Caractere

Remember someone raving about Caractère many years ago. This is the later version. Impressed. Get a sense of déjà vu and can't think exactly what this reminds me of but it'll probably come to me at 3am. The blurb on the box describes it as L'élégance classique de Daniel Hechter interprétée dans une fragrance boisée, relevée par la fraîcheur de la bergamote et la sensualité de notes cuirées ("the classic elegance of Daniel Hechter construed as a woody fragrance uplifted by the freshness of bergamot and the sensuality of leathery notes") Things that come to mind: an incensey note that reminds me of Gucci Pour Homme 2003, and something that reminds me of the Papyrus in its sibling Bentley Absolute Opens with a citrus-aromatic salvo, evolving into a mosaic in which my amateur nose can't discern individual notes but the bergamot stands out, a camphoraceous fir, then as the citrus fades a rich leather note emerges with a subtle frankincense. The dry down is sublime, seductive. Classy. As it evolves I get a kind of woody oakmoss vibe that conjures a mental impression of Mahogany. Caractère is an appropriate name - this is sophisticated, refined elegance. Love it. Really curious to try the original. Update: From the reviews below it sounds like this version might be different to its earlier namesake because this is timeless, classy, and utterly intoxicating. The composition really is exquisitely beautiful - it smells luxurious and very Zen insofar as the main elements - aromatics, woods, leather, frankincense - are harmonious, complimentary and perfectly balanced.

Al though born late in the 80's powerhouse era and Way less offensive than its partners Caractere opens quite aggressive animalistic and sharp. The spices kick in early and Will stay during the whole development of the trip. What comes to mind at first is very spicy jasmin lemon soda then the cedarwood settles in to be the main character here. It s quite well balanced as you can detect amber and musk as the notes suggest. Even if listed patchouli and coconut are out of the equation. At least on my skin. The end is confortably sweeter and more Leathery. That s the part i Dig the most. caractere is a very formal complex mature and even austere scent. One needs to find an occasion to wear it. The comparison with Chanel Antaeus is quite spot on especially in its animalistic notes although it doesn t shine like its old brother. The longevity is way above moderate as people mentionned. Applied early morning it s still breathing late in the afternoon though sillage seems quite poor. Becomes a skin scent shortly after the brutal opening. Price is around 10 euros for a 50ml bottle in Belgium which makes it worth trying. Deserve some room in your wardrobe

Caractère a fragrance that celebrates autumn, but not with smoky sweetness, or resinous tobacco. Caractère is aldehydes, herbs, light florals, some rich leather and a musky amber incense. Anyone will say this has been done before or that this is dated, but they are not seeing the big picture. This fragrance is the swirling winds of autumn, whether in the morning or the evening and the greeting you receive when you exit into them in the day or enter in from them in the darkness. I think that yes, initially there is a light soapiness that one gets from the opening but the fir note and the leather combine to take this scent some place else and reveal its charms. Not to mention, the leather note runs deep in Caractère and once combined with the musk and incense we get a bit of Antaeus and Kouros in the base (something bleachy and screechy to juxtapose the calming incense, like a sudden gust of wind!). With a bit of patience we are treated to a truly beautiful dry down! Give Caractère a few sprays when your mood has changed, just like the autumn sunlight and taking in the fleeting beauty of changing leaves and autumn skies suits your mood.

tested the new version yesterday, I find it very similar to vintage kouros from the 80s but watered down, the opening is animal it's because of jasmine perhaps but from the start I got this smell of sweat (in a good way) it dried into green and fruity leather (which it made modern and young) this beast lasted more than 24 hours on my skin,

This is very close to Bel-Ami with its leather base. Only better balanced but weaker. Sensational. Maybe lacking a little oakmoss in the drydown. Caractere came out of left field and almost knocked me out. I wish it would be stronger. And really knock me out. But for 9 euros I can't really complain. 9 1/2.

