ARC

Due to (lack of) timing and ability to get a hold of Mallo perfumes, I have not been able to hold that well to my strong guideline of experiencing a brand in chronological release order. I tried ARA, another fougere, before getting to ARC and I approached the latter with the quiet back-of-the-mind thought that there was very little possibility of ARC being better than ARA. I was mostly wrong; it is better, but in the way that there is more than one degree of perfection. Antonio Lasheras is proving himself a modern master of the fougere. Wearing ARA is the equivalent of reading someone's private love letter, in this case Lasheras's poetic missive to his home of Aragon in Spain, where each note is handled with extraordinary care and grace like one would describe an attribute of their beloved in a letter. ARC is not a love letter, it is an out of body experience. Should we hold to the historical perception of what a fougere is - a fern in a forest; citruses at the top with florals and/or herbs and mossy and earthy notes to follow - and a perfume to suit that experience, then ARC is a fern filled forest in a parallel universe. Or in an afterlife. Or at least trapesing through a fern filled forest on acid. It distorts reality and the perception of the senses. Every note is vividly saturated, sparkling, glowing, and alive. A radiant yellow pine resin opens the perfume, flanked by cool and green herbs of rosemary, thyme, and a gorgeous basil note that are positively mouthwatering and smell of aromatic mountain air, crisp and clean. Slowly peeking out is an indolic and highly citrusy jasmine that isn't readily identifiable as white floral thanks to a heaping dose of oily and soapy lavender. The citrus facet is likely an overlapping effect of the pine because of the lemony, zesty-rindy, oily resinous, and piquant presentation. It is one of the brightest and most vivid pine notes I’ve ever smelled. It sparkles and glows like it's been cast by pixie dust. What is this place? A magical forest? Another dimension? Am I tripping? - Did someone slip something into my morning coffee? The mossy woody dry down is just as verdant as it is meditative. There is a palpable energy to it. The benzoin lacks any vanillics and is full-on woody resinous, gently undulating directly underneath the moss. In a relatively short period of the dry down a soft note of leathery and animalic styrax wafts about; it is plush and naturalistic - a well bathed animal that can talk in strange tongues. The moss is vivid green, neon even. Its dampness doesn't smell of liquid, but of solids, and its leaves have the texture of running your fingers over sand instead of smooth foliage - like you're feeling the pixie dust of their constitution. The brand calls ARC "ethereal" and they could not be more correct about that. While most fougeres present themselves as quiet and naturalistic with a bit of a dandy character, ARC elevates the fougere structure and its naturalism past quiet and dandy, and into realms that our noses typically do not find existing in modern perfumery. There is something fantastical and otherworldly about ARC, but in its richness and complex choral timbres of herbs and greens, citruses and yellows, woods and browns, florals and whites, mosses and beiges of highly concentrated natural materials it never smells illegible, crowded, soupy, or heavy. It is as clear as a bell from a mountain chapel, as bright as the sun shining on that mountain side, and as lightweight and crisp as the cool air blowing through. It is one of the most evocative, and very likely one of the best fougeres I have smelled in years. Stunning work.

