Fort Royal

I know the notes in Fort Royal are perfect for the colder seasons, but I'm wearing it right now in the heat of summer, and I love it! Warm, resinous, mysterious woods and vanilla, sensual, beautiful, it puts me in the mood of reflection, perfect for writing, or even meditation. This scent seems to have something of a spiritual, inspiring, dreamy quality to me. I decided I had to smell it again today and decide whether or not to buy a back-up now when it's on sale. The answer is yes, I cannot be without this beauty! It seems to get more and more difficult to buy fragrances from Le Couvent in Scandinavia where I live, as the main perfumeries have stopped selling them, and there are no testers anymore. So I order from the webshops while it's available. I tried two fragrances by Initio recently, Psychedelic Love and Rehab. While I certainly enjoyed both of them, I have to say that quality wise, Fort Royal is just as fabulous, IMHO. The scents are very different, of course, but they give me a similar vibe. Fort Royal has equally good projection and longevity. It's a wonderful treasure for this price. I would even have paid the double, no doubt. The opening is spicy and may lean a little "masculine", but ten minutes later the scent is beautifully unisex. I love it both on myself and on my fiancé. Would highly recommend giving it a sniff, should you get the chance!

Fort Royale is a delight to wear! I think most of Le Couvents perfumes need to be worn to know their true beauty. A test on the wrist will not suffice here, what you smell up close is very different from what whafts around you while wearing. It starts out woody and spicy, but this is fully dominated by the benzoin and it is a mature vanilla that knocks the socks off the vanilla that made this brand famous: Cologne of the Missions. It has the same natural vibe, but is much more interesting without being complicated. There is rock rose and patchouli in the base notes. Not very noticable, but I think it helps add depth. I do pick up the patch though, so if you are sensitive to that note you might want to reconsider this one. This, along with Porto Bello, are my favorites from this line. I will wear the heck out of this in the cold! Love, love, love it! Edit: doesn't project much, even after heavy application. Wears close to skin.

Hate to be "that guy" but this has no "wild berries" in it. The confusion is caused by the manufacturer, in my opinion. The boxes of this line have the 2 main impressions/ingredients listed, in English and (sort-of) Latin. This one says: Schinus granas & Resina / Wild berries & Benzoin absolute. Schinus is actually a tree, from a family known as pepper trees. It makes what is known as pink peppercorns. So no wild berries, hopefully people won't expect a berry/fruity fragrance.The English bit is kind of misleading. This is woody, peppery, rounded off with sweetness from the benzoin-vanilla combo, kind of like the effect that chocolate accord has in Coromandel, slightly boozy. I could swear there is some patchouli in here too...anyway NOT a berry fragrance. The line is great overall, each of them is a very good representative of its respective category.

On me this smells like strawberries, balsamic glaze and vanilla ice cream. I absolutely adore it and it’s my go to for when i want a more feminine scent (I am female but wear almost exclusively unisex perfumes). However it’s worth to note that almost all perfumes turn sweeter on me, so if you’re the opposite i would definitely not blind buy. As someone else mentioned it does definitely have things in common with Porto Bello, and i had the same experience with that scent as well. Fort royal is much fruitier in my opinion, and Porto Bello has much more of a warm spicy quality. But i think if you like one you’ll also like the other in most cases edit: also worth noting is that i often layer this with porto bello, and get complimented every single time!

This is the fourth in the Le Couvent des Minimes-series I've sampled so far (Valparaiso, Santa Cruz and Smyrna being the others) and boy, this is definitely a beast/the best! Pure class, indeed a feeling of 'royal' comes to mind. The pepper lingers throughout, along with the vanilla as the solid backbone, neither becoming synthetic or nauseous. Could definitely be a signature scent. Only a shame I discovered it now, in April, as this is more of a fall/winter-type of fragrance (warm and cozy, yet mature and sophisticated) Can't wait to bring this high class-scent back in the front line come fall.

Red fruits, benzoin and vanilla. As a guy i have hardly found any fragrances with red fruits in them. But this does it amazingly and in a perfectly unisex way. I find it very intoxicating and people really love it. So for me it's in my top 5. Longevity is about 6 hours which will do the trick for me. More night time and date night but i use this for work as well. I got an insane deal for this that i will never get again but i would pay 3 times that amount to get it again when i'll inevitably run out.

