Ganymede Extrait

Just out of sheerest curiosity, I spilled AN ENTIRE VIAL of the Éxtraît, drooling the oil onto the back of my hand, without rubbing it in (about 15-20 applications?), in an effort to better understand how this mysterious scent works. What I perceive is that there is indeed a subtle musk afoot in this scent, an animalic quality not unlike cow's milk (cafe au lait?) or slightly soured milk (as we know, that nuance is part of what makes a Hershey's bar so unique, some would say fetid). But it is quickly blended with the saffron ("hospital gauze") and immortelle (agrestic "maple syrup") qualities. But that quasi-musk is a masterstroke: It prevents the inorganic qualities from ever seeming inhuman or unwearably alien. There is also, mid-development, a quasi-culinary "aromatic" note, perfectly pleasant, which, I swear ta gawd, is "bulbous", not unlike onion, chive or garlic. Asafoetida? Black cumin? Sometimes even lilies can possess this bulb nuance of the onion-y. Granted, it's subliminal, but there exists this curious "savory/foody" hint, not-unlike charred meat? (probably a wizardry delicately woven from Siberian birchtar molecule) , counterbalancing immortelle's sweetness, which, you have to think, Quentin Bisch knew would make the scent delicately welcome at any dinner party. This is the sort of mental calculus only a genius perfumer labors cannily to invoke. Yet it, too, disappears-- evanesces or melts-- with time on warm skin. Then, there is a ghosted smell here like carwash detergent-- creamy pink and yellow, I envision it synaesthetically, faux-floral, "spring rain", which I'm taking to be GANYMEDE's violet and osmanthus components. It's ultra-subtle in far-drydown, as it should be; there just enough to imbue the scent with an amusing "industrial" quality: shampoo for your robot girlfriend's nylon hair, haha. Bisch is a kid who evidently learned plenty from his childhood chemistry set, haha, for GANYMEDE is a masterpiece of abstract chemical blending, in the very best way; if a perfumer can blend *this*, then he can do anything.

Extreme wood, spice, and radioactive immortelle ☢️ magnetic and addictive -- I can't help but smell this masterpiece over and over from my arm. Definitely a creation where your skin is instrumental in developing this the way it's intended. Although not officially listed I do sense the minerals present in the original, as well as a whisper of perhaps mimosa flower? The juicy aroma of orange elevates the dichotomy of savory and leathery accords to cosmic heights, which makes Ganymede a befitting name, since "Ganymede" is also the name of Jupiter's largest moon. I'm pondering the idea of layering with Diptyque Eau Des Sens (orange blossom, bitter orange, angelica, patchouli) to feminize a bit and elevate even higher (if that's possible!), but mostly out of my own morbid curiosity, at a 2:1 GE:EDS ratio. *Edit* tried it! It wasn't "feminized" by much, but it did add a slight dimension. Why mess with perfection? I just like an excuse to experiment. 🧪🤓 Truly an artful and "wow!" factor formula- but make sure to sample via decant before going all in- as it is rather pricey and I can see how this scent could be polarizing. In closing, every true and appreciative frag head needs to experience this! Editing to remark that this is my 100th review, and there couldn't have been a better fragrance to represent the milestone 🙌🏻🎉 💫🌠⭐🌟✨🎇💥

Ganymede Extrait opening absolutely blew me away. It is a gorgeous blast of herbal notes, with a nice oud background. There is also a sweetness vinger like note in here that reminds me of cooking and balsamic vinegar. As it dries down this all combines into a note that reminds me almost of BBQ. The more it dries down the more my brain just can’t stop going, smokey sweet BBQ. Performance wise Ganymede Extrait is an absolutely power house. I got just under 12 hours of wear on my skin and about the same on my clothes. An 8/10 here. Projection wise, for the first 6 hours Ganymede Extrait projected strongly off my skin. Radiating within feet of me definitely, the smell was just present for me wherever I was. For the next 6 hours it faded to more of a skin scent but I still could pick it up if I got my nose close to my skin. A 8/10 here as well. Ganymede Extrait is a gorgeous smelling scent with amazing longevity and projection. That said I’m not sure I like it as a fragrance, I’m just not sure I want to smell like smokey sweet BBQ all day long most days. I feel like this is a very situational fragrance; so it’s a 6/10 overall for me.

Apparently I am from the minority this time, I tried this one and the OG one at a store and even took some samples with me in order to properly test them. Well, after my first wear of the extrait I was quite impressed and I couldn’t stop smelling myself as I was surrounded by this amazing scent bubble (it does smell quite spicy in the beginning). Few days after that I decided to wear the og Ganymede, first spray and I can see some similarities with the Extrait but 40 minutes into it and it already feels quite weak and airy, I don’t know about this “insane performance” y’all are getting but the sample I had isn’t that strong tbh. Ganymede was a little bit too boring and weak, kinda reminded me of YSL Tuxedo or The Tux. To conclude, I really enjoyed the Extrait version way more and I felt something there whereas Ganymede OG just didn’t give me that and I would consider it overhyped. I will probably buy a full bottle from the Extrait version as I keep on sniffing the little sample like an addict. ++I have tried 2 sprays from the Extrait in 23C• and it’s soo goood, can see it as an all year rounder.

I’ve always been a big fan of Ganymede, I love it in fact, there’s something so undeniably addictive about it. With Ganymede Extrait I was hoping for a similar situation as B683 Extrait - an improvement elevated beyond imagination. Instead, I’m left with what is basically just the same old Ganymede with a slightly spicy twist. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t make it a bad fragrance - as I said I adore Ganymede, and so the fact that this retains the exact same core scent profile means it smells absolutely incredible. The only difference to my nose is that very subtle warm spicy, incense-y touch which is lovely, but not all that impressive - as B683 Extrait took on an almost entirely new scent profile. Overall, I think this is a fantastic smell, which is why I’ve rated it as a love because I truly have loved wearing my sample. But for the difference in price? You might as well save yourself a good chunk of money and just get the original Ganymede.