Classy, stylish stuff! Definitely 80`s french vibe. Herbal more than leathery. Fresh spices make this juice swirl around you like crisp autumn air. Lighter and more playful than the usual heavy hitters of that time. Love it!

Still in love with this fragrance. So stylish, intelligent and well performing. Charming french elegance with a sense of humor and good taste. Bravo!

a lighter concentration (cologne) of kouros-antaeus mix....but again a good solid 7-8 hours performance !!!!

Great scent of the 80's ♥️ pretty close to bel Ami by Hermès👍 great price value as well👌

Was hoping for pine, but got an ethereal soapiness that is way better. Lovely jubly.

Got this today. Very interesting fragrance. Crazy that DNA's like this used to be rather mainstream. Nothing smells like this, nowadays. Really trying to figure out the notes I'm getting in the (rather challenging) opening. Somehow I'm smelling cloves, probably the carnation? I figured I knew this smell, and it just dawned on me. This totally reminds me of Jägermeister. The combination of all the spices and the medicinal vibe. That + fir! The drydown is where it's at, though. Smells like an old school bar of soap, in the best way possible. Projection is average but longevity is great. Definitely a fall/winter fragrance. Perfect on a cold, rainy, gloomy day.

Back to the old days :) the first spray gives off a strong 'grandfather vibe'. Woody, mossy, herbal powerful blast from the 90s. Initially I thought I didn't want to smell like that. Then I gave it one more chance, and another, and yet another until I really got to like it. This fragrance is kinda unapologetic, it says: 'that's what I am, take it or leave it'. I 'take it' because of the gorgeous drydown. It smells so clean, soapy, but not in a bad way. It's a bit barbershop ,reminiscent of that gentle, natural soap bars from the past that simply smelled like... soap. Good performance too.

Ingredients: alcohol Denat., Aqua (water), Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), Linalool, Geraniol, Eugenol, Isoeugenol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Amyl Cinnamal, Coumarin, Farnesol, Limonene, Hydroxycitronellal, Citral, Citronellol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Hexyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate.

This is totally untrue,the recent formula of Caractére is almost similar to the old one,and even better performing.Yes,it is artificial smelling,without a doubt,but it resemble the original smell pretty good,about the 90% of the first formula.So don’t be incorrect on washed up memories.

Just got a 50ml bottle. I like this - it's like One Man Show with more woods. Performance is good. Charactere is an old school mossy, woody pleasant fragrance - it's very good. *Update* The silage is particularly lovely.

My second fragrance ever, back in the nineties, it really did me good. Still wearable for a young man today. Distinguishes pleasantly between the blue shower gel scents.

Wonderful scent!I feel the luxury that this scent create,a state of luxury!Sadly,very weak(i have the original formula).

Goodie soapie cheapie 80s powerhousie.

i had a vintage formula of this edt. a true autumn fragrance, foresty-soily, amber and oakmoss in an old-school way. it's not too serious, it's like a walk in an urban enviroment during october. it's a good scent, but it gave me the headache so i swapped for another fragrance. dont know how the new formula is, but i recommend caractere only for an old gentleman who used to wear in the past or a lover of vintage stuff. a guy around 30 can find something else more modern and good smelling too. for example, hermes equipage is still wearable and super-classy in its old-school vibe. ho avuto una bottiglia dei primissimi anni novanta ed era un profumo autunnale tipico dei fine anni 80. mi dava il mal di testa e quindi l'ho scambiato con un altro. lo raccomando solo a chi lo usava in quegli anni o a chi interessa il vintage. attualmente si può trovare qualcosa di più moderno e di uguale classe. scent-7 long-7,5 sillage-7 versatility-6 bottle-6 compliment factor-5 uniqueness- 7 my vote- 6,5 in one word- withered alternative- hermes equipage or borsalino for man

I would call it the essence of the late eighties and early nineties. Initial aldehydes along with lavender and bergamot are complemented by herbs and faint flowers. In the base and later in the whole perfume, fir notes, leather, oakmoss and a little incense dominate. The fragrance is complex, beautifully blended and easy to wear even today.

