Fortis

This is one I needed to come back to and let develop on my skin. The initial test on strip was absolutely nothing representative of how it behaves on me. On strip, the initial spray was all about deep, near skanky oud and smoke. Nothing else. It kind of broke my nose, honestly. I liked it but I was kind of left indifferent, it didn't "wow" me. On skin, this is a completely different beast. The first time I tested it, it was humid out and that was a mistake. It pushed out like crazy, choking everyone out in harsh incense and wood smoke. It was overwhelming. I told myself this wasn't for me. I gave it a second chance on an unexpectedly cold rainy day and I that's when I had an epiphany. Yes, it's smoky. The opening oud note is slightly harsh, a bit like PDM's Haltane but to my surprise, it quickly faded and I was left with a deep, deep conifer smoke note (cypriol) with incense smoke and... vanilla? Sure enough, an hour two in, it became vanillic. Not overly sweet vanilla, just a grounding, almost sexy, very pleasant resinous smoky vanilla (guessing vetiver played into this as well). I was loving it. Later on in the drydown, it turned a bit ashier with sandalwood coming in gaining that trademark powdery quality sandalwood is known for. In total, I got about 7-8 hours wear time, which is good for LLI although it stuck close to skin after 2-3 hours, like many of the house's fragrances. So yes, to put it briefly: oudy cypress smoke then burning cypress, incense and vanilla and later on sandalwood. This is one I feel I will enjoy for meditation sessions. It's almost transcendental. It invites renewal. I'm not familiar with Black Afgano but I need to this change since if this is "Black Afgano" lite like I've seen it described as, I might enjoy that a lot as well.

Sampling Liquides Imaginaires Fortis, originally released in 2011, a dark, smoky, resinous, woody blend, with featured notes of oud, cumin, cypriol, saffron, mixed woods, vetiver, and musk, yielding a bit of a dark, funky, cannabis-adjacent concoction that, while reasonably intense, is not overbearing, though I imagine it would prove challenging for some that prefer only lighter/fresher woody/spicy scents. Despite its boldness, it’s smooth despite being a little sharp and heady. Its similarities to Nasomatto Black Afgano, which was launched two years prior, are palpable to me, with the main difference being that Black Afgano has more of a cannabis vibe than Fortis, though both are similarly smoky/ashy, resinous, dark, spicy, sharp, and somewhat funky. Concentration is EDP and official retail points of sale in the US include great boutiques like Perfumology, in which the pricing is $200 for 100ml. It performs very well, albeit not as well as Black Afgano, so perhaps there’s somewhat of a tradeoff of potency for pricing. Overall, I’m really impressed by this as a dark, complex, interesting but still wearable option, a slightly less extreme alternative to Black Afgano. 8 out of 10

Reviewing a bottle from 2024. Fortis was launched in 2011. There is a touch of leather and spiceness. The cumin is thankfully subtle. The focus is on aromatic woods and resins with some patchouli and vanillic musk to soften the rough edges. Very well blended. Yes, it is reminiscent of Black Afgano although softer and perhaps more wearable. I don't think this is a deliberate copy as others have suggested. My reasoning is that it takes years to create and market a scent like this and Black Afgano only launched 2 years prior ( it took 6 years to create BA) . Also, it took some time for Black Afgano to catch on so why take a risk by copying such an unusual scent profile. BTW, Terroni was launched in 2017 after Fortis and Black Afgano. Quality- excellent 4/5 Unisex- leans masculine performance- very good 4/5 Overall a fascinating dark resinous aromatic wood/oud fragrance for the adventurous out there. 8.5/10

For me, Fortis is a rich dark seductive strong scent. It's starts with a strong boozy accord, the oud is there but is not in your face, is more in the background providing support to other notes. It's spicy but not over the top, earthy but well balanced, woody but not in your face, all in all a well crafted fragrance. I like oud based fragrances, and I own alot of them. It does resemble with a few of them, such as Black Afgano(but smoother than it), Red Tobacco(but not as strong), Tobacco Oud(but more rounded than it), Oud Wood(but a little bit more spicy than it), Terroni(very close to it but more powerful). So, if you like all the above mentioned fragrances, you will like Fortis. This scent holds a very special place in my fragrance collection/journey, it takes me back to my niche beginnings so needless to say, I love this scent Longevity ~ 10 hours Projection ~ 2-3 hours Scent 10

