Cologne Officinale

Okay so I need to temper my review here because I could have the potential to wax lyrical about this one and I'm aware that this fragrance may not be everyone's cup of tea nor is it by any means breaking any new ground but I think that is precisely why I adore it. When folks (usually me) say stuff like...'they don't make um like this anymore.' It's usually about some bleary old vintage Men's bollocks. There have been attempts by indy perfumers and brands who are fans of a certain era and style of perfume to evoke classic masculine tropes with varying degrees of success. I get the intent and I'm here for it but the execution is more often than not, left wanting. Not in the case of Cologne Officinale. I'm assuming the name is referential to a sort of Italian style of perfumery because it has the fresh 'Amalfi' vibes coupled with the requisite 'soapiness' often described in Italian perfumery. What's not very 'Cologne' about it is the lack of white florals, or waxiness and it's not a fleeting perfume by any means. Citrus accord is bittersweet and long lasting, instantly fresh and arresting but has a depth and quality to it. The next phase is a growing mossy note/accord and some degree of 'push' and floracy from like a hedione effect, a la Eau Sauvage. The comparisons should end there though because this does have a distinctly different vibe thanks in part to some of that green galbanum, although it's not as present or green as something like that Les Abstraits one I love or other masculine focused recent efforts but is on a par quality wise. This really feels like it could be an 80's Men's vintage 'Sport' flanker thing but with all the top notes intact and a modernised feel. This is precisely why I will give it some creativity points because it feels somewhat modernised and not just a copy or hommage to fusty old bizz, which it so easily could be mistaken for. Make no mistake though, even with this there's no surprises in Cologne Officianale other than it's being released in 2023 by a brand which for me have never really done much I'm interested in. Top marks to Heeley for recognising the need for something like this in this era of dreck and rehash, yes I'm saying that about a WOODY, MOSSY, CITRUS, COLOGNE FOR MEN....but good is good, and this is VERY GOOD. Also reasonably priced for a niche perfume and something I would wear the shit out of in the same way I do an Eau Sauvage or a Cerrutti 1881 so a 100ml bottle is something I can see in my future for sure.

Quite often, perfumes come with a long, descriptive, semi-poetic PR blurb supposed to describe the scent’s universe, the perfumer’s intentions, etc. And quite often, the text reads amazing and the scent actually smells like every other perfume released that year (I’m looking at you, Burberry Hero Eau de Parfum). But sometimes, you smell a new perfume and the text fits (almost) perfectly, and you can tell the brand and the perfumer nailed their initial mission. This is what happened when I smelled Cologne Officinale by James Heeley. I was a bit apprehensive. I love Marseille, I love Provence. I have so, so many memories down there, and a LOT of them include smells. Memories of summers spent in my grandmother’s house as a kid, 1h away from Marseille, in the Provence countryside (the house was hidden in the famous “maquis”). The smells of her garden, of the maquis itself, burnt by the intense summer sun during the day, and resting at night, emitting different smells at different part of the day. The smell of basil, of lavender – of course – of rosemary, of sage... These scents are now burnt in my memories forever, 25 years later and 15 years since my last ever visit there. Cologne Officinale is not ground-breaking, and I don’t think it was meant or designed to be. It doesn’t break any rules, it doesn’t want to offend or set a new genre. But what it does, it does very well. James Heeley created a fougere in the style of the 70’s, and did it very well. It starts fresh, luminous, joyous with the basil at the top. Then, the famous “Savon de Marseille” accord comes alive after 20min or so. Not as literal as in Marseille from Comme des Garcons (which does it very well, but that was Quentin Bisch’s sole intention, to recreate the Savon de Marseille scent) or as “clean” as in Exit the King by Etat Libre d’Orange (which I like, but the cleanliness is almost oppressive in that one). It does it more in a figurative way, as an “idea”, as something you are reminded of when smelling Cologne Officinale. Hints, basically. I don’t particularly detect the “oriental amber evoking the fusion of Provence with the vibrance of the Orient” described in the base, but I don’t mind. Cologne Officinale is an extremely well-crafted time capsule bringing back to happy memories in the Provencal maquis. Well done James, and merci.

I am a 51 year old man. My journey in fragrances started in the eighties with colognes like YSL pour homme, Globe Rochas and Armani eau pour homme. I experienced every major shift in man’s colognes after those with eg Kouros, Fahrenheit, Acqua di Gio and then the so called niche brands of Frederic Malle, Fueguia etc. Cologne Officinale by James Heeley feels like I am coming home after this journey. I am immediately flashed back to my teenage years when men around me smelled fresh of mostly a mix of aromatic herbs and oak moss. Interesting point is that over the years I repeatedly tried again these first colgnes but they never entirely lived up again to that feeling/expectation. I also got that feeling for a moment after wearing Cologne Officinale for the third time or so and found that perhaps indeed a man never walks in the same river twice as it is not the same river and he is not the same man. For a moment because it moved beyond that and it is now my favorite frangrance. It definitely has a 70’s structure but it bridges quite well to today. It does not feel dated. This is a great achievement bij Heeley and it is the first full bottle that I ever ordered from this house. If you have been like me always searching for that 70’s cologne that has not been reformulated beyond recognition or has lost it’s quality due to shelf live then this could be it. A true fresh but new 70’s cologne. This vibe and the quality is seriously there and I have not found it since those first fragrances since.

Great scent, this is my first bottle from the Heeley brand. Very curious to try more from their line. I love the smell of Rosemary and this is something that is very apparent to me during my wearing of this. Rosemary and soapy facets is what I mainly get. I do get amber in the late dry down but can't seem to pick out the Lavender and everything else mentioned in the notes breakdown as its blended very well. Great scent for the summer, I get about 8 hours longevity. On me its a pretty moderate wear, not a huge projector and I'm okay with that as something heavy I can't see lasting too long in the 100+ degree heat of summer in Vegas. Great modern release I've purchased as most of my collection are either vintage/discontinued

Wow!!! Thank gawd there is new cologne scent that screams buy and I will deliver!!!! Amazing bright green Basil aspect (mostly) on top of soapy slightly dark and earthy oakmoss. Think of Hermes Concentre D’Orange but mostly bright basil that actually screams for hours and hours. Blind bought and definitely the best buy this year. I totally don’t get the numbing reviews below. If you want an above average cologne and smooth green basil is your thing you’ll need this... if you love old school barbershop colognes and need it with a wallop to compete against Sauvage EDP, parfum or elixir etc this is it...