I will always be amazed by the perfumes that come out of Corinne Cachen's hand and there will always be perfumes either feminist or with feminist overtones, in this case a unisex for a strong, determined woman, a suit dress woman, who always listened calmly until she struck you with a coldness and high-ranking sobriety, or a masculine perfume for a refined, intellectual man, fine and very attached to his prestige and sobriety.

Really nice vanilla, up there with Ani and Vanilla Diorama for me. But the thing is I already have both of those. There was a time when I would have wanted this too, so that I could experience every facet and variety of rich vanilla fragrances, but at this point I'm kinda over sweet vanillas and am good with what I have.

Dry spicy vanilla with a touch if patchouli - just the way I like it! Considering the price, this can be a great option for some who likes such fragrances as Ani or Angel Mugler. I love it, but I have something similar in my collection already. Follow me on IG: scent.guide

I can't wait for the colder weather so this thing really gets going. The projection seems perfect to me. Any more and i would really need to start thinking when i could wear this. I have a hunch that this might become my most complimented cooler weather scent.

Very beautifull and delicate Vanilic scent ,sweet and warm but in natural way and it last but does not project you have get real close . Perhaps this was the inspiration for the much louder Ani from Nishame that was released one year after.

The beast!! It smells like liquorice in the best way possible. Projects beautifully and lasts 6+ hours on my skin.

Very similar to Nishane Ani, but unfortuantely the longevity is around 5-6hours max,

THE OFFICIAL NOTES Top * Wild berries * Orange Heart * Cistus Base * Benzoin absolute * Vanilla * Patchouli Fort Royal is a very benzoin-forward scent to me. I know the official notes list wild berries and orange in the opening, but personally I don’t get much berry here—if anything, just a subtle brightness that’s hard to pinpoint before it melts into the resins. What really stands out is the benzoin. To me, benzoin naturally has an almost vanillic quality—but not sugary or gourmand. More like incense, warm vanilla, resin, and something aromatic all wrapped together. Rich, balsamic, slightly smoky... but smooth. What I love most is how it wears: it feels strong, yet sits close to the skin. Present without being loud. You keep catching little waves of it throughout the day—warm, resinous, intimate. Deep, comforting, and quietly beautiful.

rich golden benzoin and vanilla, the concept is simple, the execution is perfect. Sweet but not sugarcandy, inviting but not sl..ty :) Perfect for fall and winter, a warm cozy enveloping fragrance. I already own and cherish Coromandel but I think they are not as close as many reviewers imply (patchouli is dominant in Coromandel, here no patch), unless of course, amber-ish feel is the target and you only need one frag for that purpose. I don't see the Ani here either (no spices in Fort Royal). If anything, this is much closer to Grand Soir or Novella Opoponax if I had to put relatives in here (but clearly not a dupe or anything). Unisex, reat value, safe for blind-buy.

Benzoin-focused vanilla fragrance. Warm and woody, with a certain sweetness. Turns a bit powdery in the drydown. It's kind of a simple scent, and I almost feel like it's missing something. Maybe a bit of smokiness to offset the sweetness a bit. But it could probably work very well for layering! It's very pleasant, and possibly the most masculine scent in the Les Parfums Remarquables line from Le Couvent des Minimes. BTW I really don't agree with the previous reviewer saying that this is a clone of Chanel's Coromandel. Sure they both have Benzoin and a "balsamic" vibe, but apart from that they have completely different characters in my opinion.

I'm a bit confused on the notes, on the box, in French, wild berries translates to pink berries (pink pepper) in English which does make sense when you smell it. Either way, this doesn't smell like Ani to my nose. It has a more sweetish ambery quality like Grand Soir, but more vanillic benzoin, with a touch of aromatic making it lean masculine. Whereas Ani dries down to sweeter lemon/ginger spice vanilla. Fort Royal doesn't change much, very linear. It's very nice, very Jean Claude Ellena (I can't believe he's gone) - simple yet not - great quality. It's just a touch too masculine for my taste rn, but it's smells amazing on my husband.

Fort Royal opens with a sharp note of pink pepper (the "wild berries" as it is inaccurately labelled here and on the bottle). That lasts for about 10 - 15 minutes before it turns into a warm and deep ambery and vanillic fragrance that stays close to the skin. Overall it reminds me slightly of the smell of tree resin fresh from a fir or pine tree. This is not a sweet fragrance, but it has warm qualities. I like the dry-down more than the opening, it gets better after the pink pepper subsides. Other than that Fort Royal is really enjoyable and suitable for many occasions. Lasts 3 -4 hours on me.