Similar to One Man Show, leaning more toward the darkness of Drakkar. But also green, masculine, and pleasant — part of that family of green, old-school guys. Both need to be tested on skin, because on paper One Man takes off into some cosmic direction, while Caractère maintains the style of aged greenery. It faded quickly.

Mauvais cuir. Je possédais ce parfum il y a 20 ans... mon cauchemar. Un bien mauvais caractère que ce parfum là. Senteur : 2/10. Que peut-on bien faire de ce parfum ? Il est mettable environ une fois par an, comme le suggère la photo de la publicité. Vous vous promenez au jardin du Luxembourg par un dimanche après-midi d'automne et tout à coup une rafale de vent emporte votre chapeau au loin, et votre sillage aussi... ce qui vous rend tout à coup Caractère plus supportable. Sillage 0.5/2 Parce que lorsque ça sent mauvais vous ne voulez pas de sillage. Longevité et évolution 0.5/6 Parce qu'il dure et empire sur sa durée Masculinité 0/2 Un parfum de victime d'un vendeur peu scrupuleux ne fait pas de vous un homme. TOTAL 3/20

This is something u find in your grandpa old suitcase. No leather, Spice but not in modern way, all those fir mossy suffocating undertones give it annoying dry down, the smell of stale shirts when left in closed cupboard for too long . wear it on your own risk, or if u want to immensely annoy someone

Another leather gone wrong! What a mess this is... Some of my most beloved ingredients went into this bottle, but they didn't make a nice fragrance that's for sure.

So I blind bought this awful perfume which I deeply regret. I was curious and my curiosity got the better of me which led me to buy this horrible scent. Who even wears this?! Smells like something old and pungent . Sorry but this is the worst frag in my collection that I've ever owned. Absolutely horrendous.

100% agree with Glassmoon. Horrible, like really honkingly bad, weapon level, knock you down stuff. Don't buy it out of curosity, it's not a hidden cheapie gem it's horrible. You'd move if someone sat down nice to you on the bus wearing this.

I don't know why this is called a leather scent, as the leather is more of a mild background texture here. Up front is the fir, pepper, cedar, moss, and incense, and yet again we have a scent that blows the doors off of recent niche that tries to do the same kind of thing, but what we get are simplistic, overbearing compositions. The lavender here is obvious but blends into the other notes and acts to soften things up a bit, combined with the amber (and it doesn't come across as soapy at all). If you are looking for a complex pine scent, this is one to try. Needless to say it smells natural, resinous, rich, and deep - the balance seems perfect too! Vintage Henry Cotton's In Green has soapy lavender, by contrast, though I still think that one is excellent, with a more obvious incense note. Another way to think of it is as Polo done right (especially in terms of not having all that jasmine that makes Polo unbalanced to me). NOTE: I have a very old bottle and my guess, from reading some of the other reviews, is that the formula was cheapened to sell at a lower price point.

Just recently heard of it and purchased a made in france 50ml bottle (i believe this is current production). I only tried it on my wrist for a quick test drive and to me... I am surprised no one mentioned "Boss N1" as a reference, because there are plenty similarities. After 10 min or so it is veeeery similar to "Boss N1" to the point of being almost a dupe. Then, some rubber notes start to appear and it takes a slightly different drydown. But, in the same ballpark. If I could associate this fragrance to something.... I ́d say it ́s a child of Boss N1 and Knize Ten. I don ́t see the resemblance with Kouros or Antaeus as mentioned before. I ́ll give it a proper use later on, but it ́s a very good one. Really good ! Looks like a great choice for Autumn and winter times, cold weather. Good for a formal dinner and/or event. If you like Boss N1, Davidoff Zino, Giorgio Beverly hills, Knize ten, you will like this one.

