Bitter Splash

Bitter Splash is a sleeper hit. It does not have the immediate emotional impact that Soie Malaquais had on me, but the more I wear it, the more I appreciate it. It is elegant, confident, and effortlessly luxurious. Bitter Splash feels like stepping onto a sunlit terrace at an expensive bar, wearing a beautiful outfit and carrying a leather handbag that probably costs way too much money. The opening is bright and refreshing. Grapefruit and pomelo burst forward with a sharp, sparkling bitterness. It has the feeling of drinking a perfectly chilled cocktail on a warm summer evening. There is something almost like an Old Fashioned or an Arnold Palmer being served at a pretentious but beautiful rooftop bar; the kind of place where the drinks are overpriced, the chairs are uncomfortable, but you still have a wonderful time because of the company you keep. As the fragrance settles, the citrus becomes intertwined with smooth leather, cedar, and vetiver. The leather is the star of this perfume. It is not harsh, smoky, or rugged. Instead, it is warm and creamy like the scent of a beautiful leather purse or a luxurious suede jacket that has been softened over time. The woody notes add structure and sophistication without making it feel too dry. I chalk up the soft creaminess to the orris root and geranium at the heart of this fragrance DNA. Bitter Splash smells like summer evenings. It feels like golden sunlight, expensive cocktails, and dressing up. Wearing it makes me feel elegant, rich, and slightly seductive. The bottle design is, as expected from Dries Van Noten, absolutely gorgeous. The chinoiserie pattern gives it the feeling of something you might find in the powder room of an old wealthy woman’s mansion; ornate wallpaper, antique furniture, porcelain decorations and tchotchkes collected over decades. The bottle itself feels like an extension of the fragrance and the fashion line as a whole. The bottle looks like it is wearing an all-silk outfit from Dries Van Noten. The performance is excellent. Longevity and projection are both very good, which makes the price feel more justified. Like many Dries Van Noten fragrances, it is expensive, but if you enjoy this fragrance DNA, I think it is worth the investment. That being said, I would still recommend testing before buying. Bitter Splash is not a safe blind buy unless you already know you enjoy bitter citrus, leather, and woody fragrances. The grapefruit opening is very noticeable, and the leather base will not be for everyone. Soie Malaquais is still my favourite Dries Van Noten fragrance, but Bitter Splash has earned a permanent place in my collection. It exceeded my expectations.

I managed to test new fragrances in the boutique and wear samples for a few days. It is difficult to choose a favorite because each time new facets are revealed in perfumes. Bitter splash opens up with juicy freshly cut grapefruit with powdery nuances. A little sweetness is felt at the start. I clearly catch the smell of geranium leaves and flowers. The smell of leather appears closer to the base. It is very soft and delicate, like in Fleur du mal. Grapefruit notes are heard throughout the opening, only with time the sweetness and powderiness disappear and the bitterness of the peel intensifies. Durability is good, more than 7 hours. Moderate sillage. An excellent fragrance for hot summer days. I ordered a bottle.

A refreshing citrus-iris composition. The grapefruit is vivid and slightly bitter, yet the iris smooths everything out, lending a soft, powdery texture to the fragrance. The result feels airy, elegant, and effortlessly wearable. I am strongly reminded of Terre d’Hermès, but imagine it stripped of some of its earthy roughness and rebuilt into something softer, more refined, and more unisex. The leather remains subtle, serving mainly as texture in the background. Beautifully balanced and perfect for warmer weather.

I wear this all year. Colder weather drydown brings out this amazing comfortable suede(cypress, cedar and vetiver are detectable but mixes so well together) with a hint of sweet citrus. Warmer weather drydown stays brighter on my skin but this fragrance just hits almost as an armotherapy scent for me and every time I breathe it in, I just feel so relaxed. Don't dismiss trying this in the colder months as I see lots of votes for warmer weather.

This lasts a surprisingly long time... The opening is a beautiful grapefruit & orange blend, and the dry down is cypress, vetiver and geranium. Where it's soft and gentle, it's rough and textured. There's a leather accord that keeps things soft, but the cypress and vetiver feel a little bit scratchy (in a good way). The grapefruit note lasts a very long time, until the very end of the wearing. I love this!

