The Code of Emotion

Knowing Francesca Bianchi’s previous creations, it’s no witchcraft to say that The Code of Emotion is different from the rest. After deep, full-bodied, and visceral compositions, Francesca playfully leads us by the nose into a light, hedonistic world where our only concern is not spilling our cocktail while tiptoeing from the bar to the pool of our luxury bungalow in the middle of the forest. From the very first spray, one answer shouts back to all our questions: PINEAPPLE!!! Freshly blended, diced, sliced, or even scooped into spheres—it doesn’t matter. Even with our eyes closed, this tropical fruit dominates our senses. Fresh, vibrant, and effervescent, it sparkles with juicy exuberance. It grants weightlessness and cheerfulness to its wearer—a tsunami of bursting, colorful freshness. Completely genderless. If this perfume were to be renamed, The Definition of Exotic would suit it just as well. Francesca dusts this tropical cocktail-like elixir with a hint of pepper, as if stirring the fruit flood not with a straw, but with a sharp blade. This adds a crisp bite, a subtle sting, a surface scratch—just enough to snap us back before we dare think there’s nothing extraordinary here. But of course, there is! The Italian dame is playing tricks on us. As the minutes pass, the citrusy tartness mellows, and ethyl butanoate takes control. Sweetness spreads silently across the skin—so stealthily that by the time we realize it, we’re already drowning in it. Roughly two to three quarters of an hour after application, the woody notes start to unfold. The juicy freshness begins to dry down, and the structural pillars of this stage cast a shadow over the scorching tropical sun, ensuring we don’t melt away. The first to greet us is lavender, whose woody stem bends into a soothing depth, pulling us back from fully ascending into divine fruitiness. Then, cedar and sandalwood’s rings coil around our ankles, keeping us grounded. Vetiver sneaks in a drop of elegance with its slightly smoky, leathery balsamic touch. And last but not least, oakmoss—the sensual, vintage grandpa—hammers in the final peg, making absolutely sure we don’t float away into the tropical fruit clouds like a blissful bluebird. Leaping from the vibrant, colorful runway of lighthearted joy, we soar through fruit-filled heights, only to land in a much more beautiful starting point—where we can sink back into the sweet cocktail of our happiness, grinning from ear to ear, acknowledging that life is beautiful.

Everything mentioned about this fragrance has been accurate and true. Yes it is a departure from her typical style but I dare say this is her best composition yet. I said this in my mind before I did my research on it. From the very beginning I knew it was going to be different from her typical iris and leather structure. Although I do still get Iris, the tropical elements here are beautiful. I believe mango is the dominant fruit, however, there are so many other elements that create a beautiful tropical bouquet mixed in a classic sweet lavender fougere base. Unisex for sure. This is not like your father's fougere. This can be worn by a woman very easily. Yes it is mass appealing, but nothing like a fragrance you get at your local department store. Don't forget all of her fragrances are extracts, so the longevity is outstanding as well. I'm very impressed. I'm not the biggest fan of Francesca's work. There's nothing wrong with her work; it's just not my personal style. This fragrance is different. I am considering purchasing a full bottle and I don't have anything from Francesca yet. That's how good this is in my opinion. For those of you who enjoy sweeter fragrances or even gourmands, but are kind of tired or even worn out from the influx out in the market, this fragrance is for you. It's sweet without being too sweet. It's fresh without being too fresh. It is very sexy in a very classy way. I hope Francesca continues down this new path of hers. $155 for 30 mL is considerably worth it.

Perfectly unisex spring/summer fragrance. It's not a youthful or cake kind of sweet, but refined and mellow. Mass appealing, yet doesn't beg for attention, and can be rather personal. Only down side is the siliage and longevity. It DRAMATICALLY disipates after an hour or so, going from intimate to super intimate to almost nothing. For the price, I wish it was just a little more pronounce.

One of Francesca Bianci's more mass appealing fragrances and I LOVE IT! quiet different to every other fragrance she has in her collection. I wouldn't call this an aromatic fragrance... rather a spicy fruity fragrance with a creamy woody base... the lavender is not that sharp but the fruits and sandalwood are very prominent. LOVE IT!

I received it this morning and am wearing it. My wife complimented me, my neighbor in the elevator complemented me, 2 of my colleagues complimented me, and the good thing about it is that I love it.

smells like cologne on hotel bedsheets. makes me sad– there is a longing in this perfume.

