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

The opening, oh my God, it's beautiful. It projects well for the first hour while slowly decomposing from the outstanding opening to a solid mid and base. Faded off my sweaty arm quickly, this might have been the heat of the day ruining it for me. Not enough to beat out Eau Des Baux for me. 7/10

For me much better than Boise and Prive. I know it's personal but have them all, so I have the right to say it, unlike those who only tested them. But why should I promote it? You most probably won't be able to buy it now.

I can assure you guys, this is unique scent .. I have both gentleman privee & boisee also DHI .. they’re totally different , the closest one to this is boisee but still different... great scent shame on you L’Occitane

Reviewer below me you should make sure you fragrance is legit if you can’t smell the Shea nuts and cocoa. It there the entire time

The smell finally came to me, this is a fresh brewed cup of coffee with hazelnut creamer. Exactly what it smells like!

Wouldn’t say this is redundant if you like DHI, as another review has. Defo similar, but it’s actually more like the 2005 Dior Homme (now sold in its 2011 reformulation as “Dior Homme Original” but pretty hard to find) The main differences are the very prominent shea note + amped up clary sage in the opening, and it’s a bit less irisy than DH, but the drydown smells extremely similar. If you can’t get Dior Homme original in your country but can find this, grab a bottle now as it’s been discontinued.

I got it as soon as it came out, with only smelling it in the shop and never actually hearing about it. It smells like serious chocolate, its dark and a bit earthy. Its not too sweet and the blending is amazing. Definitely good for daily use during the winter or night time for most seasons except summer.

What a great surprise! Roasted, powdery and vibrating, it really lives up to its name (roasted shea nuts). Lasts all day and is perfect for any setting. Really worth it, could easily have been bottled by some niche or designer label at twice the price.

I am a big fan of L Occitane, but this one is sickly sweet and linear. I had big expectations. 1/10

Oh baby, I'm in love. Sexy cardamom, dusty cocoa and creamy shea dance around a delicious, fresh and warm spicy amber note. Performance is not bad at all, definitely will be wearing more of this through March and April.

Very similar to Gentleman Boise and Prive, not as long lasting as those two. Price is nearly same but is 75ml. If you cannot acces Boise or Prive, great choice. If not, go with Gentlemans.

Very cosy and sexy parfum. Perfect for dates and cold weather. Lasts for 6 hours and projects very well. And the best thing is the price.