Straight up, this is to my nose a very close sibling of Black Afgano wow! Even the juice color is similar. That being said, Fortis is unique in its own right, in that it dries down into something distinctively spectacular. Though it bears semblance, it doesn't have that intense earthy and pleasantly animalistic vibe you get straight from Black Afgano, everything else is just the same. Suffice to say that Fortis is a slightly softer (and like I said unique) version of Afgano no doubt. Sillage and projection are quite good but could be better. Scent is just beautiful - the oud, spices an woodiness are just very well blended. Very niche. Oozes class. Smells expensive, and is VERY masculine! I fail to see how this could even be considered unisex in any way. One of the well respected fragrances in my collection. impressive 9/10

Sonia Constant you have this uncanny ability to capture the men I love. Guys have you ever had a crush on a frag, thinking if only the human it embodied could materialize! Fortis represents a man with streamlined dark sides who's in the habit of drinking, but in moderation, mind you. He's got sweetness and dirtiness as well, but mature enough to be perceptible rather than being over the top. Fortis is not exactly an oud-heavy fragrance but its mood is oudy enough to provide depth and darkness, its initial booziness promises good company and I can pick up saffron right off the bat (the booze, saffron and wood reminded me of Idole by Lubin, another masterpiece) and there's also this savory-ness which is yum. I mean sexually yum. Yes, in sum, I love this frag.

i really do love this one, not only because of the smell, but also because of the memories it invokes. a professor of mine would wear this or rather he would douse himself in it, sometimes even during class. everyone in the department was traumatised by the scent as it's appearance signalised his arrival. some student started wearing it at some point also, raising a fake alarm every time. i tried finding out what this scent was, but with no luck and then somebody i knew just happened to be trying out a sample and i had to get a bottle. these are strong, with great projection and pretty good longevity. the scent is deep and might seem heavy, but later it actually turns into something very clean, sort of evoking clean laundry.

Love this stuff, nice dark, gothic vibe that is balanced enough to be worn 3 seasons with summer being the exception. The oud comes across nicely just a hint animalic, creamy and slightly sweet. The cumin is a subtle nuance that adds character, but is light enough to not smell like body odor, and as it dries the saffron comes out tempering the animalic notes a bit. Longevity is eternal for me I wore from 5am took a shower at 5pm and I still smell it over the fragrance I sprayed after my shower. Projection is strong but not brutal, it projects enough to be noticed but not so much to become cloying. Overall I give this a 9.5 as it's nothing that hasn't been done before, but is probably the epitome of the DNA it uses.

I may buy a bottle. I like it very much! Nothing new here. It's the bigger brother of Carner Barcelona Cuirs And the smaller brother of Nasomatto Black Afgano Which I like both of them but neither was suitable for me because BA was too much and Carner Cuirs was not enough. Fortis has the best parts of both of them making it the best choise IMO. Needless to say anything about its smell, it's not new for me. The oud is very woody and safe. I doubt if this has real stuff. To my nose it's a good quality "oud". Longevity is very nice for my taste, around 8 hours and sillage is moderate. Projection is heavy for 1-1.5 hours.

ok yes, I admit this does remind me a little of Black Afgano, but so does about 100 other fragrances. This is still its own composition and to the trained nose one would defiantly notice the differences more than the similarities. On skin after about 5 minutes I already see the differences and they are wonderful. I favor this fragrance more. I like the musky sweet oud qualities and this stuff is amazing! Great longevity and it projects good enough. If you like black afgano you are missing out if you dont smell this. Its amazing! overall I give it 8.5/10 and highly recommend it

Basically what everyone else has said, this is “inspired” by Black Afghano but is essentially just a clone. It’s a softer version that is just as complex and is very strong. Simple advice, if you enjoy extreme dark, dry and bitter scents this will work for you. It lasts forever, projects more than 10 feet and has massive sillage. This is very well blended and a well-done fragrance that is more like a clone than a fragrance of its own merits. Limited wearability, use only 2 sprays in the middle of winter! Recommendation : Sample first Rating: 4.5/5

Opens up with a lot of woody oud mixed with heavy patchouli and more herbal undertones winding down into a more powdery and sfot sandalwood/vanilla blend. The dry down is definitely way different than it's opening giving less green and more soft wood/musk. Came into this expecting a really close black afgano dna and was pleasantly not disappointed. Opening smells very very similar to BA imo. Fortis smells more softer and lighter with less green and more on the resinous oud / vanilla than BA's grungy hashish vibe.

