one of those fragrances that I've always been aware of without ever really coming into contact with. I think I sprayed it in a shop once perhaps? Anyway I have now and I've got to say it's superb! To me it still has the main two components which made the original Homme so iconic and popular, the interplay of vanilla and lavender, however, as minimal and playfully 'nothing' as that fragrance is, this has way more heft without overstepping into one of those cloying, annoying fougere types but also not too dainty and elegant as to undermine the masculinity. It's a mossier, spicier version of the lavender centered perfume, with a drydown and soft, vanillic and meditative as the original. Let’s talk about the opening though, it sparkles with a labdanic effect, which gives the whole thing a luxurious feel, it’s a kind of creamy middle ground between Chypre and Fougere. I love it. I've seen it in a million peoples collections who I know like all this sort of business that I do, so it shouldn't come as such a surprise that a Caron perfume is great. I need it in my life, get in my wardrobe!!!

An unforgettable fragrance for me. This was my go to for nights out when I was in college. Yah, I know - what was wrong with me! My friends were all about Cool Water and Drakkar when I wore this. It was and remains an amazing fragrance. While the above mentioned have become a bit dated this one is actually more difficult to nail down - time-frame wise. For me the lemon in this is beautiful and reminds me of the superior tangy/dry lemon rind note in Rochas Moustache. Along with the orange and lavender it makes for one of the brightest openings in the Caron Homme line (as well as Yatagan and Yuzu Man) - and that's saying something! The combination of that lemon with moss and corriander really make it green earthy and invigorating. There's enough vetiver and clove to soften the lemon dryness while giving it a particular masculine edge. Great fragrance after all these years I just like it more and more. One of the better lemon/lavender/coriander openings in the fragrance game!