Chypre Palatin

Chypre Palatin is one of those "perfect" perfumes. Yes, part of that is the way it smells and wears, which we'll get into in a second, but a "perfect" perfume must also clearly illustrate its time and place in this great continuum of modern perfumery. I laughed when Chypre Palatin was released, but I had been doing a lot of laughing in the decade around it. So many of us had hung our hopes on niche perfumery daring to be different, to introduce new structures and smells and ideas, and to subvert the derivation-driven commercialism that had become modern perfumery's skeletal structure. What did MDCI do? They gave us an old school chypre. Lol, indeed. We saw this coming, but what was funny was how long it took perfume enthusiasts and the maisons to even admit it was happening. Lutens became a legend for taking old staples and mind-warping them; Malle built a brand whose raison d'etre was to take old stuff and do it the way he wanted to do it; L'Artisan Parfumeur tried to be different, quickly started tripping, then quickly started down the modernization-of-old direction, and is now no different than any other Puig brand rehashing old and new trends; etc., and we didn't seem to care. Casual perfume wearers, and freaks like me, were (and still are) eating up these revisited classics by the bucket loads. Cue Chypre Palatin, a very old school chypre modernized by a niche house and a master modern perfumer who has given us more than a share of commercial juggernauts. Irony thick enough to be cut with a chainsaw, little alone a knife. But it's whatever, because Chypre Palatin is a masterpiece. CP opens with aldehydes, lavender, sage, galbanum, and oranges. Licorice. When I gave the opening quite a bit of attention, yes, all of those other accords were perceptible, but the initial reaction I had was a chokingly dry black licorice. The aldehydes do not shimmer or sparkle nor effervesce, they powder coat the nose and the back of the throat like black dust. The lavender, sage, and galbanum work together to present a dried herbal, green, woody, a touch oily, and rooty licorice-like accord that is just slightly sweetened by oranges. Helping this overall accord along are some powerhouse materials in the base stretching all the way to the top, namely the leather-evoking castoreum, and warm, woody, and animalic styrax and benzoin - the benzoin doing a little something extra, adding a fleck of vanilla into the mix, but it's far from having its final say in that regard. In newer formulations that vanilla is noticeably stronger at the top, but it doesn't distract from the whole of the top notes. As we slowly proceed to the heart, orris appears to carry the dry, starchy, woody, and rooty mantle, plum and gardenia connect with the orange from the top to give a fruit and whipped cream type accord - which is far from being as sweet as it sounds, mind you - and green jasmine and rose connect with the herbal, green, and oily top notes and textures. Meanwhile, the base notes continue to grow and bloom, and this is where long-time wearers of Chypre Palatin will start scratching their heads. The floral heart of newer formulations is noticeably quieter and shorter lived. The original floral heart always struck me as a bit Guerlain-esque, but I'm not getting that thought anymore. The swelling base is turning from a spicy, warm, woody direction to a spicy amber direction as the sweetness of the benzoin and styrax amp up and the vanilla gets stronger. In the older formulations the animalic and woody aspects of costus, and the musky animalic sides of benzoin and styrax were more prominent with their woody aspects instead of their sweet sides, and the castoreum had a bigger leather presence. One final thing is that the moss note of the base has definitely been tampered down - whether by force or by choice, it's no surprise - which certainly plays a big a role in knocking the dry down of Chypre Palatin a bit off balance towards amber. As I sit here smelling my old bottle and a new decant, the difference is apparent enough that I wonder if CP can be called a chypre anymore. I believe it can, but it's leaning well over the line. Now, before you go reading this thinking you should skip Chypre Palatin because it isn't like it once was, don't. There is still plenty of the original's intact DNA in the new formulation, and it's still a stunning piece of work - very nearly as good as it's ever been. The way Duchaufour stitches all of the materials and the notes together is masterful. The materials and notes do not pop-up and disappear, they shape-shift like a flowing mosaic. For the bores that care about this sort of thing, the performance is still very much there too; the longevity is solid, and, rather uniquely, Chypre Palatin has always had the ability to stay quite close to the skin (low projection) and never crowd you, despite the powerhouse chypre+amber combination, yet the sillage is quite strong - you will get noticed. Old idea, new spin. Spun like a top. I get mesmerized by this perfume every time I wear it. I firmly believe this is in contention for the best perfume Duchaufour has ever created.