It has been a huge challenge for me to write this review. I have been thinking about what to say ever since I received my bottle. The headline should read: Get this ASAP. It is a limited edition fragrance that was created by Antonio Lasheras and Rajesh Balkrishnan. I 've sampled several Malo fragrances and own Arc and WAM. I own all of Rajesh’s creations because I believe he is a perfectionist who has the ability to blend some very rare natural notes into long lasting and wide ranging journeys that are among the best in the world. Arc stands out as one of the top 3 fragrances Rajesh has created. If forced to say which one is currently #1, I would pick this one. Why? Well, to be honest, I had several fragrances in mind when I read the notes of Arc. I thought it might echo one of my favorites, Bloodline by Hans Hedley because it contains strong pine notes. However, Bloodline follows a traditional unfolding that doesn’t evolve much. Arc has one of the longest and unexpected journeys of any fragrances I have tested or own. It’s been created to invoke a “calming and spiritual journey” as the creators themselves describe it. I couldn’t agree more. It is unique, at least it is to me out of the many hundreds of fragrances I own or have sampled. In the past couple of weeks I have been trying a lot of the fragrances I own that might be somewhat similar. It does not echo any of Rajesh’s fragrances. It is sui generis. At the same time, it is a fougere, of which there are hundreds if not thousands on the market. I tested fragrances like Houbligant’s Fougere Royal and found no overlap except for the lavender. Much the same could be said about Roja’s Scandal or Ford’s Beau de Jour. I quite like all three of these, but they don’t have a spiritual quality. I can’t be sure if it the quality and the natural notes or the way they are blended that makes it so unique. I would say it’s both. The notes themselves are not like Rajesh’s Prim creation, Haxan, which lists 39 notes. Arc has 9 and yet it feel richly evocative because it is the quality of the notes that is exceptional. I was also surprised about how this fragrance lasts more than 12 hours on my skin. This is exceptionally rare for me as I have dry skin. It is not a beast in terms of silage. it is moderate to strong. This can be worn in any season, night or day, for women or men. I do not overspray, but I have had two people ask me what it was. The first was in a crowded space: “someone smells good” and the other one on one. Normally I don’t get compliments, so this was a bit of a surprise. I enjoyed telling them about this scent as it does have a magical aura. Those who want something special to give or receive this Holiday season, I would urge you to consider this heavenly gem.

This smells like a meditative walk in a forest high atop a mountain top. It's green, herbal, refreshing, but also earthy grounded and woody. It has a lavander herbal quality which is incredibly calming, but not in that lavender essential oil kind of way. I know every time I see lavender in a notes list I get a little nervous the perfume will veer into smelling like an essential oil. But Arc smells smells like actual lavender. Just as if you are walking through the woods and stumble onto a patch of naturally growing lavender. This perfume expertly balances green, woody, earthy, this cool ozonic quality, herbal aromatics, mossy fernlike nuances, and a warmth that emerges more so later in the drydown. This is the image that comes to mind when wearing Arc. You have had a stressful week at work so you drive out to the mountains to get away from it all for a weekend and decompress. You grab your camping gear and venture off alone to walk in the mountainous forest. As you are walking all your thoughts melt away and you just exist; taking in the splendors from both your sight and what you smell. You smell green lush ferns, tall trees; both alive and fell, so you get a warm woodiness as well as a cool damp woodiness. You also take in the scent of the wet earth covered in moss. The cool crisp mountain air ozonic and so fresh it's almost metallic. You can also smell pine needles and a sparse growth of lavender. As your journey progresses the sun begins to go down and you build your camp. This symbolizes the drydown of Arc. As you light your campfire and wrap yourself in a blanket you take in the warmth as it casts a glow on all the scents you smelled earlier. Making everything smell more subdued, rounded, and inviting as if the forest is rocking you to sleep. After spending a day without your thoughts and just existing in utter tranquility your eyes slowly close. That is what I imagine when smelling Arc. If gives you a feeling of serenity cast in a woodsy setting. It's meditative calming and smells extremely natural. The fragrance smells of high quality ingredients and is blended immaculately. I would highly recommend this to anyone searching for a high quality fougere or a foresty scent. This is definitely one of the best in my opinion.