I did a full test today. The opening is beautiful (just like Boss n1), but soon that caramel/honey/leather accord goes away. You can still feel for 1-2 hours maximum. Then it becomes a soft rubber/leather/smoked scent for the next long hours. Projection is very limited unfortunately and I can still smell it after 8 hours on cloth or skin, but just the drydown smell. This probably means it is very watered down. What a shame. I can imagine this as a maginificient oily splash fragrance. Probably it once was. If you sweat, that opening is going to be there again, partially. If this opening could last more and project, this would be a fantastic scent. You will need to re-apply during the day. I find it great for an 80s dumb reach fragrance if you ́re in a rush and can ́t decide yourself in the morning. But take it with you to re-apply.

What a classic, Caractere is the epitome of early ‘90es, before the wave of aquatics took the centre stage. Very complex and refined, herbal and astringent, but more “French” than Polo Ralph Lauren, I find also undertones of Antaeus, less the animalic part. I own several iterations of this, and luckily, all good, with no substantial missing parts. Aldehydes play a well managed role along with lavender and bergamot to give shine to an otherwise dark recipe, but without becoming overpowering (as in Oscar de la Renta). Some florals add intimacy and elegance. But the major role is around fir, leather and moss. The perfect orchestration of the ingredients makes it difficult to detect single out solo notes- and this is indeed a hallmark of successful compositions. Beautiful, and still relevant today.

Opens up very much like a better blended Bogart fragrance with pepper, spice, guts and soul. And it stays like this until a couple of hours in, when it becomes a little more akin to Aramis, but a tad richer and soapier. I find that there is a really pissy note that makes a brief, disconcerting appearance, but it's fleeting, and in itself, given the context of jasmine and male perfumery, it's even quite enjoyable! The blending of bergamot, jasmine and cedar play a central role in this scent and I think it's good quality for the price you'll typically pay. I'm surprised it's not better known. Perhaps it's the bottle and atomiser, which are both awful. That said, if we're just focusing on the fragrance itself - cracking.

surprised to find one little glass tube being left unnoticed in the closet all these years! 2.5ml, 85 Vol. I remember last century I had not only one samplers of this Caractere and now the only one is without the paper card. still remember the picture of this frag. is two men and one's hat was blown away... childish. fresh with fir and lavender, the moss isn't that obvious, drydown to the leathery. all the freshness like yesterday, after 30+ years, those days I didn't care it much and today it's surperior to many things in the perfumery. this little thing reminds me I must had wasted many good things in my life, like my youth, ignorant, and passed by.

This is a pretty decent fragrance, not Jules good, but its price is not Jules' either. A solid soapy and green aldehydic opening that is unfortunately confined by the fragrance materials' quality. A Cuir De Russie wannabe that one smiles favorably at. Overall the fragrance is of low quality, but its smell is pretty good. Give this chap some bucks and he'll become your Bel Ami. Chemical and addictive Caractere does have a character. A bit absent minded maybe (no money no focus) but it does try reaching unreachable (Derby) heights. It fails but it is worth the try. ***(**)

Interesting. Unfortunately my bottle is very weak. I get a lovely horsey smell which I adore, mixed with aromatic herbal soap. I wish I had way more horse in it, and less soap. And it should be much stronger. I get the feeling I can't get to know it properly since it's so weak. Like when I bought the new Mitsouko EDT which lasted half an hour with twenty sprays. I blind bought this and thought I would regret only getting one bottle for the good price, but now I don't regret it that much, it's barely there on my arm. I guess once it used to be much stronger.

@Petrus : on dirait mon chéri... hahahahahahaha Je lui avais acheté ce parfum dans les années 90 et il a fini en désodorisant dans les toilettes !!! Voilà ce qu'il arrive quand, pour la fête des Pères, on est pris par le temps et on prend ce qui nous tombe sous la main... Je le regrette amèrement !!! Mon Gilles chéri n'a jamais aimé ce parfum !! Il l'a porté une fois pour me faire plaisir et plus jamais !!!! Depuis je me suis rattrapée !!! Du Cognac XO au matériel high tech' !!! Gilles je t'aime.....