"A majestic Old-World European palace, secluded from the world and almost forgotten in time." Chypre Palatin is a 2012 fragrance from MDCI Parfums, a French niche perfume house by Claude Marchal. The house is conceived with a specific philosophy in mind: create great perfumes hiring the world's best perfumers without any cost restraint. Among the perfumers on board is Bertrand Duchaufour, one of the most foremost noses in the perfume industry, and he introduced to the world a fragrance that smells of the Old World from a modernist's approach. Like its name, Chypre Palatin is a classic chypre perfume and pays tribute to the family made by François Coty. A chypre perfume usually have citrus top notes, followed floral heart notes and base notes that typically include oakmoss and some animalics. On my skin, it opens with blasts of citrus and light floral notes such as clementine and water hyacinth. Clementine and water hyacinth each has unique scent: the former smells similar to most citrus notes but without the tangy undertone, while the latter invokes a light, cool "watery" property. After some time, notes of green galbanum and balsamic tolu balsam began to reveal themselves. These are two key notes that render Chypre Palatin a perfume that belongs to the Old World. Galbanum is what renders Chypre Palatin's scent one that is reminiscent of perfumes from yesteryear, and is present in many legendary fragrances such as Guerlain's L'Heure Bleue and Vol de Nuit, and Dior's vintage Miss Dior. Tolu balsam is a velvety, balsamic note that can be found in legendary perfumes such as Yves Saint Laurent's vintage Opium, Jean Desprez's Bal a Versailles, and Guerlain's Vol de Nuit. After an hour or two, the heart notes reveal themselves as a lush bouquet of flowers. There is also a tinge of plum in there, which is another note prominent in vintage perfumes. But the true beauty of Chypre Palatin, in my opinion, is the drydown: on top of tolu balsam are smooth and creamy vanilla, leathery castoreum and oakmoss. Oakmoss is particularly special because its use is heavily controlled by tight IFRA regulations and is one of the key notes in the chypre family and vintage perfumes. Oakmoss is terribly difficult to process, yet Chypre Palatin is utterly rich with this realistically wet, damp-earthy note (whether or not real oakmoss is present is very debatable). I vividly remember buying a decant of Chypre Palatin with very little amounts left from a friend. Upon first sniff, the scent struck with me and many of those around me. I emptied the decant for a single use while in New York City last December and it was MAGICAL! This perfume is born to be used in cold climates, where its full magic works wonders for the wearer and everyone around him. Many have claimed that it smells like "a (rich) old lady", and I don't disagree. Indeed, it smells like a vintage perfume and understandably it appeals even to older females. Yet, its leathery-animalic tones render this practically unisex. The only thing I would say is that the wearer must be mature enough to pull this fragrance off. I cannot ever imagine it being used and appreciated by adolescents; at least the average adolescent would find the smell of this perfume "old". But in this age where perfumes smells cheap, skews acutely to smelling fresh and clean, Chypre Palatin is a respectable tribute to perfumes of days gone by. The scent is complex and kaleidoscopic, where each use reveals different facets that first-time users wouldn't realise at first. Although pricey, it's one of those fragrances that is fundamentally love at first sight, and the price is worth every cent. Moreover, it is a testament to Duchaufour's mastery in perfume and how he is simply one of my favourite perfumers. A big merci beaucoup to Monsieur Duchaufour and MDCI Parfums; Chypre Palatin is simply glorious.

In my opinion, this is one of the best perfumes of this century yet. As a whole, it is difficult to find any flaws in it. A titanic work from one of the best noses in the industry, Bertrand Duchaufour. Now, the perfume did change, as far as the smell goes, although the quality stayed the same. I like to see these two as different takes on the same theme. I know Claude Marchal stated many times that the perfume has not been reformulated. Having communicated with him via e-mail on multiple occasions, I feel he is one of the nicest, most passionate, and honest people in this industry. Therefore, if he claims that, I believe him. Maybe the change in smell is due to the way these naturals are sourced, different crops, all playing a pivotal role in the end product. This is something that I have experienced already first-hand with BOGUE's MAAI, where different iterations smell completely different from each other, though no reformulation took place. Perhaps that was the case here as well. I find the two versions quite different, except for the late dry down, after five hours or so, when they become very close to each other, with the vintage keeping more of an earthy feel overall. Both play on this Baroque, Grand, Larger-Than-Life Oriental-Chypre theme, with the vintage feeling more of an actual Chypre, whereas the modern version feels more like an Oriental. There are more classical elements in the original version. The aldehydes in the opening, the bitter green galbanum, the watery hyacinth, the leathery-castoreum, the earthy mossiness, and only in the later stages do the resins start to unveil their golden warmth. In the modern version, these classical, or as some would call them nowadays, "dated" elements are no longer detectable. It starts as an Oriental, with plenty of warm resins (lots of tolu balm), sweet florals, and juicy, overripe fruits. No greens or bitters, no fleeting aldehydes, and no castoreum or leather. The inky moss and the earthiness are also missing. It is now an exotic perfume warmed by resins with only a suggestion of a Chypre-like structure. Much like MAAI changed over time. From a green chypre to a smoky-resinous Oriental. However, the change is not as significant here. I love and enjoy both equally. When I'm in the mood for something with more of a vintage flair, I reach for the older version, and when I crave something warmer and sweeter, for the modern one. As amazing as ever, just adapted to the shifts of time, people, places, and nature. IG:@memory.of.scents

