La Panthère Parfum

I have always wanted to enjoy the Panthère range more than I do but the musk notes always stopped me buying a full bottle. However, the warm weather is here and I realised I needed something more versatile for the summer (I struggle with warm weather scents) so I toured the perfume counters with an open mind. Panthère parfum is quite different from its other iterations - the gardenia mossy centre is there but not the strong musk and there is an additional apricot and osmanthus note which is really juicy and enjoyable. I happen to love the fruit tea note from osmanthus as it adds joy and sweetness without compromising on refinement. Many of the reviews here point out that this is a chypre and situate Panthère in a different realm from the sweeter, fruitier perfumes that are popular. I think this is a bit misleading as Panthère parfum is certainly a 'modern chypre': it does have a mossy note and a sense of top, middle and bottom, but it is nowhere close to the more traditional chypres which I personally find too austere. The apricot and osmanthus is strongly fruited and shares a good dose of what many reviewers here seem to disdain in lots of modern fragrances, although it is far less sweet than La vie est belle. It sits in the middle - and if you have enjoyed Armani's Sì range, Bottega Veneta or Coco Mlle, this a small step in the direction of a more pronounced chypre. The overall effect of the fragrance is of stoned fruits steeped in a sweet yet herbal stew, with an abstract floral centre and a mossy, woody drydown but keeping the fruit notes in the background. Stewed fruits should be sweet because the flavour is concentrated, not because you have added a tonne of sugar, and that is the vibe here. I was always a big Lutens fan and I get echoes of that here (especially the apricot/osmanthus of Daim Blond). Despite the fruit, this has the vibe of someone who drinks espresso in the morning, glass of red wine in the evening, knows who they are and what they want. There is a concentrated boldness, despite the fruited sweetness. I loved it so much I bought it in the store there and then which is totally unheard of for me (I like to ruminate, look up reviews for several months etc. etc.) My quibble is that I'd like better longevity for something called 'parfum' but it is priced as an EDP so I'm taking the label as an easier way to launch a flanker and I am very glad this exists. Update: after wearing for 2 days I can say that the longevity is better that I thought - I wake up smelling this after I thinking it had disappeared the evening before. It seems to be one of those ghost scents that you think has gone but then wafts reappear and haunt you. Still, compared to my paper strips, the lasting power of the original EDP is better. UPDATE 2: One month on and I have worn nothing else since I bought this. I used to be someone who would spray different perfumes on all four limbs, who would wear 1 in the morning, 1 after work and another before bed. But La panthère parfum has changed me - could this be the end to a decade's search for a signature?

I feel like I'm going crazy. First of all, I got this sample as a bonus with a full size of something else I bought on Mercari, and I threw away the paper sleeve, so it took me a while to even be sure I had picked the correct la panthere to review. Meanwhile, the other reviews here talk about notes and draw approximations that are so different from my experience of La Panthere, I think my nose must have stopped working. Maybe this isn't the spirit of fragrantica, but I scrolled through the reviews looking for *someone* to confirm my experience and state what I'm convinced is so obvious- La Panthere smells like dove soap. Not entirely. At the open and for about half an hour, it is a funky, sexy, dirty bellybutton musk that reminds me of the open to idole lubin (which has ZERO notes in common with la panthere, I checked). That tapers off, but never completely disappears, just provides a backbone for this clean, soapy, milky, literally exactly like dove soap smell. Normally I'd just shrug and move on, but the thing is, I love this frag. It smells so nice to me and just won't quit. I've decided I'm getting a full bottle, but fear that a.) the sample I have is somehow corrupted, and a full bottle won't smell as good too me or b.) I have olfactory fatigue or something, and this Parfum smells completely different to meet than it does to anybody else. Tl;Dr smells like dove soap and musky resin 10/10 fb worthy. ETA it's been months and I bought myself a travel size. I was not disappointed- it was the same juice as the sample. Still smells like dove soap. Life's too short to have a signature scent, but I wear this one at least once a week.

More than a full review, this is about the difference within the new bottles for the entire La Panthere line (since around November 2024 or so?). I've tested the new bottle of this one (the parfum) side by side with both a tester in the previous bottle from the store , and also my own bottle which is also the previous design , several times. For reference, the previous bottle is the one shown in the image here, and the newer bottles look like a cartoonish version of it, with the design(cutouts?) on the outside. And I'm not liking the new bottle design AT ALL ! But, oh well.... Anyway, I am picking up on some differences, but I'm happy to report that at least IMO this hasn't been butchered but instead improved. The overall scent is basically the same, except the frag in the new bottles is fruitier and also the fruitiness and the moss are more present throughout the whole wear. Whereas in the old bottles they die down a bit as it becomes powdery. Still present but to a lesser degree than in the new bottles. Also, longevity has been improved! I must say that although I'm happy to have the previous version for the beautiful bottle, I'm actually liking the frag in the new bottles better. And despite me not liking the new bottle design, I did end up buying the new one too lol. And if anyone cares, the older design bottles are still available in many stores, most seem to have both available right now. If you prefer the older ones, get them while you still can! But I do recommend you give the frag in the new bottles a chance. 😉

I blind bought this based off reviews and memories of trying this on in the 90s (the original) as a teen (along with Must de Cartier and Baiser du Dragon) they suited my skin and I clearly had aspirations 🤣 as I also hankered after my mothers Mitsuoko. However they were too mature for me then. I’m impressed, after nervously waiting out the initial application. Fruity, earthy and woody...musks appeared and woods. Thankfully the almost “melon” note (honestly I dread that and that awful generic marine note in anything) didn’t quite appear - was touch and go for a moment. Then creamy ambery,woody touches with spice and a little soil round it out. Nice! I’m looking forward to wearing this with wool, denim and leather this winter. Winter update: this is stunning. Settling post shipping and cooler temps. This has become a deep love. It’s musky, leathery (suede), no animalics (meaning stinky stuff) to my nose. White florals bolster the osmanthus/apricots. Adding a creamy and slightly soapy thickness. Clean musk and woods plus the oak moss that give it base and depth. I have a backup bottle. Will obtain more because it’s worth it. This surrounds you in a soft cashmere bubble and gets appreciative compliments from people in your vicinity.

Oh my goodness. Ok. Now I do know this scent, and of course I smelled it probably - in the main bathroom of a posh rich woman who lived on top of the mountain, overlooking the pacific ocean. So yes, this is a refined and complex scent, with layers and dimensions. I blind bought this and I was worried. I had read the reviews! And I understand why some people aren't into this. I was worried too. I was worried it would have a note that brought me bad memories or disgusted me somehow. Thank goodness it doesn't put me in a foul mood. It lifts me up to clean sleek places where there are octagons and complex dealings and mysteries - the mysteries of life that aren't easily solved. (So it brings me to West Vancouver) But back to the perfume itself. This is a perfume that changes. At first there is warm resinous fruit, then we get a gorgeous musky (not like I've smelled before and I'm looking at you N. Rodriguez so NOT that). It's velvety and sleek and grown. I love it. Is it trending? Caramel? Oud? Rose? Cherry? NO. It's like a gorgeous Cartier ring. It's like a tailored skirt and crisp white blouse. It's got taste and it's classic. It's not loud. It's strong and it's present. Dry down is heavenly - and that's what you pay for.