Arc by Mallo Parfums. I can see the hype, honestly; a good shortly-spanned "accurate" fougere representation with a dollup of his ambergris, pine and benzoin DNA, alongside a slight peachy oud facet at the back. The peachy, almost c14 aroma arises due to the aleppo pine used). With body heat, it evolves around the herbal tone of Aramis Edc(pre 1980), aromatic facets of rosemary with candied(imaginary) grey ambergris tonalities. If you ask me, this would lie within my top 10 fougeres, tho behind the 5 favourites. Due to the authenticity in genre, the initial shifts will remind you of original versions of Azzaro pour homme(<1980), Houbigant fougere royale(<1942) and the base of YSL Pour homme(<1992), tho despite the "natural overdose" here; the later vintages share an intrinsic superiority which is far ahead of Arc, which by far is due to the non-tenacious properties of the past relics. I feel like a more enjoyable base could've been seen with an attenuated longevity. The longevity on skin reaches the 10hr mark on me, despite the initial 2hr enjoyment; the far drydown looses the fougere tones with balsamic→coumarin takeover, which hints at materials like methyl ionone, irones and various resinoids. The ambergris and the pine does wonders here, extending it's airy-zesty sweetness further on amidst the sticky materials. Perhaps the finest modern fougeres currently available(tho in limited batch), and the closest to the very roots with the Houbigant(c1884), Gerard A. and Raymond C fougere initiations with fougere. However, I would've appreciated less ambergris and benzoin which muffles out the lighter, greener materials; swaying away from the core fougere title. However, considering the current fallatic market of longevity dependency, I do understand the sacrifice in balance for a base heavy perfume here. Had to keep it brief due to the current hectic nature of life. Scores for the numerical people: Uniqueness in profile- 7/10 Quality- 10/10 Blending- 7.5/10 Pricing- 5/10 (7.5) Longevity- 10/10 Projection- 9/10 Performance- 9.5/10 (9.5) Rounded score = 8.5/10

The Sermon on the Mountain " In the light of Vedanta". Anyone who goes to the Mallo side will see a Mountain as a portrait of ARC. This book came to mind because it interestingly combines European and Indian culture. It reflects an Indian scholar's view of the Sermon on the Mountain. Two cultures came together to create the scent. A should stand for Antonio and R therefore for Rajesh. ARC describes the latter as his seventh perfume, which brings us back to the number of completions. Rajesh is likely to have had a great influence on the composition and ingredients, as quite a few come from his homeland “India”. Now to the perfume itself. The scent starts off brutal! (40%) .... Brutal herbs! I can well understand the association of the previous speakers with regard to sauna infusion. Slowly a sweetness is added, lavender - jasmine - benzoin. The herbs reach far in and the scent remains powerful. Little by little it becomes sweeter and fresher. In the drydown it almost seems like a lemon spice cake, which is probably due to the Cypriol becoming stronger. I was a bit overwhelmed by the scent at first, but now I think it's great! In the sense that it is a real fougere and I usually don't have much interest in the subject. The scent seems very natural and is anything but ordinary. What makes it so special is the fusion of the two perfumers. Rajesh, who very consciously selected the ingredients of his homeland and specified the theme, and Antonio, who skilfully weighed and woven them together. There is a lot of love behind this fragrance and you can smell it. "One day in harvest time HE invited us and His other friends to go on a trip to the mountains. The earth smelled; she wore all her jewels like a king's daughter at her wedding. And heaven was her bridegroom When we reached a hill, HE stopped in a laurel grove and said: Rest here, relax your mind and open your hearts because I have a lot to say to you. We lay down on the grass, surrounded by the summer flowers that grew on it, and HE sat in our midst." Khalil Gibran

Even if you're a person who doesn't think they like perfume in general, I think you still might like this. It's very herbal and natural upfront and feels more like you're smelling actual plants than experiencing a perfume. This character recedes a bit in the drydown where it does get a touch more powdery and "perfumey," but the tail end of this is very soft and also unlikely to offend-- I love the benzoin they used here. In terms of Rajesh collabs, ARC is toward the top of the list in terms of wearablity. It's not challenging, but it is original while remaining distinctly fougere in character. It doesn't really have the wow factor of Haxan or Sayat Nova, and it's not soft enough to capture the mother's kiss quality that you'll find in Santa Sangre and Scheherazade, so I worry that this one might get lost in the shuffle a bit. But make sure not to sleep on this fragrance if you're into the idea of unorthodox fougeres because this comes across to me as Rajesh's first real workhorse fragrance. It's his most versatile release to date, and I honestly can't imagine a time when it wouldn't be appropriate. It's just nestled perfectly into the goldilocks zone of natural green herbal scents. There's a real honing of creative vision at play here toward a place of balance-- not too heavy, not too soft-- and that's a good thing. The end result is an adaptable all-season fragrance that you probably won't hesitate to use often and of which you more than likely won't tire. I'm trying to save money these days, so I've cut out full bottle purchases, but if that weren't the case I'd likely be a customer on this one. While it may not be for those averse to herbal scents, if green is your color, this is one worth checking out.