There is a harsh cumin note that blows off thankfully in seconds. Then it is all sandalwood and Oud. Very nice more wearable take on Black Afgano (which I also own). Lasts forever but the projection isn’t over the top. NOT office safe IMO and this is the last fragrance (besides Black Afgano) that I would wear on a beach vacation. 🤪 Winter only for me. Much less expensive than Black Afgano and again, it is much more wearable. If you love dry woody Oud fragrances, this is for you.

A good unisex scent that I think leans more masculine. Wore this on New Year's Eve and my partner said he really liked it. I detected a lot of powdery notes on myself after dry-down, but the scent remained dark and moody despite this. Would consider purchasing a full bottle once my sample runs out. I have never tried Black Afgano so I cannot vouch for its similarity in that regard, but with nothing to compare it to, I find this to be a very solid and interesting scent.

Rich warm and snuggly amber. It’s a less rich, deep and complex version of the now discontinued Amouage Opus VI. If you loved that and can’t find it I would recommend trying. Really lovely. Not as challenging (I have Opus VI) - if you did find the bay like notes in that, too much or the amber too animalic and rich. But the spirit is there. Unisex with a slight nod to masc, as it’s not uber sweet. Very, very nice 🙌

A very solid and well crafted perfume, an interesting and mastered oud, unique enough for the price. Mumbai Noise by Byredo, Noctem Arabs by Gritti and SEPT.21.1966 by Rundholz are very similar. Strangely enough, it sort of reminds me of Couleur Vanille from L'Artisan Parfumeur. Even though the notes are completely different, something about the experience and mood reminds me of both.

Such a nice, woody, creamy, refined oud with hint of spices in the beginning which get toned down within 20 mins of wearing, upon dry down it smells like luxurious n niche quality. To my nose it the oud present here reminds me of xerjoff Alexandria 2 (I don’t mean it’s a clone of that but in a similar refined way). A perfect for Aussie winter n autumn.

I have only one Sentence to describe this Perfume: "FABULOUS EXPONENT INFINITIVE" (SUPERB ^ INFINITIVE) End of Explanation a bout Fortis............ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- من در مورد این عطر تنها وتنها یک جمله میتونم نقد کنم: ؛ "محشر به توان بی نهایت" پایان نقد عطر فورتیس........... ؛

It is like a walk alone in the woods, or swimming by myself in a lake in the middle of a forest during the cold winter. I associate this with melancholy and loneliness. But don't get me wrong, this is still a magnificent scent which I will quickly grab if I feel sad and just wanted to embrace my current emotions.

A Black Afgano clone minus the cannabis note. Smoother, less dank, and more wearable. Potentially a smarter purchase too when you consider you're paying $115 for a 100ml bottle of Fortis versus $185 for a 30ml bottle of Black Afgano. It's really a matter of how you feel about clones and "plagiarized" scents.

You run through the forest and stumble on some dark ritual going on. Rich, dark, and seductive The scent evokes some weird familiar memories once you smell it. Long lasting with very strong sillage. This is the perfume that started my niche obsession and its always going to have a special place in my heart.

Dark ritual in scent form - smoldering woods, sacred resins, and warm spices rising like incense in an ancient temple. It feels powerful yet controlled, a quiet strength wrapped in smoky amber and dry sandalwood. More mysterious and meditative than Black Afgano which is more animalic and brutal.

Not sure why people rate this lower than Black Afgano, this is far more appealing and an overall better blend. Longevity is inconsistent from person to person on any bottle of perfume. I get 8-10+ hours on skin and days on clothing. It's inoffensive considering the scent profile. So addictive.

I've been wearing this fragrance for almost 6 years now - at my 3rd bottle currently. I cannot get enough of it and is one of the few fragrances that gives me an inexplicable feeling of empowerment whenever I wear it. Compliment getter, stunning blend overall, HIGHLY recommend: 10/10

Insanely sexy, handsome, dark and brooding. The oud is similar to Black Afgano, but this is more ethereal whereas Black Afgano is more industrial. Easily one of my favorite fragrances of all time.

As if you are alone in a dark old palace playing with your own demons.. Magnificent & well blended, with a dark chocolate drydown. Very regal & opulent. A fall must have!

This is such an incredible and complex fragrance, I am absolutely obsessed. So dark and moody in the most jaw dropping way. So perfect for fall/winter

It is SO GOOD! But tbh i got lost in those Black Afgano/Fortis/Dark Forest/Cuirs/Laylati... So much similar to each other...

Its a beautiful earthy oudy scent, one of my favourite ever in this category, for the price point is just unbealivable

A stylish stylish perfume, bitter, smoky and dark, very beautiful, special and fragrant, infinite luxury

I prefer Fortis over Black Afgano, no matter what people say.