I really like this one. Old school in the best way. It puts me in mind of what a young(ish) guy would have worn in the 70's or 80's. Even though it didn't make an appearance until '89. Maybe the colour and presentation of the packaging and bottle is suggestive of the previous decades? Either way, this is very autumnal, but cheerful. like kicking piles of leaves along one side of The Seine dressed casually on a Monday morning when everyone else is at work.

This is the king of that fragrances you wear when you want to subclass the others and elevate yourself. That kind of things like in a conversation when you think: "I'm superior, I don't give a f**k bout what you're saying, I'm right you're wrong, shut up". Unbelievable that nobody has found similarities with Kouros. Am I the only one who think that? This, in my opinion, is very close to what the original 80 Kouros would smells like.

The beginning is interesting, but the end is a wet small dog on a rainy day in the park rolling in the grass in another dog's piss and jumping into to your truck with faded leather seats doing the dogie shake. Cute but disgusting. In my country 7.99 Euros currently. Can't even used it as an after dump spray because I believe this is one of those that would amplify for the worst. I'll leave it in the park on a bench.

Caractere opens with delightfully brutal aldehydes (I detect a fair amount of Aldehyde C-12 MNA) that soon yield to herbs, fir, and incense. Drying down to the base, there is an almost lactonic musk with IBQ and oakmoss. Whoa. And this only set me back something like 12 dollars? I could have mistaken this for a left-field niche sold on Luckyscent for more than ten times that amount in a 50ml bottle.

I found a small bottle in my parents cupboard, I think it's probably over 20 years old, I remember it coming in a wooden box set with after shave and eau the toilette. Very reluctant, i sprayed it and I have to admit that it's very nice, definitely can't smell leather (not as much as Dior Homme or Tom Ford's tuscan leather) but very classic scent. It blows away all these anonymous scents of today.

If you don ́t know the original formula there is just nothing to comment on this. The new version is just nother remake of an originally very interresting and sophisticated perfume GONE COMPLETELY WRONG. Just like e.g. Pierre Cardin Bleu Marine. There is not even the slightest simililarity, except the bootles, between new and ordinal version. Sad, but really sad

First impressions: Smells awful to my nose, not fresh spicy at all, thick tar soapy. Smells like an inferior mix of pour lui by Oscar de la renta and bogart One Man Show. Nauseates me when I sniff my hand. Will update tomorrow if I feel any differently about it but there’s a reason why it’s so cheap.

You want to know what Caractère smell ? It smell exactly — and by exactly I mean EXACTLY — like the 90's video clip of the song "Laisse pleurer les nuages" by the french singer Liane Foly. I dare you if you tell me this description is not 100% acurate

A lovely fir-scent. Fresh and classic. Sexy on a man. I thought I try it myself, but I guess it's just a bit too masculine for me. But who knows what tomorrow will bring. Where I live, it's for sale by the drugstore for just a few bucks.

There are so many great Daniel Hechter fragrances missing on fragrantica website, including the Les Signatures series. At least 10 that are missing. If you look on parfumo directory you will find them all.

It is mix of Jaguar Original and Jacomo the Jacomo. I like both of them so I like this too. Dark, green scent with some incense. Mystic, elegant and it gives an intellektual aura its wearer. Nice.

Very French. It's inteligent vintage Paris style. A little bit close to Bogart Signature , but more soft and has strange notes of honey, insence... Formidable! ;)

Hello, I would like to order the cologne Caractere made by Daniel Hechter if you have it? Can you e-mail me back to let me know how I would go about ordering it?

Yup, french style of vintage fragrance. If it werent for the sensitive and young noses at my work I would bathe myself in it every day. Amazing

Has anyone heard of midnight by Daniel hechter? Anyone try it? I've Been looking to try it for a while, but it is impossible to find? Thanks!