A tropical fruit fougere. The press blurb for this really made me scratch my head. I looked at the sample dubiously, "how the heck is that going to work." I had a bit of an idea how, since Kenzo has explored this territory before - but this didn't end up being a Kenzo derivative, not really that close at all in fact, and Bianchi managed to keep true to her own voice. The blurb is a bit of a chuckle as well, once you get through the faff about an "emotion generator machine" and get to the part regarding Bianchi challenging herself to move away from the bassy purr of her standard orris-musk-labdanum concoction she has used over and over. It seems she's heard many-a-feedback loud and clear. The bassy purr has moved up a register or two to harmonic mid frequencies, and achieves exactly what the perfume has set out to be. It opens with a massive, juicy fruit salad that would make Edmond Roudnitska blush with an underachiever's embarrassment. Lemons, limes, a bit of pepper, and loads and loads of mango, banana, melon, kiwi, and the like, and it is very potent. Code doesn't build slowly, it launches itself into the air with power and confidence, and it will fill the room and trail behind you for miles, bringing all with mouths-watering to where you stand. Your typical male perfume wearer will find this to be quite uncomfortable; to many, and I can't really disagree, it will smell a bit too girlishly juvenile. Giddy, perhaps, if we were to stick to the emotion-generator theme? It's marvelously done, but it will likely be quite polarizing. The fruit salad lasts for a strikingly long time, much longer than you get out of the majority of fruit-salad perfumes, but it isn't too long into this juicy-fruit banquet before a sweetened, oily, and herbaceous lavender makes an appearance, the beginning of the fougere structure. I freely admit it works a lot better than I thought it would at the beginning in my dubious state. Do they do this in Provence, I wonder? - add lavender to fruit salads? I should try it some time. Bianchi is making me think it would be delicious. After some time, and I mean a lot of time, do some very familiar characters from other Bianchi perfumes show up to the banquet, namely some sweetened balsams, a damp and woody tree moss, and some roundly green aromatics of vetiver. I.e. fougere. What is the Emotion Generator Machine doing now? Honestly, I'm not sure. Perhaps we've gone from girly giddiness to (manly?) austerity? It's hard to say, but I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Code is a massive pendulum swing, going from one end of the perfume spectrum all the way to the other side without ever seeming to misstep, or lose pace or balance. And, what's more: new brands and perfumers have a tendency to establish a strong comfort zone with very specific materials when they first start out, and Bianchi definitely did this to the point where it might have become detrimental. It's when some try to break away to start a new chapter in their story, to find new things to say with their voice, that perfumers and brands can frequently misstep, but not Bianchi. The Code of Emotion is quite a novel perfume, and quite a step away from what Bianchi has given us so far, but if I didn't know I was smelling a Bianchi and you sprayed it for me I would be able say quite confidently that I was smelling a Bianchi. Her perfumes have the same unique richness to them, the same languid laying of materials overtop of each other, the same thick at the hips and swagger gait. It's a unique voice in perfumery, and she's managed to carry it over into a perfume that is very different in accords and structure than she's made so far. So, molto brava, Sig.ra Bianchi! Now, do I want to add it to my collection? Hard to say. Yes, because it's so unique and, no, because I'm not sure how much I want a repeat helping of fruit-salad fit to make me burst at the waistline - it's not really my thing, but Code could be the first to change that. I'm very torn!... Well, there you go... Emotion Generator Machine, indeed.

The Code of Emotion is the latest release from Francesca Bianchi, and represents a departure from her usual powdery, leathery, musky style. She challenged herself for the first time, not to resort to a powdery orris accord, leather or animal notes, and ventured into uncharted territory for her - the fougere. Saying that, it’s more fruity/tropical than fougere. Initially it opens rather scratchy and messy as everything fights for attention in the first few minutes, but this soon settles and everything becomes much smoother. It’s lead by this deliciously juicy and refreshing mango accord, brightened by bergamot. This is gorgeously sweet and lively, but tempered slightly by the subtle whisper of lavender and soft woods. I actually really like this. Out of my collection of 130 bottles the one thing I didn’t have was a tropical scent, it’s not my usual scene, but this smells great. It’s incredibly easy to wear, whilst still remaining impressively strong in typical Bianchi style. Now that she’s dipped her toes firstly into gourmand territory, and now ‘fougere’, I’m interested to see what she does next.

Imagine holding a glass of gin with a non-sweet soda on the rocks with some herbs sprinkled on top in one hand, and a pina colada in another hand, and taking sips in turns. This is how this perfume feel like. The description provided by the brand is that it's a classical fougere with a tropical twist, and oh boy, is that a twist. Ripe pineapple, mangoes all floating in coconut water is what I get, piercing through dry bitter cold oakmoss bed with lavender whiffs. very original! COuld be a great unisex pic for hot summer days.

