Philippine Houseboy

From what I gather: THIS was released under the name "Fils de Dieu du riz et des argumes" (child of god, rice and citruses). And, if you look closely you can see that on the label of the bottle in the picture above. I will be contacting ELdO and finding out if this is the same fragrance or if they did release two (or one with two different labels)! I also do not see what all the hubbub is about. Just because this is (or might be) called "Phillipine Houseboy" how on EARTH is that racist?! No deprecating remarks were made about Filipinos...IN FACT, if anything this celebrates their beauty, sweetness and hard working ethic! It is not like they called it "Underaged Filipino Sex Slave" or anything...or (God forbid) LAZY Phillipine Houseboy! LIGHTEN UP PEOPLE!! And... I personally do not care what a scent is bottled like or named, as long as it smells good (or at least original)!! I am currently awaiting a sample of this but from what I've heard, it is a spicy citrus scent accented with fresh greens and slightly tropical. I might add here, that EVERY ELdO scent I own or have smelled (and that is all of them, but Bendelerious, Josephine Baker, this and Bijou Romantique) have been fantastic!! Yes, that includes Secretions too! ;-)

This is a surprisingly inviting and well executed offering from EDLO. Built primarily around the mojito and coconut notes, Houseboy introduces the spices of cardamom, cinnamon and coriander to dispel any suggestion that this is just another 'copacabana' tropical indulgence. The mojito is the dominant note on me and gives a boozy accord that when combined with spices, is suggestive of a long cold cocktail on a hot and humid afternoon. I guess this forms the inspiration for the controversial name. Houseboy sits fairly close to the skin as you would expect with this type of fragrance with good longevity (5hrs plus). It could be comfortably worn by men and women of all ages during the summer months, especially when the humidity is high. With summer almost upon my northern fragrantican friends, I can highly recommend sampling this.

The scent is gorgeous...though the longevity and the silage leave something to be desired, but scent wise, I really love the scent, it reminds me of my childhood, the green scent, fresh and uplifting, it's shisho and mojito... So the effect for me is green, and lush,but I don't find any connection with Philippine boy. With such a provocative name, no wonder it stirred up controversy, though I don't find it insulting, especially when we read the description... And to be honest, even though they changed the name, i specifically went out and search for Philippine Houseboy and I'm glad I did.

Well, to me It's just a fragrance, don't care about the name, and It smells heavenly good, so...I love It, It's perfect for warm and sunny spring afternoon, I'm definitely going to buy It!

Here's a review, I hope you find it helpful. Philippine Houseboy is the most challenging fragrance I've tried so far. The fragrance starts with a blast of lime, coriander and ginger. The heart is dominated by coconut. A big coconut that is accompanied with the coriander and lime. I dislike this fragrance and had to compare it with Secretions Magnifiques just to see which one I like less (Secretions won my little private ugly-race, but fortunately, it also brought out the rose note in Philippine Houseboy)! I've never been to Asia or eaten Philippine food, but seeing a picture of rice and lime really helped me to bear this fragrance. The "rice note" is very well presented and I really have to take my hat off for R. Schwieger for that. And if you sniff very closely, you can detect jasmine in the heart notes. It's minuscule but it's there. Philippine Houseboy is a laudable example of how perfumes can widen one's own boundaries outside the actual world of perfumes. The fragrance finishes off with a soft, almost vanilla-like tonka and musk. It probably encapsulates the essence of Philippine cuisine very well. :)

Not a really a big deal to me as a Filipino, but I just think they could used a better name. Imagine if somebody ask what perfume are you wearing? Would you feel confident answering "I am wearing a Philippine Houseboy". People would think you just said a racist joke.

As a filipino myself, I also don't find the name offensive at all. It's quite comedic. I haven't smelled the fragrance yet but I think if filipinos smelled this fragrance, some of them might be happy & surprised because it smell like our traditional home cooking that our mothers & or grandmothers cooks. Although it's better that they changed the name because for sure it will instantly gather controversy due to it's provocative name and for sure there will be people that will get offended. And also btw, Etat Libre d'Orange is available here in the Philippines so if the name remained unchanged; perhaps there will be some filipinos that will get offended by it, especially for those who experienced discriminations. So that may affect the sales of the brand. Im sure most filipinos will find the name funny, because a part of our culture has been recognized internationally. I think becuase of etat's nature of coming up with risky names, they are probably trying to poke fun of the stereotypes among westerners of overseas filipino workers taking low paying jobs as maids, cleaners, housekeepers and houseboys in a wealthy family abroad just to support their family in the philippines because our country cant even provide well paying jobs that are accesible to them.

Where can I test this fragrance in the Philippines? At first I was shocked, having come across this while reading up on perfumes with coconut note. I mean, wtf? Getting racist now, aren't we? ***RAGE*** Then, I look up the perfume house, Etat Libre d'Orange. Ah, French. If the French were able to make the FRENCH MAID glamorous, then maybe they could do the same for the Philippine Houseboy. I start to snicker. Then I see on ELDO's list of scents names like "Delicious Closet Queen" and "FAT ELECTRICIAN." I think maybe these perfumes are de Swardt's homages to people who, to him, have made quite an olfactory impression. Thank heavens he met the Philippine Houseboy and not the Philippine Septic Sludge Siphoner or the Philippine Garbage Monger. ***giggles*** Now decidedly of lighter mood, I agree with scorpiosheep here that it is a marketing ploy. Besides, there are approximately 110 million Filipinos such as myself all over the world to date. Where can I test this perfume in the Philippines? A VERY good marketing ploy.

i am a filipino. this is NOT racist. if this were an outright stinky liquid, bottled and sold in a "joke shop", it would make me wince with disapproval. but it is not. it is the opposite. therefore, this perfume actually honors and celebrates houseboys who happen to be filipinos. if you are a filipino, but not a houseboy, you shouldn't feel offended. but if you are a houseboy, and you tell me you are offended, i will let you smell the fragrance. then i will ask you, "are you still offended?". i am almost sure the reply will be this: "akin na lang 'to kuya." which roughly translates: "gift it to me big brother". but just in case you, the houseboy, are still offended by its name, i will respect your sentiment; afterall, you're the houseboy. that said, i'm now on the hunt for this perfume. ralf schwieger also composed one of my favorites, from frederick malle, called "lipstick rose".