When Mallo burst on the scene in 2021 I was excited to try them. I was intrigued by Antonio Lasheras' philosophy of sourcing high quality ingredients, so that he could produce fragrances with integrity and depth like those of our yesteryear. After purchasing a couple of bottles I knew right away that they were something special. And then one I heard creative genius Rajesh Balkrishnan was going to collaborate on the new fragrance called ARC, I knew it was going to be something phenomenal. I wasn't disappointed. When I first applied it I loved how aromatic it was, with it's high quality herbs and florals, and pitchy pine notes. Especially since I knew right away that it would garner many compliments. The projection is above average and lasts for a couple of hours before settling down to a skin scent for many hours to come. It's an absolutely beautiful Fougere, like those from the early days of perfumery, but with a modern twist. The herbal and floral blend reminded me of the freshness of an alpine meadow. It's a progressive and nonlinear fragrance, and meanders through its stages, perfectly blended. There's a bit of a creaminess in the background throughout, with the beautiful herbs , and as it slowly dries down it has a powdery base along with the standard mossiness of this type of fragrance. Of course it leans masculine, but I do believe that it could be worn by anyone that wants to. This is an instant classic, and the only negative thing that I can say is that it is so addictive that it will be hard to keep from emptying the bottle too quickly. This is a must-have fragrance. Thank you for the special creation and bringing back memories of high quality perfumes of our yesteryear.

At the begining it was little bit oldschool for me, but in a good way. Its overall nice perfume, the drydown or let say the mossy/resin part start somewhere around at 7-8 hour, but you can feel base notes from the beginning, but how time passes they started to be stronger, longevity is 10+ hours. One part of it is slightly sharp sometimes (i think it can be rosemary, sometimes is this plant to my nose little bit harsh), but overall all ingredients are balanced to perfection. Sometimes i get something like “gourmand” vibe, the combination of chewy styrax and benzoin with basil and other kitchen plants are creating almost like some fancy herbal cocktail atmosphere 😄 Today i overlayed it with oud oil and this combo is georgeous, but its georgeous itself, you absolutely dont need to overlay it with something. I think you dont need to think twice if to buy it or no. Its real quality in sense of projection,duration,ingrendients, everything. You feel very different in this perfume than in synthetic perfumes, this feeling is priceless. I love it and people around love it! Update: my friend told me that im smelling like i drank redbull. How I mentioned in the beginning, it can be compared to some kind of herbal plant based tonic/energetic drink. Yes, it have this kind of energetic drink effect, i will not directly compare it to the redbull but i know what he means 😄 Final update: this one started to be my favorite no.1 perfume, it doesnt even smell like perfume, its more like you were soaked in bath with various herbals through the night, really classy & elegant and at the same time contemporary perfume. Mesmerizing! 😍 I wish i could smell like this all my life🥲

