Boronia

A Grandiflora Fragrances kreativ igazgatója Saskia Havekes (aki 20 évvel ezelőtt nyitotta meg virágboltját Sidney-ben), Ausztrália egyik legkreatívabb floristája. 2017-ben Bertrand Duchaufour-ral szövetkezve hozták létre a Boronia-t, amit óriási sikerrel mutattak be a firenzei Pitti Fragranze 2017-es rendezvényén. A boronia (Boronia megastigma) Ausztráliában élő kis barna vadvirág ami Bertrand Duchaufour kompozíciójának középpontjában áll. A botanikai leírások szerint virágai nagyon intenzív és vonzó illatúak, egy kis cserje, apró aromás levelekkel és 80-100 mm átmérőjű csésze alakú mély csokibarna virágszirmokkal, melyek belső része citromsárga. A meleg és édes borónia természetes aromája ebben a kompozícióban egy krémesen simogató dohány-velúr illattal párosul, gyantákkal, konyakkal, karamellel és érett gyümölcsökkel, lényegében egy ínyenc gyümölcsös velúr kompozíció. Igazi pikantériáját a csersavas fekete tea frissessége, a széna-szerű jegyzetek, a dohánylevél fűszeres szárazsága adja a púderes, vajas karamell-velúron keresztül. Eddigi tapasztalataim alapján, mindig más, alkalomadtán felbukkan a levendula, az ibolya és a frézia illata, a kajszi és az érett szilva aromája is ebben az egyedi mámorító aromakomplexben.Sajnos a borónia illatát eddig nem sikerült megtapasztalnom... ezért is tapogatoztam más, talán reá emlékeztető virágok irányába...

I bought this blind for Bertand Duchaufour's name alone. I'm a huge fan of his work and I as expected, I find myself loving this a lot! Although it has been a sore point for many, I'm not at all bothered by how short lived the boronia flower opening is. I instantly recognised that narcotic floral opening that is so unique to boronia - I want to say it smells almost poisonous in a way that some purple flowers can. The scent quickly loses its floral edge and dries into the most delicious fruity tobacco and suede scent that's not miles away from the accord used in Serge Luten's Daim Blond - another favourite of mine that coincidentally performs very similarly - long lasting, but very close projection after the first 30 minutes.

Dry dusty leathery raisins that have sat lonely in an abandoned pantry for ages. Weird and wonderful. I have no idea what Boronia smells like but to me the floral aspects of this perfume come a distant fourth to the dried fruit, suede and spicy immortelle. In fact, I would barely characterize this as a floral fragrance; there is a thread of rose but it’s almost buried in the dust. Boronia Grandiflora has a pervasive denseness but it’s dry, almost nose tickling dry. Lasts a solid 8 hours on skin.

Super unusual floral scent with so many different elements. All notes that you see are noticeable and blended perfectly!

Hmm... Black pepper flavor cognac with tobacco, resin, and wood fillings. I was very curious to try this blend because of: 1+ The pyramid is quite impressive since it includes apricots, cognac, caramel, and tobacco. 2+ Eddie Bulliqi wrote quite an impressive lines about it in "Pitti FRAGRANZE 2017: The BEST Perfumes!", and MAT Yudov also mentioned it. So i got the chance to try this although i didn't find it in London Fenwick as "Grandiflora" mentioned in their website. So, i wasn't impressed at first when i applied it on my skin as it was kind of peppery, & slightly salty, but when i detected the myrrh few minutes in i kind of thought of giving it more time! so it is quite harsh since it has tobacco and wood filling as top notes beside the cognac, & resin. Now, i couldn't detect any apricots, or caramel but i believe both are there but can't be defined directly! both are playing a role of sweetens the harshness of the tobacco with the help of suede as the suede itself is quite rough with that wool texture that soaks the whole bitterness of the cognac! it's a bit complex actually. I honestly don't know what real Boronia flower smells like but actually i like this blend! i can't say it's unusual but it is quite balanced and very addictive. Very sharp yet sensual and fits certain criteria of personalities. The close fragrance that could be similar to this blend is "Iridum" by DSH as both has the same cognac note with wood fillings. Bottom line, i never thought that this fragrance was made by "Bertrand Duchaufour", or maybe i read it in that article i mentioned above & i forgot that he was behind it, cause if i was aware it would have been one of the reasons that won't make me curious to try it cause Bertrand lately became quite boring with the blends he make specially the one he made with his fellow noses "Geza Schoen", & "Mark Buxton" under brand name "Renegades" in 2016! it was a real meh! but this one here isn't bad though as it has an impressive aura when applying it on my skin in particular. I need to check it a bit more in order to see wither if i'm getting it or not. Edit (7th Jan 2018) The more i try it, the more i adore it! the apricots are detected well along side with caramel forming a sweetness blast for the boozy tobacco. This is impressive and addictive.