If for several aspects, Eldo's choices when it comes to marketing, may result silly, immotivately provocative and even a tad puerile, on the other hand I find their playfulness to be somehow refreshing and uplifting in a sector that is taking itself too seriously. In front of pompous brands clamining mythical historical heritages, high-sounding names and immotivaded promises of exclusivity, I prefer Eldo's almost situationists approach hands down. That being said, this time I'm not convinced. Philippine Houseboy (aka Fils De Dieu, Dur Riz et Des Agrumes) is an average quality spicy oriental with no particular twists. It opens with a slightly dissonant accord of citruses and vanilla to turn quickly into a creamy yet moderately sweet spicy-vanillic base with an overal coconut vibe. Bad? Not really but way too far from Eldo's countless outstanding deliveries... Rating: 6/10

wow, look at that, all the non-filipinos are offended by the name. really though it’s only offensive if you look down on what we call kasambahay bc to us, you have to do what you have to do to earn money so most of us don’t judge. here in the philippines a lot of families have them, it’s commonplace (not because we’re all spoiled brats but because in the philippines there is a culture of everyone helping one another out, instead of the “every man for himself” view in the west), and it’s our responsibility to treat them well. my lola is even paying for the college education of one of her kasambahay in exchange for her help. so please, if you are not filipino, don’t decide what is offensive or not to us especially if you are unfamiliar with our culture because in my opinion i think that’s more offensive. personally i wish i could find a bottle with the old name.

I agree with Gypsy. My wife is Filipina, I'm related by marriage to a whole host of Filipinos, I work with lots of them, and if I mentioned this as a fragrance, every one of them would chuckle a bit at just the name. My wife found it charmingly funny. Lighten up. Even if they called it "Philippine Lady Boy", I'm pretty certain that all of them would get an even bigger laugh from it, and I say that being related to two nephews...err....nieces that are lady-boys (or Badings, as referred). They'd probably buy it themselves for the naming effect. ELDO pushes buttons with their naming, descriptions and fragrances themselves, so I'd think it odd that they pull political correctness out of a hat suddenly. And having eaten Pinoy cuisine, I'd definitely be interested in whether the notes bring that out since they aren't known for exceptionally spicy foods.

Same perfume with a separate listing under 'Fils de Dieu' on here but fewer notes are inaccurately listed. If it weren't for the name, this is such an original and unique perfume that I want to add to my collection (kudos to the perfumer, this is a more aromatic version of Creed Virgin Island Water to me, but opposite concept!). If the perfumer is also the one coming up with the name of the perfume, and not some asshole in the marketing department, it is really problematic. ‘Philippine Houseboy' screams sex tourist colonizer and ruins the concept of a beautiful perfume. Also, this perfume was inspired by a massage parlour, hence the animalic finish? Ugh

Laughed hard at the review of @astralmonad870 , especially after reading the text on her profile where she seems to combine all the platitudes being used these days. And no layering or even mixing up perfumes does not make a perfumer my dear. Anyway this fragrance wasn't what I expected unfortunately. Was looking for a fragrance that would work well in high heat and humidity and unfortunately this wasn't it. Sillage wasn't great either.

Questo profumo la volta che lo ho sentito,nel 2013,mi ha fatto sorridere. È un odore frizzantino,umido e esotico, un accostamento di fragranze insolite che danno buon umore e felicità. Da usare in estate, spensierato e arioso, solare, con quel cocco e bevande esotiche.. Non capisco il clamore riguardo al nome dato che c'è anche la puttana dei palazzi,l'elettricista grasso, le secrezioni... fa parte del moto della maison.

yeah right, it's not the phillipine part, it's the houseboy: it's like they're all domestic puppet/servant. And I pretty agree with 'una badante ucraina'! look guys, I'm not the biggest fan of politically correct, quite the opposite in fact, but here... it sounds offensive. But that's just my humble opinion! Except for this, I LOVE ELDO perfumes, so I'm really looking forward to sniff this!!!! And bijou romantique too!

Yeah you are pretty right. I'm not from Philippines but I don't like it either. And what's the meaning? Should a houseboy 'smell' like this?? I don't get it! I only know philippines and sri-lankan people who clean the stairs in my apartment block and they really deserve the greatest respect, they're kind and hard working guys!!

seems like most of the reviews are getting upset on behalf of pinoys, whereas the actual pinoys are thoroughly entertained by it lol. i get where everyone's coming from, but let us speak for ourselves, please. i'd personally love to get my hands on this scent pre-reformulation for the name alone. it's funny as hell.

It's obvious the creators and marketers of the scent thought it would stir controversy. I, personally, find the name of this scent very racist and discriminatory. Wtf is wrong with people? Yeah the scent might be great/nice/interesting but the name? The name alone would make me want to avoid buying it altogether.

The opening is very good for me, fresh, citrusy and green, but then the sweetish coco come out, but not loudly; then, on my skin, i detect a note (i don't know which and why) similar to "Calandre" de Paco Rabanne, with a vintage idea of a old woman's fragr.....nothing of bad, but it's not for me.