Smells almost identical to Black Afgano. Love this so much.

Dark oudy dry,its kinda complex to explain

An early work from Les Liquides Imaginaires: a medicinal, black, spicy woody fragrance. From the first spray, it opens with a cold, hard ebony-like medicinal quality. How to describe it: there is a slightly disinfectant feel, like medicinal liquor mixed with black resin, along with dry wood shavings and a faint rubbery nuance. The saffron here has a leathery, metallic edge, and the presence of cumin may make some people perceive something close to body odor. Of course, the cumin is not exactly dirty, but once added, it clearly separates this fragrance from ordinary clean woody scents. The cypriol is especially worth mentioning, because its presence is quite strong. It keeps the ebony from turning into “sweet wood” and instead makes it rougher and dustier. It also brings out a smoky leather quality and a dark, oily vegetal feel, like dark wood that has been smoked. In the drydown, sandalwood, vanilla, and musk make the overall scent a little warmer. The fragrance shifts from black ebony spice into a warm amber woody accord, but it does not fall into a generic sweet woody style. The earthy and smoky aspects remain quite noticeable. Personally, I think it leans more masculine.

A strong spice mix (saffron and cumin), supported by a creamy/vanillic guaiacwood, cypriol and cedar combo, over a nitromusk base (nitromusk is the aromachemical of choice of Alessandro Gualtieri, what makes the 'magic/DNA' of Nasomatto and Orto Parisi). Cannot spot any oud, sandalwood or ambergris. Good Performance, without being invasive. A fully agree with GRAF's review: this is similar to many fragrances 'inspired by Black Aghano' that I tried before: the original of course, but also Carner Cuirs, JHAG Into the Void, Proraso Wood & Spice... But this one is possibly the most interesting one (or nearly). Yes nearly because I struggle a bit with the drydown of all of these, that has a prominent vanilla/nitromusk/creamy woods combo, hence my preference remains for LM Black Oud, which is dryer (because no nitromusk in the base - negatively impacting a bit the performance of BO, as a logical consequence). Still, Fortis would be my runner-up, in front of BA, because I find it wearable. In a nutshell: for me, a better take on BA, that I would recommend to anyone who wants a BA that does not offend in a radius of 20 ft. Very nice, even if not my style.

A woody, warm spicy, powdery, & balsamic scent. Mature & masculine. Smells like a sandalwood & guaiac wood combo mixed with iris & black pepper. The oud note, however, is way too weak to be voted that high on the notes pyramid. As someone has said, western designers are using a wet wood-like note that gives a mild impression of oud & then run to claim they have oud in their fragrances. Case in point: Tom Ford Oud Wood. Fortis is a Black Afgano "inspired" fragrance. The scent is very warm & comfortable, especially for a woody fragrance. Soft & warm but, honestly, I was very disappointed by the performance relative to the price. It lasts but only as a skin scent. Most Les Liquides Imaginaires fragrances suffer from this. At least all the 6 that I tried. If you are looking for a true oud fragrance, Fortis is not it. However, it's a good warm woody scent that many will enjoy. Yet, the high price is a significant factor that prevents me from recommending Fortis to most people. Mature/cool weather wear. "Like"

It smells very similar to Black Afgano. Out of all the fragrances aiming to emulate Black Afgano, I would say this is the closest. However, I have an issue with all Les Liquides Imaginaires fragrances: they feel a bit 'anemic' on my skin. In a side-by-side comparison with Black Afgano, this fragrance lacks the backbone that makes Black Afgano successful. While I don’t create fragrances myself, I’ve sampled a wide range—from designer to highly niche—and I’m skilled at discerning their differences. It’s both disappointing and intriguing that I haven’t found a more affordable, worthy alternative to Black Afgano. It remains unmatched.

I like Fortis, but I can't ignore the truth when everyone says it reminds them of Black Afgano: indeed, the similarities are there; that said, Fortis tends to be less robust and full-bodied in comparison: it lacks the intensity of incense and, in my experience, is a little sweeter and more accessible on the skin. Despite this greater "lightness," the accords inevitably recall the unique style of Alessandro Gualtieri's dark creation. An intriguing fragrance that balances strength and accessibility, perfect for those looking for something close to Black Afgano but less "intrusive."

A much weaker Black Afgano clone. Pleasant enough, and much better priced, but there's a huge difference in intensity between this and BA. The smokiness is dialed way back to make for a more approachable wearing experience. Longevity is weak on my skin, but I'm working from a 1 ml sample, so it's difficult to accurately gauge performance. Unisex leaning masculine. Well worth a sample if this is your style. At a similar price point and more complex experience, try Laurent Mazzone's Black Oud.