This is an interesting scent. That opening really clears the cobwebs. I thought for a minute I detected acetone. I imagine this would scare folk off and run to scrub it off. Please hang in there and let it settle. It is now sweet and almost gourmand. The caramel really comes through on me quite strongly. This eases off quite a bit and now I get the alcohol, tobacco, suede and then fruity osmanthus. I now love it. That alcohol, suede and osmanthus really hang in there but sadly only as a skin scent. Quite gorgeous. Very unisex. Its a real shame the longevity and sillage are not great.

The opening of this is lovely--moist, loamy tobacco, patchouli, immortelle, and hay; a sweet, rosy floral core; fruity/boozy notes. Those very natural smelling and intriguing notes dissipate into a more raspy, woody, floral-patchouli thing. I can see the connection to Voleur de Roses in the drydown. Early on, it reminds me of Fougere Bengale with its hay/immortelle notes. Longevity is not superb and VdR and Fougere Bengale are both more interesting.

I don’t think this is a chypre, this is a collection of bright and pungent notes which smell like essential oils collaborating in a composition that’s bordering on a citronella based infusion. As an Aussie, it smells absolutely Aussie to me - not so much the floral delicacy one attributes to a boronia blossom, but more so the resinous smell of sap from the native shrub. I struggled to perceive it an hour in, so disappointing on that front. I suppose you could say that this could have been a masterpiece if it hadn’t lost direction somewhere along the line.

A pleasant, if not long-lasting, rose immortelle perfume. I have never smelled the boronia flower so I am going off references to things I am more familiar with. Much more dressed down and less floral than Le Mat, though they are somewhat similar. I get few to no green notes. It's not very leathery either. Tobacco, congac, caramel, apricot, resins, immortelle all fade into each other, a big mass of non-homogenized brown earth tones.

I was curious because it's Duchaufour, and I've never smelled a boronia in my life... anyway, I didn't like this at all because it's a complete cacophony. It has an opening like sweet cognac and tobacco and almost sour cherry liqueur. Unnecessarily sweet, even like burnt sugar... And yes, I saw that it has a caramel note. This caramel is seriously burnt and gone pitch black! Logically I should be smelling yellow flowers with a strong herbal and pollen side, but I can't cope with this dense smoky sweetness... Those who compare this to Anubis should try smelling a masterpiece like Anubis again, because there's no connection. To get to the suede note, you need to wait for it to move away from that hookah a bit. I love tobacco, a lot even, but the tobacco in this one feels burnt and turned to ash too... no no... big pass! Tag(s): smoke, burnt, cloyingly sweet, boozy

This is considered a chypre? I would have never guessed. To me it smells like every pungent perfume note put together. That is to say, all the notes I stay away from, patchouli, animalics, and booze. I am not surprised to find tobacco in here either, which gives it a dirty quality. It softens out a bit in about 20 minutes and gets greener and sweeter. Also, the caramel comes through. You might like this if you gravitate towards strong scents that smell distinctly earthy and boozy. Not my thing.

Not a special fragrance on my skin, a bit too feminine w/the florals. I experienced poor sillage and longevity. Received a sample and not bottle worthy for me.

I don’t know if Bertrand has ever smelled a boronia. A boronia flower is a little bell flower a few millimeters big that blooms in Spring. It envelops the garden with the most delightfully sweet scent, similar to freesia. I have one blooming now. This perfume is hideous and smells oxidized. Like old wine and olive juice, shameful. I read the notes on the Grandiflora website: NOTES Top: Blue Chamomile, Cognac, Cistus labdanum (Rockrose) Heart: Black Tea, Boronia, Suede, Osmanthus Base: Driftwood, Myrrh, Caramel, Tolu balsam Someone is having a joke as those notes are not boronia or in this rancid bottle. Total waste of money. Grandiflora, not sure you know what you are doing with this.

A rare miss from this line. A tobacco-caramel-leather-kitchen sink type perfume where the boronea note gets completely lost, if it exists at all.

An excellent rendition of a scarce aromatic Tasmanian plant . . . a world class perfumer . . . and a Sydney perfume house founded by a connoisseur of natural beauty! What's not to love?! Native to Australia, the boronia plant is a rare and exotic ingredient in perfumes. Its intense, vivid fragrance is its main trait, with one species named Heaven Scent. The one used in Boronia is called The Fragrant Coral! According to Grandiflora, it's a botanical wonder, pollinated by only one species of a tiny diurnal moth, who relies on it for survival. The earthy/spicy scent of this boronia is a wonderful basis for a perfume, a darker nuanced aroma that is a departure from light, bright florals. According to Aussie's who have worn it, it does smell like the native boronia when you pluck a sprig and crush it between your fingers. A raw darkly sweet smell tempered by brittle grasses. One of the joys of this elegant scent is that Duchaufour chose a rich tapestry of supporting notes to set off the aroma. The secondary accord reminds me a little of Piguet's Bandit (orig. pre-reformulation) with a leathery cool suede and a dry herbal quality enhanced with tea, resins, hay, and spices. Boronia is so good that it was one of the hits at the Pitti Fragranze where it was introduced. Reviewers have flocked to post glowing articles, and I can't wait to experience all the perfumes by Grandiflora. One features the smell of The Queen of the Night cactus flower that only blooms one night a year, also by Duchaufour. And Magnolia grandiflora, Saskia Havekes's favorite flower, has two scents: Michael and Sandrine. She's someone who has had a lifelong flower obsession, and perfumes recreating her favorite bloom must be exceptional. Like everyone else, I'm enchanted with Boronia . . . golden Australian twilight in the scrub.