The opening is kind of boozy, like an overriped purple fruit slightly lightened by some citrusy notes. I don't mind this opening but still it's interesting, dark but not heavy, I've never smelled anything like that in a perfume. Then, the ripeness smell softens and this slowly shifts to a benjoin scent. That's the part I love in this fragrance : a deep benjoin scent lightly sweetened by the aforementionned fruit. It's dark, sweet and maybe faintly sour, reminds me the flavours of a good chocolate. I find it pretty unique.

I was really amazed by its rich and sophisticated opening and it sound promising as the bottle is dark, I was expecting something potent, however, this stay very close to the skin... Not a beast at all to me. The scent ressemble somehow to Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille with a touch of gingerbread after scent... (also similar to Roaring of Penhaligons). I would love to wear this if only it project more but this may please people who like softer fragrances.

Tres beau parfum , simple et réussi Fruit rouge / benjoin vanillé , réconfortant et chaud. Performance Ok Le rapport qualité-prix est très bon

This one is very herbal/balsamic on me as well. The overall experience is nothing like the notes listed, I think I've never seen such discrepancy between the notes and actual scent in my life. No Psychedelic Love, no Vanilla Diorama, no Black Phantom. It may be slightly warm, but definitely not sweet and the spicy/herbal aspect dominates the whole thing for me. It is a very interesting, quality perfume but testing before buying is strongly recommended. Unisex leaning masculine in my opinion. Somehow Fort Royal and Porto Bello share a similar balsamic-minty-herbal vibe on my skin, Porto Bello being significantly warmer.

A soft warm, earthy benzoin. Simple and lovely. Reminds me of Porto Bello. It has just a little vanilla to my nose and is not cloying at all. Real notes on Le Couvent's website: Note de tête : Baies Sauvages (schinus granas, aka. pink pepper) & Orange Note de cœur : Ciste Note de fond : Absolu de Benjoin, Vanille & Patchouli

Nice and simple fragrance, simple in the way the ingredients blend together im not saying its cheap. Earthy/powdery benzoin, vanilla and red fruits in the back altough they are barely noticeable. It has also a bubblegummy sweetness. Nice for the colder months. Nothing unique but an ok scent for the price.

Don’t know if it’s the patchouli but something in this reads very masculine to me. Disappointed since the whole vanilla berries and benzoine profile sounded so nice.

Unfortunately I don't like it. It's warm and spicy but it's not for me. Pity, I had high hopes for this one but I want to sell it. :(

Warm and woody 🌿 Well blended, but vanilla’s not really my thing. Not bad, just not my vibe.

Definitely vanillic and lightly balsamic. There's an almost smooth chocolate quality to it and perhaps some sandalwood as well. Reminds me of Dior Homme Intense due to it being lightly powdery. I don't smell any berry accords in here. Easy to wear and blended very nicely. Unisex but perhaps slightly more masculine. Lasts only a couple hours though. All in all a surprisingly nice scent. This doesn't smell like Coromandel at all, I don't understand why people keep voting for it. 7,5/10

This is the proud successor of the previous Eau du Couvent des Minimes, but with its own DNA. The resinous vanilla is perfect. Great signature. The mistake coming from the translation with the so-called berries was made several times on Fragrantica. (As for Hattai), because those « berries » are on a kind of pepper tree, not in a orchard or in a forest. So you’ll find a spicy note but no fruit at all, and that’s a good thing.

Wow not the note pyramid I was expecting at all! This feels fresh spicy, even herbal, I was expecting vetyver, juniper, citrus zest....maybe the sample is mixed? Maybe it's my nose...the drydown does warm up a bit and could say resinous although not really the rich niche resin but more the slighlty more commercial resin. Makes sense I guess. Still feels mostly herbal and green.

There's something in here that just flat out stinks. I don't know what it is and I can't put my finger on it. These are not fresh berries, more like berries that have rotted and have gone bad. It's medicinal, perhaps the rotting berries along a medicinal berry note with a pungent patchouli note. No amber vanilla with berries here-try again. Medicinal berry patch.

Fort Royal is obviously a clone of CHANEL's Coromandel. No doubt. The patchouli seems to be toned down a little. I am sure side by side comparison would've revealed more differences but more importantly it is how similar these two scents are that counts. I'd say they are 90% similar to each other.

Basically not bad, to me it is between Nishane Ani and Reminiscence Patchouli.. I have both so personally I do not need Fort Royal.

This is an amazing perfume. Beautiful!!!!! I have 400 + in my collection. This is top 10.

Perfect resemblance to Nishane Ani