A collaboration I was waiting for long time. I love all the 6 perfumes Rajesh Sir has made so far and I knew this won't be any different. Antonio and Rajesh sir, are 2 very talented individuals and there perfumes speaks volumes for themselves and Arc is no different, I received a complimentary sample but after reading the notes, I already booked a signed bottle 😍 Arc is a 40% natural handmade perfume with an exceptional performance, like literally it would stay with you for 10 plus hours. Arc would take you on a forest ride, where you see many beautiful landscapes and all your senses comes alive. You feel positive and happy, this fragrance has that impact. It's a fougere genre, which has green mossy and woody feel to it. Arc was able to capture it perfectly. Arc starts of with green pine note, which is very soothing and has a cool breeze sensation to it which is different from major fougere based fragrances. Gradually it start to open up in different facets bringing thyme, rosemary and basil (Indian Tulsi) into forefront and fragrance becomes bolder and deep. The heart brings lavender and beautiful flowers smoothness and calmness settles in. The fragrance is made with love and it shows, there is no rough edges to it and you are up for a treat. The base is where you would get beautiful nutty roasted kind benzoin and oakmoss which is VERY green and earthy. It takes a lot of courage to go a different way when everyone is overdoing/killing Oud around you. It's a pleasant change to our nose, very well received by perfume lovers and am happy I booked a bottle 😍 Thanks once again Rajesh Sir and Antonio. You should be proud of yourself.

I find comfort in the manmade world. I am not someone who genuinely enjoys wandering through lush fields, or camping in the dense forest greenery. The magnificent vistas I enjoy are all just images of such nature I have painted in my mind. ARC perfectly compliments these woodland wonderments from my urban oasis. To me, ARC is an afternoon nap in the honeyed warmth of the sun... lost in a verdant field of wild lavender... daydreaming in fresh mountain air... (but, in my case, on the rooftop, maybe poolside, against the cityscape.) ARC feels familiar without feeling conventional. It is meditative... unique yet unchallenging. ARC is an oddity in that it feels so of this world that its celebration of what grows wild is agrestal amongst the bulk of today’s fragrances. It feels too special to wear everyday, yet I have found myself reaching for it daily. I cannot say enough good things about this fragrance. I want to shout its praise from the mountain - or roof top - yet I want to hide this little bottle away for my own pleasure. Thank you Rajesh and Mallo for putting this into the world.

ARC MALLO ITS A PURE BEAUTY OF NATURAL PERFUMERY. First, I want to talk in general about quality and how easy it is to wear. as many knows this is 100 percent natural fragrance and i never have smelled that perfectly well blend in 100 percent natural perfume, usually they can be too artsy or opposite, even too generic. Lavender is just heavenly, reminds me Lavender extreme of Tom Ford but but more dimensional less creamines. Usually synthetics don't have that long smell line as naturals do. Just like food you eat, natural strawberry has many tastes, every chew of bite you do is different when you eat strawberry flavor additive taste is fixed, same in perfumery. So Mallo as expected has those vibrant taste lines. Character of Arc is calm, gentlemanly and intellectual, very luxury addictive smell, somehow reminds me PHI Une Rose de Kandahar Tauer Perfumes. Lasting power and projection are solid, the concept of notes dont fade away even hours after. Dont sleep on this, get it while you can.

Remarkably similar to Tom Ford Beau de Jour. I have Beau de Jour and consider it my #1 barbershop fougere. ARC is not an exact clone, but certainly the closest comparable. Maybe like a niche Beau de Jour. And why would anyone down vote a comparison to Beau de Jour? Makes absolutely no sense. Modern Amber Fougere. Very similar aromatics as Beau de Jour, maybe not quite as mentholated as BdJ but the cypriol and pine probably mimic the mint of BdJ. The double barrel combination of spike lavender and lavindin in BdJ probably impart a bit more billowy lavender than here in ARC. Performance of ARC is very good. I had a mere .5ml vial of the juice that I decanted into a sprayer, and I caught wafts of the scent the next day. .5ml equates to only 4 or 5 sprays. Whether ARC is full bottle worthy or not for me needs consideration. ARC is substantially a niche interpretation of the Beau de Jour scent profile and is very good. And very expensive.