I get most of the listed notes except for the leather. Sort of a smooth, iris-y citrus with a woody base. It's very high quality and I think I might prefer this over Fleur du Mal (which I also love). I smell the leather in that one much more than in Bitter Splash. There are so many gorgeous Dries Van Noten fragrances, but the price will keep any impulse purchases in check.

An absolutely stunning blend of citrus and leather that's wearable in warm weather. I only wish it lasted longer. Still, an underrated gem from the DVN line up that I am happy to have in my collection.

I am really enjoying this one, it reminds me of LV Symphony with added depth from the woody and leathery base. Full bottle worthy, and up there in the rankings with Soie.

Wow. blast of bitter grapefruit segues into a creamy leather. I see the comparison to terre, but this is very different and much better. It really is a bitter splash.

A creamy and fruity version of Terre d'hermes.

Got a sample of this one with my recent purchase and didn’t expect to like it that much. I have problem with overly masculine freshies. But this one is good. It’s bitter photorealistic grapefruit. Really natural smelling and very well done! Then there is this slight bittersweet evergreen cypress smell. And then underneath all that comes some nice orris to soften it all. That’s basically what I get. The leather is Gerry subtle on my skinn and not a heavy leather fragrance at all. Very fresh and perfect for summer days. I rarely fall for citrus fresh scents but this one goes straight to my wishlist.

first the grapefruit is very prominent than its all blended to a beautiful orris woodsy powdery sent it is aromatherapeutic scent

really beautiful fruity fragrance for those who don’t like sweet fragrances. perfect for the warmer seasons

despite the word 'bitter', this plays out sweet and juicy fruity that turns creamy in the drydown.

I’m not sure why people think this isn't bitter or sour because to me it definitely is! Everyone smells things differently but the grapefruit note to me is like a punch in the face initially. Also, the leather accord is definitely there, it's just not the kind we're used to. It's closer to one of the newer leather accords, more amber-woods focused and something like Neroli Nasimba or Ganymede only way milder. I think this fragrance is fine, it just reminded me that notes alone aren't enough to seek a fragrance out, because I was shocked to find that I actually really liked vanille camouflage and I usually find green notes revolting.

It had a beautiful fresh citrus opening with a sweet note that reminded me of pomelo, then I started to notice leathery notes. After some time, it became woody and simply fresh green - I could no longer detect any sweet notes in it. I was really surprised when I decided to check the fragrance pyramid and realized there was no pomelo in it at all. But what shocked me the most was that the next day it started to remind me of Baccarat Rouge 540. I definitely didn’t expect to smell that kind of vibe in this perfume.

Very bitter, as the name states. Can't get past the grapefruit & vetiver notes.

Pomelo Jo Loves with better performance

I received a sample of this with a purchase from the DVN site. I have tried 3/4 of the scents from the new line- and have really enjoyed all of them. I was interested in this one because I love DVN Fleur du Mal, but typically find it hard to appreciate leather in fragrances. This could be its citrus counterpart. Super juicy and non-synthetic or cleaner smelling grapefruit, with some earthy touches that come out as time passes- maybe the orris/vetiver combo, and I do get a hint of a pepperiness- maybe this is from the geranium. I don't get a lot of leather in this; I think it is actually less detectable in this than in Fleur Du Mal- if anything I would say it provides an overall feeling of smoothness to the scent. I find this to be totally unisex, based on your preferences it may toe the masculine line - but as a woman this is something that I enjoy wearing myself, and smelling on someone else. It is expensive, but I think this is a very unique fresh/citrus scent, it preformed well- tested on a hot day, intimate scent bubble but lasted the whole workday.

Bitter Splash is not actually that bitter to me. Well, or at least not for long. The bitterness is mostly a little flash at the start, then a green tartness that reads more rhubarb than grapefruit. It reminds me a bit of a lighter, greener Infusion de Rhubarbe by Prada, with that same translucent tart-plant freshness, just more soft and herbal. Underneath, I do get the vetiver, earthy and faintly peppery, plus something suede-like smoothing it out from below. It's a simple, tactile dry texture that keeps the whole thing from feeling too thin or watery. So despite the name, it is less of an impact, a splash and more of a slow-moving flowing stream. It is a touch linear, but I still enjoyed it. There is something pleasant about its deep simplicity, if that makes sense, and is quite the aromatherapeutic scent (as echoed by another). The clean, planty calm is not thrilling, maybe. But easy to like.