Hadrien Absolu

My review for the Masculine bottling of Hadrien Absolu... Sharp, vibrant and vivid notes of beautiful lemons (gorgeous Amalfi Lemons) combine in the top with grapefruit, citron & bergamot, with a light squeeze of mandarin orange. This gets every part of the lemon - from the juice to the pulp to the bitter rind (just wonderful)! A green note is detected on top - herbal in nature and wonderful (it actually stays and evolves with the citrus maintaining its crisp freshness with a greenness underneath). Whoever thinks this is too bitter - I totally disagree. It is citric in nature, but no sour notes that are off-putting whatsoever or anything even remotely related to cleaning products (please!) This is extremely natural smelling - the house of Annick Goutal uses very high-quality ingredients and it shows here incredibly! This is for people who have a passion for such wonderful classic citrus scents in the realm of Acqua di Parma, Eau Sauvage and more recently, Monsieur Balmain...but in EdP strength and added depth of wonderful cypress, light ylang-ylang and a touch of aldehydes. A wonderful, niche-quality citrus of depth, but retaining a sparkle...brilliant! A clear distinction between this bottling and the original, Eau d'Hadrien. I have tested and worn Eau d'Hadrien and love it - as many times as I've contemplated a full-bottle purchase, it just didn't happen. By the time I made my decision "firm"...the scent had faded and I felt like I had to let go of my lover's hand. It was a difficult choice to restrain myself, as I consider all Goutal bottlings to be absolute olfactory art. When I heard about Hadrien Absolu, I pondered the thought and then started looking for a bottle (knowing how much I adored the scent of Eau d'Hadrien on its own merit). I wanted this sooner - but it wasn't to be. So, here I am in the middle of winter in Northern California and I find a bottle for the Spring & Summer. My oh my, this is so beautiful. The lemons, when blending with the cypress, a wonderful accord of a green, zesty lemon smell comes to mind - lemon verbena or petit grain with verbena in a blender (all leaves, herbs with a full squeeze of fresh lemon juice). However - that is how it presents itself initially and in the heart, it warms to show the beautiful, sharp cypress...a touch woody but fragrant and ethereal. It never loses its radiant freshness... A wonderful delight and the essence of how a great citrus can still be made with originality. I would not compare it to any other scent, but say that it is a truly exceptional and rich aromatic citrus unto itself. No rating. Again, for the Goutal house - pure adoration. Highly recommended, especially for those who love this realm of scent. I absolutely do - and this is, indeed, a stand-out composition and presentation of brilliant ingredients.

When I sprayed this on (earlier version) I was immediately reminded of Dior Eau Sauvage. Or what I'd have preferred Eau Sauvage to actually be. Dior's creation is fleeting and I found that it has terrible longevity. Such is the challenge for citrus forward fragrances. They just can't hang on like incense, leather, amber, and oakmoss heavy fragrances. Lemon is very strong at the start. At first you'd be inclined to think that this is a simplistic and linear lemon scent. But as it dries down you come to realize there's an interesting character hiding here. While sweet is listed as an accord, I find it pleasantly dry with just a hint of sweet. Granted there isn't a huge list of ingredients, but the bergamot, cypress, mandarin orange, and subtle ylang-ylang get their due of shared stage time. And time there is, as Hadrien Absolu does give moderate longevity. It does tame down to a skin scent in fairly short order (perhaps 1 hour or more), but it's still there. Very office safe. One final note -- I have no experience with the last formulation just prior to the unfortunate and perplexing discontinuance of Hadrien Absolu. But from what I hear it is rather disappointing compared to what was originally released.

I have fresh lemon water every morning and I can assure u that this is the most authentic lemon fragrance I have ever come across. I have tested viva as well, they are similar but I did get a slight cleaner vibe with viva.This does not smell like cleaning products or anything like that.. It's a delicate citrus that you can bath yourself in. A hot humid summers day this will be shining! Doesn't seem to last longer than 3-4 hrs but worth carrying a decant

I tried the present iteration of this, Eau de Hadrian EDP, in the Goutal boutique in Paris and - on my skin, at least - the aldehydes come forward too strong and give this fragrance a very chemical ‘air freshener’ smell almost like citrus urinal cakes that persists until you wash it off.... Whether this is a problem with reformulation or my skin chemistry I can’t see any attraction for this fragrance. A big thumbs down.

I own two frags from Annik Goutal Eau de Hadrien and Hadrien Absolu .Both arw herbal lemon type but Hadrien Absolu is more herbal may be cus is edp . I like both of em