I tried this from a sample. I like lighter, greener, fresher fragrances, so I was hesitant based on my past experiences with Bianchi options. This is a fantastic fragrance. It's mass appealing, complex, dry down is great. It's spicy, fruity with a woody backbone. It's not a full bottle buy for me because of my style, but I could see someone into woody fragrances loving this.

A pop of tropical sweetness, quickly followed by a bitter green Vetiver? ( As found in Encelade by Marc-Antoine Barrois ) Eventually gives way to a Fougère driven mid/base. Interesting, and a complete tangent for Bianchi. Perfomance seems questionable. Nice though!

The easiest of the house. Tropical with woods and dry tones behind. So coazy and inviting. Very unique. I like it a lot.

Personal: 6.5/10 - I appreciate the complexity of this fragrance, but it's too complex for me. Mass appeal: 4/10 - It's too dark and leathery for people to enjoy in general. Performance: 8/10 - Strong performance for a fragrance with so many fruity elements. Value: 4/10 - Niche pricing, and despite the high quality, it's not very wearable. Uniqueness: 9/10 - Despite the note breakdown being fairly simple, this is extremely unique and a level of complexity I rarely smell. SCORE: 63/100 Full bottle buy? NO, it's art that's perfect for a 2ml decant. Blind buy? NO, absolutely not. It's extremely expensive for something that is so polarizing. Recommend? YES, if you want something woody, complex, and a bit fruity. Date night? NO, unless your partner specifically loves something so resinous and dark. Office safe? NO, smells more like a medieval church or leather-filled dungeon than a boardroom. Pros: Bold, unique, artistic, and very well blended. Super high quality VERY dark fragrance. Cons: Polarizing for wearing out and about, and lends itself better to olfactory art than skin. Look, this is about as unique, complex, and special as I've smelled, but it's not quite in a way that works for me. It smells like freshly tanned leather, which is super cool, but not easy to wear. I'm sure some will love it and want to wear it daily, but the person who walks by you at the store probably won't be impressed. That said, it's expertly blended and smells extremely high quality. But for the price, I'd hope so. It smells extremely dark, masculine, and mysterious. I'd send a bottle to John Wick, honestly. *Review #23 in my fragrance journey - this fragrance I own as a decant*

Unsure about this. It’s a very sweet woody scent. I think the woodiness is really forward, and then the tropical notes feel kind of heavy. As it mellows out, the sweetness is kind of lost and it starts to feel a little too masculine. There’s maybe a hint of the lavender, but it doesn’t really smell like the green fougere family, it feels buried under the chypre woody family. It’s interesting though. The fruit seems to linger in the air, in the sillage. The room smells like mango, but a closer sniff basically smells like a smokey piece of cedar wood. This doesn’t feel extremely wearable for me. It’s a really interesting scent, but I don't know if I want the air around me to smell like mango shampoo. I'm going to bring this to my boyfriend and see what he thinks.

You are a corporate employee, not a black-tie man from high management, more like one of many executive leaders who can deliver. Freshly washed cotton white shirt that someone just ironed - a mineral aroma of hot metal with and slight mixture of plastic (the iron is still hot), citrus and provocative pineapple-like exotic aftershave that kicks up and completes the whole image. Interesting scent (not alike majority Francesca Bianchis same DNA sharing fragrances) that works without a dull soapy undertone. Not unnecessarily dense or serious, at the same time far away from teenage recklessness. Middle-aged man with a solid background, this one is already taken and has kids...

Thankfully it doesn’t have usual heavy spicy amber.this opens fuity as it dries get more complex with lavender vetiver oak..

I admit that I was very curious as soon as I saw the release of this particular fragrance and I couldn't help but try it, so I purchased a tester from the official site. Completely different from what Francesca Bianchi is used to us with her Retro, amber, honey, animalic fragrances and the characteristic Iris that she so skillfully uses in her compositions that made me love and own some of her creations! Unisex-feminine that starts with very intense sweet fruits and quite synthetic like an expensive high-end hair salon product, where it slowly starts to take a weird semi-fougère direction with very soft lavender, geranium and something like Ebanol (synthetic sandalwood molecule), while maintaining its intense fruity profile! I like fruity fragrances, I love fougères, but here the combination is overwhelming, causes me confusion and feels like mess. It reminds me of a fragrance that I would see in the most economical and mass appealing proposals of YSL and Paco Rabanne or Moschino. This concept is completely foreign to the creator and maybe that is why in my humble opinion it didn't even succeed! Stepping away from your style is brave, but sometimes there is a reason why your style exists in the first place... True mastery lies in repetition with intention and the comfort zone is not a weakness, it is the result of skill, it is precision, it is identity!