Review from a graciously provided sample: ARC opens with a vivid herbaceous top, a dense garden patch of thyme, rosemary, tulsi, and pine. I'm made to think of the experience of going to a plant nursery with a robust herb inventory and finding unique cultivars of well-known herbs you had no idea existed. It's a beautiful bouquet that's familiar yet strange and somewhat medicinal. Of the top notes, tulsi is the strongest player for me, accented by a sappy pine that helps transition to the fougere heart, which is creamy and smooth and shifts towards a growing sweetness from the jasmine sambac. The early drydown reminds me of a delicious wildcrafted herbal soda I had years ago which made great use of California pinyon pine – coniferous and balsamic with camphorous undertones and sticky sugars. ARC ultimately settles into a cooling, resinous, and earthy benzoin/oakmoss base. Beautiful, dynamic, and uplifting.

A pleasant surprise in the fougere genre. This is very well blended with prominent stages. I find alot of perfumes in this style linear but this is more. To my nose Iinitially get a herbaceous blast of freshness mingling with a creamy white floral from the jasmine and benzoin. No notes are overpowering. Cypriol is used so delicately it doesn't overpower and give it that dirty earth but accentuates the sharp herbal notes making them more realistic. From here I get a really nice barbershop phase the lavender is so nice, calming and uplifting. Into the dry down the lavender just gets smoother and a gorgeous mossy undertone under the lavender with the slightest of earthy soil and Cypriol. For a fresh herbal smell this lasts a LONG time and keeps its overall tone till the end. A real treat and another great collaboration.

First wearing of ARC by Mallo perfumer Antonio Lasheras and Rajesh Balkrishnan and my first impression is that ARC definitely has an old world fougere profile and feel. Excellent blend of green notes with powerful oakmoss and slight florals, mainly from lavender as it should be, but just a hint of sweetness from jasmine. The thyme might be dialed up just a bit more than I would like...I'd dial up the pine and dial down the thyme slightly, but that's just me, as I am a conifer crazy perfume lover. This perfume is obviously a labor of love, and you can smell that in the care that's gone into it's blending. If you love fougere's you owe it to yourself to at least sample ARC. It is an excellent addition to the great history of fourgere perfumes and may become a bonafide classic in time. Two thumbs up from me.

ARC by Mallo perfumes is a fragrance that unveils the beautiful Andalusian style, it was created by Antonio Lasheras and my friend Rajesh Balkrishnan whose taste is remarkable in this blend. From Classic to Contemporary, this 2023 release is one of the Beautiful - Fougère Oriental Scents this year, it reminds me the old vibes of Habit Rouge EDT somehow int he opening, but here it starts by a remarkable Pine Tree, Thyme, Basil and Rosemary, well blended with Lavender and Jasmine. I liked the exploring area of oriental notes from the middle layer to the base one, the fragrance is sitting on Oakmoss, a light ambery accord, that gives an allure to this blend. A slight herbal note comes to an end on this journey by Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha. Congratulations to my friends for this beautiful piece of art.

Standing in a vast pine forest lush with herbs and a breeze of flowers wafting through it all. This is such a well-put together perfume. Leans masculine to me but could be worn by everyone no doubt. This isn’t a stuffy formal pretentious fragrance, but I wouldn’t call this a casual wear, though it could be daily depending on your style. I have nothing like this in my collection and could see this as a staple for fall and winter days both in the office and beyond. The first hour or so is the most pronounced in the evolution of the notes you’ll find but the dry down is beautiful and the overall character of the perfume persists as the jasmine becomes more noticeable. Safe blind buy for those who buy blind and are in market for a fresh natural composition of Pine herbs and nuanced florals.

ARC is a delightful full-bodied scent that definitely achieves its vision. Upon spraying I am enveloped by rich and evocative mountain notes. The quality is striking and I can really notice the natural oils shining. The notes list is quite accurate, with pine and lavender in the forefront, and a very notable cypriol underneith. Not being a fan of cypriol previously, I think it really belongs here as the backbone of the fragrance. I recommend anyone into bold (and more importantly well blended) naturals to try this if they can. Congrats to Antonio and Rajesh for reinvigorating a classic genre. The perfume performs very well and I can smell it all day. I am reviewing from a full bottle.