I don't know about Bertrand these days. When I experience a Douchafour fragrance, I expect to always say, "Holy Mother of Awesome!" His creations haven't made me feel that way in a long time. I'm afraid he FTC'd this one(For the Check). This composition is all about how many different ways can the Boronia flower bend while still remaining Boronia. One would surmise this to be a fun experiment and experience especially if you're fond of florals being the centerpiece. This composition is grandiloquent in nature as exhibited by the white florals. The contortion begins right away as the pearly accord kinks itself in the bosom of green notes. The combination gives off a dripping plant effect. The bloom is then spiked with apricot showcasing a faux tropical side(just think frangipani). In this moment in time, everything is suspended in the tobacco gear. With serious concentration, you can smell the cognac note which is only used for coloring not the boozy effect. This is when you sniff your arm repeatedly asking yourself, "Yay or nay?" The fragrance itself doesn't become better over time. It just becomes... Now you're just left with "floral stuff" on your arm. I didn't expect to ride off into the sunset like this.

I wasn't crazy about their Grandiflorum series, because I grew up climbing southern magnolia trees and love the smell of their blooms, which wasn't to be found in those perfumes. So I wasn't expecting too much when sampling this one - but I like it! It opens with ripe apricot, tea, an unknown floral (poisonous?), booze, and a tiny touch of tobaccco. The opening is quite fruity, but the main part of the scent is a floral, rounded out with touches of other notes. I haven't smelled a boronia flower, but the floral in this reminds me of an osmanthus + the scent of those red and yellow vine flowers that grow all over Georgia (trumpet flowers?). They have a deep, musky sweet, slightly rotting aroma that attracts lots of hummingbirds. There's something in this scent that reads as "poisonous" to me, and I'm not sure why. I don't mean by that that it's a bad scent. In the drydown, a lovely rich, buttery caramel starts to develop. Very enjoyable. And the projection/longevity is better than the lighter magnolia series.

Boronia is a wild growing scrub land flowering plant with unusual small brown/yellow highly fragrant buds grown in arid interiors in southern western Australia including rare growths in rural eastern Tasmania. The floral absolute is a dark viscous brown in colour similar to iodine and is intensely odoriferous with white floral notes of freesia & osmanthus drying down to a red berry, leather & earthy forest floor effect, most unusual although I find this absolute to be one of my all time faves including the absolute of osmanthus, so exotic and old worldly, it is also very expensive as the pure absolute will set you back approximately AU$55 per 1 gram. A must for natural perfumery although hard to find in it's unadulterated form, the absolute is extremely potent and enduring, a single gram goes a long way when used in dilution, I thought sambac jasmine abs. was divine, this is totally ethereaI. I have not tried this specific fragrance...

Once again I leave something last thinking I'm not going to like it and boom! It's love. I looked at the sample thinking - this is going to be a gardenia white floral - aka boring. Well I was so wrong. First of all why I even thought gardenia, just the name association and not reading properly. Onto the scent. wow! A boozy gourmand rose. Might this be the grandiflora? I am getting a really fresh, vegetal, young rose. And loads of booze, also gourmand but in a non sweet way if that makes any sense. Ample resin, a touch of suede, and something just herbal enough to make it green. Blew my socks off for sure! Definitely reminds me of something too...will get back when it comes to mind what it is. Maybe rose flash. Has a touch of eucalyptus or minty vibe that many really posh niches have. Gorgeous ** 200 samples for swap UK - check my customs, get in touch let's swap a big bundle! **

As a child we had a boronia shrub growing outside our kitchen window. When it would bloom the most amazingly sweet fragrance would blow through the entire house. I was hoping this perfume would replicate that, but there is way too much tobacco/suede in the base. On my skin I also get what can only be described as a black coffee smell. Is there a floral boronia smell - possibly, but it feels so hidden behind all the other notes. Now, all that is not to say this isn't a beautiful and intriguing perfume, but it just wasn't the pure boronia I was wanting.

I love Le Mat and do see the similarities. Le Mat is very loud, and has a very forward jammy and dusty rose, intertwining with immortelle. Boronia is more subdued, everything is balanced; it's the perfect middle between Le Mat and Afternoon of a Faun.

Where to try or buy? Sounds very interesting!