Karité Corsé Eau de Parfum

Finally managed to track down Karité Corsé (Corsican Shea?) locally here in Australia, buying it from a gray market importer of electronics at below RRP a year after release. Weird I know. There's a L'Occitane in every shopping mall here, btw, it's just L'Occitane Australia has chosen not to import the 2021 men's perfume series. Karite opens so beautifully, pretty in its darkness and warm spice. There is nut milk, sweetened spices, and a deep & mildly powdered iris that impresses immediately. A complex interplay of roasted, earthy nuts, the sharp nose feel of pepper, a deep amber warmth and a masculine facet of iris is really quite interesting. Niche like really. This is all happening on a background of blackness (? coffee bean or iris/orris butter) that is gradually heating up. As the pepper and spices settle, the heart of the perfume doesn't change all that much. The entire scent journey is built around accords of nut and iris/orris, somewhat linear but not entirely a bad thing - I mean, the bottle says Corsican Shea so if I didn't come here for nut butter, why did I buy the bottle? I have to say though: on my skin and to my nose, orris is the main character here. The notes of pepper, sweetened spice, roasted nuts, amber and dark chocolate only serve to deepen the iris and temper it into masculinity. Karite is not only well balanced, but the scaffolding around the main accord elevates the scent from what could have been a generic, unisex gourmand to a dark and masculine scent that is relatively linear but beautiful. Most iris scents I find too floral, feminine or cloying in its powderiness, but Karite Corse is not that. Notes that lend darkness and the zing of pepper effectively balances the flower and powder of iris/orris. Notes that lend warmth, nuttiness and spice effectively tempers the darkness of iris/orris. Overall, a very considered and intelligent in its balance. This is a much more complicated juice than L'Occitane's usual men's scents. Karite Corse is a winner in my books.

For some reason I got very hyped for this fragrance even though I've never seen or read a review about it. I love L'Occitane fragrances and cosmetics, usually the quality is very good in my opinion. And the notes of Karite Corse ar very appealing to me. So I've decided to bite the bullet and buy a bottle. I must say that my first impression of this fragrance is very positive. Is a warm woody gourmand. I can taste the coffee the dark chocolate when I smell the fragrance. I was afraid is gonna be too sweet, like ferragamo uomo, but is not the case. In my opinion is in the same genre with Dior Homme Intense. Definitely not a clone but this creation, like many other new releases, is inspired by the Dior. I can smell all the notes except the bergamot. The performances seems good to me, appropriate for an EDP. For a L'Occitane is quite expensive, 1€/ml about twice as much as L'eau des Baux. May be a bit overpriced, so better to test it first. Later Edit: 12h later after I applied the fragrance i can still smell it in the shower. The longevity Is definitely there.

Managed to buy one of the last available in shops throughout Europe. Recently in Portugal I had the opportunity to test it in an L'Occitane shop in Almada Forum. But as usual I had my doubts about adding another fragrance to my huge collection. Especially because I own the Givenchys and Dior that some folks consider as similar. Had already bought in the same Almada Forum 3 Massimo Dutti fragances for the same type of application, being Fall /Winter. But after a few weeks back in the Netherlands I decided I want it anyway. L'Occitane official website no longer sells them online, meaning it is discontinued. I found an offer from L'Occitane Ireland, being the last they had and most probably some of their shops might still have some left, but that's it. I bought mine for the regular 75 € from a Dutch fairly new site specialized in health products and make up. It was the last one they had. I won't rate this one for quite some time. Will do that later in Fall/Winter.

Such a unique woody dusty iris. It really is a hidden gem. It's quite a linear fragrance, but the opening is a bit spicier and more masculine and the mid and drydown are more nutty, dusty, sweet and powdery. It's full of character. The dusty sweetness reminds me slightly of vanille insensee, but Karite corse is way less airy, and it also smells a bit like old expensive furniture. Vetiver 46 also smells like old furniture to me, but Karite corse is more refined and feels more 'complete'. Love it

Hidden gem right here. Out the gate it smells like a cookie, and then I get a fresh cup of some kind of coffee. As others have mentioned that opening is unique and so good you want to eat your hand. Beautiful fragrance that I picked up for 40$. What a steal. I have to say one of the best gourmands you can find. Edit: who voted this as similar as gucci pour homme? Lol