Arc struck me as a dandy-style herbal, floral, and resin focused fougere. In the opening, I got the overall impression of fresh mountain air - almost minty with rosemary, spicy sweet holy basil and fresh pine needle. Quickly, a sweet and powdery benzoin appears which rides out the majority of the fragrance, announcing the soft purple lavender and supporting jasmine. You're in fresh from the barbershop circa 1800’s territory now. The fragrance transitions from the soft, floral aspect to its final form as a a cozy concoction of resinous oakmoss and an almost incensy woodiness while the sweet benzoin faintly lingers.

ARC is a beautiful and therapeutic fragrance that opens with brisk pine and lavender, accented with a melange of herbs, most prominent of which is the tulsi. The heart goes a little sweet and slightly creamy from the jasmine, while the benzoin base adds a powderiness to the whole thing. Really well blended and great presence and longevity for a natural. As @jonoborn1 wrote, this is unique and familiar, landing somewhere between Di Ser, with its entirely natural composition, sharp and uplifting notes, and Bogue, with its vintage leaning powdery benzoin base. Definitely full bottle worthy for me.

Arc is one of the best releases I’ve tried this year. Probably THE best. It is unmistakenly a fougere, however the natural high quality ingrediences and composition takes this to another level. Arc upgrades the fougere that I associate with barbershops to a spiritual fougere meditating in the forest surrounded by flowers and beams of light. Arc lasted on my skin a long time and I even got beautiful whafts the day after I sprayed it. Overall, a high quality fragrance that not only smell amazing, but that also put me in calm and happy mood. The very best fougere I’ve tried. Easy a love from me.

What sets Arc apart is its ability at showcasing two sides of the same coin. On one end, there's the herbal, piney quality with a paintbrush stroke of The rockies landscape. On the other hand there's the floral component of your fougere's lavender and a dose of jasmine sambac. The two work in harmony with quite the sweetness but noticeable base of resins and animalics. Arc does have a vintage feel but isn't outdated. This is my favorite of the Mallo fragrances I've tried and this is probably Rajesh's best fragrance to date. IG: eatandsmellgood

I get a modern fougere-ish fragrance along the lines of Heeley Cologne Officinale, with top and powdery quality similar to Kiton Red/Black. Like the Heeley, the citrus is not very noticeable, but I think there's some lemon and chamomile maybe, aromatics of pine and rosemary, maybe some other spices, a floral lavender heart, mossy base with a touch of musk. While not quite a fougere it comes across similarly, a fresh, well groomed masculine scent softened by a powdery and musky facet that becomes more prominent over time.

Initial review based off of sampling: ARC wears akin to a Di Ser in the top notes with bracing refreshing pine, rosemary, tarragon, and tulsi but transitions into its own stylized vintage symphony. The heart is a traditional fougere featuring lavender and creamy florals. The base is powdered and resinous. Benzoin is the main player, but oakmoss and papyrus lend a green skewed backbone. Overall this is a lovely, rejuvenating perfume. Unique, yet familiar.

Lovely natural fougere. Opening with a mix of fresh herbs and pine. Blended beautifully. Fresh green vibes with a woody mossy base that lasts for 5-6 hours. Winter fall and early spring. For the mature confident man with a bespoke wardrobe. Balkrishnan comes again with his Midas touch and does his magic. Another beautiful natural that brings so much joy! Well done gentleman.

Such a fantastic creation from Antonio and Rajesh.It’s very aromatic,fresh and airy.Feels like a fresh mountain air and blended very well with all the aromatic ingredients.This is something you can wear in any situation and I will get a full bottle without any hesitation.Fresh and Clean.

A remedy to finding that nostalgic scent of your father. I really love the masculine dryness of Herbs warmed up with an oozy Amber base of benzoin. The mossy notes are very slim and well expressed without being overpowering. It’s a pretty good buy as a niche house

This is a fabulous fragrance that exceeds where Invasion Barabare comes up short for me (just a touch too much lavender for me). While that is a fantastic scent, Arc progresses in an exceptional fashion and is exceptionally balanced. Just wow.