I don't understand this fragrance at all. I can only describe the opening in terms of texture...it is very scratchy, like sandpaper. But then someone spilled some fruit punch on it and proceeded to use it to sand some raw wood. It just doesn't work for me.

In the vein of most new age bubble gum Mens scents in the past 5 or so years! Dry down gives me Stronger w/ you series + ysl y series vibes. Makes scene now looking back at the note breakdown. Pass for me X

Reviewing a sample from 2025.The Code of Emotion was launched in 2025. This is a sweet tropical fougere. The Code of Emotion opens with fleeting harsh citrus and a sweet synthetic/perfumy tropical fruit accord. This overpowers the other herbal and floral notes. Eventually, in about 15 minutes rubbery leather, lavender and woody notes offer some balance as the high octane tropical fruits thankfully start to fade. I appreciate Francesca trying something different but this just doesn't work for me. There are enough sweet & fruity horrors out there without FB jumping into the fray. Quality- poor (1/4) unbalanced and overly synthetic smelling Bipolar- opening leans feminine; drydown leans masculine Performance- (2/4) strong initial sillage; fades to skin scent in about 60 minutes Sweet tropical woody fragrance that is unbalanced with sub optimal performance. I'm not sure what monstrous juicy fruit concoction was used for the tropical fruit accord but it comes across as a machete that slashes everything in it's way. 5/10

One of my favourite designer fragrances was Kenzo Homme Night – Grapefruit, Mango, and Vetiver. As it was discontinued (and my nose has evolved in the last ten years), I was looking for a suitable replacement. I do feel like mango is such a sexy note on a masculine fragrance; there’s something just so addictive about it. Anyway, I was really happy when I heard that Francesca was making a new fragrance – and soon I was stunned as I saw tropical fruit as the main accord. Wait, seriously? A tropical Francesca Bianchi with a fougère base? I must be dreaming! I ordered a sample from the site; it arrived just in time for summer. Here’s my review, based on a sample – not a full bottle. To begin with, it’s not as loud or as powerful as other FB creations – I own Etruscan Water and this is far less potent. That is not to say that it’s weak; it’s just not that nuclear as expected. It opens with very creamy tropical fruit – I detect mango, but it’s steeped in some sort of heavy cream, almost feels like mango ice cream. Below it’s all about fougère, almost chypre notes I would say. Surprisingly, the mango has a strong lasting power (even in extreme heat), but the base notes keep everything fresh, almost camphorous. It’s a sexy masculine fragrance due to its base notes, but I believe a certain type of woman can pull it off as well as somewhere in the middle I can detect some white florals . Why the four-stars then? Well, I’m missing a bit of zinginess in the top notes; the mango here is more, sweet, creamy and milky, rather than juicy and sour. A touch of citrus for me would be a winner. Is it full bottle worthy? Absolutely. And as usual, FB strikes an excellent balance of quality, uniqueness, and price.

Received a free sample with another FB fragrance i purchased. This is a feminine floral- tropical fruity dominant scent . Like the rest of her work the complexity is there but i agree with others saying this isn’t like her other fragrances.smells mainstream and like other tropical scents i smelled before. Unimpressed but would recommend if you are looking for an easygoing fragrance. Both longevity and projection are quite strong. P.S I think the reviewer below has received a mislabeled decant. There is not a single leathery, dark or masculine element in the Code of emotion. His description aligns more closely with something like the Black Knight.

On paper: Green, bitter citrusy and extremely juicy. Intoxicating honestly and completely different from anything Francesca has done before. Honeydew, lime, passionfruit, lemon - the list goes on! On skin: Beautiful, extremely juicy lemon curd, grapefruit, bergamot, white grape, underripe honeydew, passionfruit, jasmine, aquatic saltiness and white musk. There's a slight "white" smoke in here that provides a really nice break from the bombardment of fruits. Amazing summer scent!

Really good. She’s going to get negative reactions because she set the bar so high, but she cant just make all animalic fragrances, she’s growing as a perfumer, and this is her most mass appealing fragrance, still with a delicious creaminess in there, reminds me of an amped up version of Chanel Egoiste Platinum. But much warmer. Really good!

This is very good and very different from Bianchi other creations. For me it’s pineapple juice and oakmoss. It has a nice sillage and it’s definitely worth a a trying if you’re into lighter fragrances.

This sort of reminds me of a chypre and I am usually not a fan but the tropical fruit in here is beautiful and the wood does a lot to calm the tang of the fruit

Buttery fruity citrus. This does not smell like a Fancesca Bianchi product.

i do like this but i can tell it would give me a headache to wear

Why the bad reviews already!! It is launching today!