Ok nice, solid smoky (which is not listed) but very weak... Unfortunately it reminded me of a watered down version of my Terroni without raspberry note. I like it because I like this profile, but I would never consider a bottle when I have something far superior and better. I noticed “cypriol oil” in the notes, all my perfumes with this note are without exception in a jungle vibe, but not this one. Cumin is also not noticeable, it would be interesting if these two were a bit more prominent.

Everything has been said about this fragrance and much better than I ever could, but here's my addendum: don't let the initial cumin overpower you and let it sit for a minute, it'll go away (you won't stink of sweat). That said, this has a sharpness to it on paper that it completely loses on my skin and I'm so happy it does - I like it better creamy and dark. Very masculine leaning either way, perhaps a bit too much for my taste.

First thought was Tobacco Oud without the tobacco but as it dried I got a lot of what Laudano Nero feels like, which is also a deep dark dry woody scent. Nice if you like dark scents, but as I already own LN (and TO) this would be redundant for me.

This is one of those scents that I can't easily ID the notes of, but that I just really enjoy getting a little waft of throughout the day. Warm, woody, spicy, and rich; well-balanced and not overly sweet or smoky.

There is something very nostalgic and melancholic about this fragrance, like a midnight walk through the forest at summer camp when I was a child. Sadly, it doesn’t last very long on me...

This is carbon copy of Boccanera not of Black Afgano!!! The Nasomatto line is refined fragrance and the Orto Parisi is more chimical strong smell,,,

first of all, anyone who compares this to black afgano should go stick a hose up their nose at a car wash. one of the world's sexiest scents.

This smelled to me similar to Boccanera but less interesting and watered down. This is alright. Not my favorite. 6.8/10

Fortis its a carbon copy,,, in begin its Black Afgano and in the dry down its Boccanera,,,, Smell good!!

Improved Black Afgano, where every notes seems to blend more harmoniously.

This is a very enjoyable and versatile balsamic fragrance. This has a masterfull blending of fresh and green notes, with darker balsamic resins, uniquely beautiful ! This is what I hoped Amouage Jubilation XXV was going to smell like. Fortis has a definate fruity note, but it has a zesty green and balsamic accord, and I'm sure I pick up amber, though none listed. I just got my bottle, the bottle and the packaging are # 1, the coolest and classiest box and bottle I have ever seen, it could make a great gift. Fortis does smell similar to Sonia Constant's fragrance Cuirs, but fortis is more masculine, having a sharper edge to it. I get a well blended accord that makes me think black or dark. So I can imagine the more intense brother of this being Black Afgano. I have never tried Black Afgano, but you could think of Fortis as BA Fresh, there is a dark, earthy, anamalic woodyness to it, yet it's fresh and zesty... My signature frag for Winter I think, if it was less expensive. Its not to sweet or heavy, there is something toasty, herbal and green. People knock cumin, saying it smells like BO, maybe... But the cumin here is what makes this frag great, so well blended and balanced, with the darker woody notes. The saffron is very light but does add a slight floral nuance. It is close to a masterpiece in a way, because it is so simple, not mudled with to many notes, and it comes of just right. The oud is a bit synthetic, but the composition and blending really work well, balanced. Just a perfect Fall fragrance, that's warm yet light with some fruity floral nuances. The fragrance is like the bottle, such a simple yet beautifull design, the first time I mentioned a bottle design in a review, very nice ! This has gotten a lot of poor reviews. I 'm glad I never tried Black Afgao, and now that I ordered Fortis, I wont need Black Afgano. I have Opus VII, which is a similar and more intense version of Fortis. Fortis has great woody accords, the oud is light and well blended. Then I love the cypriol, cumin, musk accord, that smells like a body odor, but for me it could be my or my girlfriends body odor, so I'm very comfortable wearing this frag. The body odor may not be right for you, so you should sample it :) This reminds me of Terre de Hermes, the earthy, fruity, woodsy vib, more for colder weather, and a bit darker, and not as fruity as Terre... A great composition, but over priced, as the quality and performance are not so great. Fortis is the highest rating here on fragrantica, out of their line, at 3.95/5. There fragrances are different, I'll give them that. On smell alone, 9.5/10 for Fortis, love the toasted bread nutty, woody, oudy accord ! PS: My sample was watered down, now that I have the real bottle, longevity is good. Rating: 8.75/10 Merry Christmas ! John 3:16