What a beauty! Fresh herbs and pine with just a hint of powdery floral in the background. Resinous notes bring warmth, and there's an ozonic sort of note that makes it wonderfully bright and slightly masculine. Exceptional!

This fragrance is stunning. I cant stop sniffing my hand. Impressive lasting ability. Not sure, what is standing out to me, the lavender or the resinous notes, but its really addicting. I recommend sampling at least!

Effortlessly dances around pine forests, herbs, resins and that classic lavender fougere. It’s an updated fougere with some twists and lots depth. This is simply a masterpiece.

Simply beautiful there are no words to describe the beauty of this fragrance. It’s so well balanced the notes are on point and it’s peace in a bottle. Mesmerizing!!!

The best lavender fragrance I have ever tried. This fragrance will instantly put you in a calm and pleasant vibe. Thank you Rajesh.

Reviewing from sample as well: Very similar experience to @wavememory. Very green opening, forest-like feel from the pine and shortly after the individual herbal notes from the thyme, rosemary, and basil can be picked out. The strong green feel transitions to a sweeter mid as jasmine starts to take over. Slowly, it transitions to the dry down where the resin becomes more pronounced and that slight bit of styrax creeps up with it. Overall, enjoyable scent with a very smooth transition through all its phases, the opening was definitely the most interesting to me and I actually enjoyed getting those herbal notes popping out and being able to pick them out. Reminds me of my mother's assortment of homegrown herbs, picking them for meals and smelling them fresh and strong, nostalgic in that sense.

This is my first full wearing of this fragrance. I will add more as time passes. From the moment you spray this, you immediately become aware of two things; the quality of the ingredients and the concentration. Using natural oils myself, I have an appreciation for Rajesh and his work on this fragrance. The opening is bold and reminiscent of fougere fragrances of the past; making you stop and think, while enjoying the journey it takes you on. This fragrance is well blended and feel that is unisex, leaning masculine. As the other reviewers mentioned, this lasts a long time. If you are a fan of the notes, do yourself a favor and sniff this. You will not be disappointed.

On paper, this fragrance seems like it should be right up my alley. However, in practice, there’s something about it that feels off-putting. I don’t love how the jasmine comes through here. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why, but it doesn’t sit quite right with me. Personally, I think the jasmine could have been toned down to allow the lavender to shine more clearly, or at least more consistently throughout the wear. That said, I’m almost relieved that I don’t love it. It’s always frustrating to fall head over heels for a fragrance, only to check the price tag and realize you’ve got a hard decision to make.

Wth 230€ for an 30ml indie fougere fragrance!!!!!!!!!!

Also, lasts less than 5 hours. For the price, a crime. Thumbs down all around.

Alaska.... Is that you? This is the scenery that you see on those photos of the wild, the scenery that contains Mont blanc mountains, rivers, & forests raw and wild & mainly it is Alaska! clean blushy lavender that hits cedar trees, shy sunlight melting snowy mountains, touch of rocky sand, running soapy clean river, & fresh soapy lennon fabric clouds. Lavender, pine, cypriol, styrax, musk, soap, rosemary, benzoin, and a touch of thyme. i could classify this as the vintage era of the 70s cause galbanum, & oakmoss are quite strong in here. Very green and into the wild... It is more of a scene, an atmosphere, a location rather than a fragrance. If you can capture the essence of Alaska in spring time then it's going to be "ARC". Beautiful.. Thank you Rajesh.

I am typically not a basil fan but this is fantastically blended. Will absolutely be purchasing a bottle. The jasmine creates almost a soapy but earthy -- yet clean basil scent. A must have for me.

A gorgeous, classic Fougere in the style of vintage Azzaro Pour Homme. Off the charts quality. I sold a kidney to buy 4 50ml bottles while still available. 10/10.

I layered Arc this weekend with Grand Soir, and thought that they complimented one another very well.