*Sigh*.... Why did I have to fall in love with something this expensive? "Chypre Palatin" is a superbly blended fragrance that exudes warm, subtle elegance from beginning to end. Lush, hazy, soft, sweet, smoky, waxy, inky. It conjures up an image of a lacquered Chinese powder box sitting in a warm, lamp-lit room draped with heavy velvet curtains. You can smell the craftsmanship here. When you inhale deeply, it doesn't hit you with everything at once like most transparent designer scents, but rather it keeps going, revealing layer after layer: First the powdery meld of iris and leather, which for me creates the illusion of velvet, softening the dry soap-like tang of the castorem and aldehydes. Then the romantic rose, plum and barbershop lavender. Finally, the balmy, chewy sweetness of the tolu balsam, vanilla and benzoin -which has an almost chocolaty nuance at times- all wrapped in a soft haze of smoky earthiness. Perhaps not the most typically masculine of scents, but I see this befitting an artistic young man who's not afraid to show his romantic, softer side. A bit like me! :D Someday I may be rich enough to by thee, Palatin. Until then... *UPDATE* I finally succumbed to fate and purchased a bottle of this beautiful creation. I cannot disagree with Colin Malliard's review enough. This scent is absolutely worth the money. If you want over-priced pretentiousness, go smell Creed 'Aventus' - practically the same price as MDCI, nowhere near as complex or interesting. MDCI's ethos is to give the perfumer free reign over the design and create what they truly want to make without restrictions, using the best possible ingredients. It shows in Chypre Palatin. The textures are so rich and the persistence is fantastic; It lasts up to 8 hours on my skin, and several days on clothes. Don't let your opinion of the price inform your opinion of the quality.

And just like that, you find yourself transported into a marble palace where Baroque grandeur blends with Neoclassical elegance. Draperies, rich fabrics, and oriental carpets tell the story of distant journeys, while the air is filled with the lingering smoke of burners diffusing warm, sweet resins. The atmosphere is undeniably aristocratic, yet it evokes less the image of a nineteenth-century nobleman than that of a Roman emperor returning from the East, somehow transported into the Winter Palace of St. Petersburg, where the opulence of its earliest Baroque architecture gradually gives way to the more restrained Neoclassicism favored by Catherine the Great. I genuinely can’t think of a better way to describe the olfactory landscape imagined by Duchaufour. The opening is slightly sparkling, almost cola-like, yet simultaneously green and soapy. The plum quickly emerges and, to my nose, creates a subtle impression of licorice, paving the way for a creamy floral heart that feels powdery, yet gently earthy at the same time. Then comes the base, and the fragrance begins speaking an entirely different language: slightly animalic, musky, woody, and even faintly herbal. Throughout the entire journey, an ambered, resinous aura remains ever-present, both sweet and piercing at once. From a technical standpoint, calling it a masterpiece almost feels unnecessary. The only thing that continues to fascinate me is its very soul. It possesses an unmistakable identity, yet it never fully reveals itself. You can never quite tell whether it wants to seduce you with its warm, ambered, oriental embrace or keep you at arm’s length with an almost aloof, aristocratic elegance. I believe this ambiguity is precisely what makes it so remarkable. Both personalities coexist within it, and depending on who wears it, and when, one inevitably takes precedence over the other.

Chypre Palatin is more a fruity floriental with chypre characteristics than a true chypre in my opinion, but it is an objectively beautiful perfume nonetheless. Rich, opulent and high-quality, CP consists of a heady floral bouquet on a warm, rich amber background with some balsamic fruity sweetness seamlessly tying it all together. Darkly dense, even opaque, in lesser hands it could have been in danger of descending into a mess. Quite the opposite in fact - it is extremely well-composed, as each note plays an important role, and as a result it is beautiful throughout. CP opens with green, herbal notes, brightened by aldehydes, with a nice hyacinth note featuring prominently. I love hyacinth due to childhood memories, and find it to be relatively unusual in perfumery. Labdanum gets the amber accord off to a rich, dark, leathery start, which, alongside the hazy green galbanum, kicks off the chypre component nicely. As it develops, the plum note adds juicy sweetness, while a sweet white floral accord develops on my skin, led unusually by gardenia. Some clean jasmine is in there, alongside some powdery rose. The amber accord continues to develop in its balsamic beauty, enhanced by the plum, which also serves to complement the florals. As it dries down, the amber accord becomes more resinous, and a delicious oakmoss note emerges, allowing this scent to live up to its name. The amber is multifaceted - sweet yet slightly animalic, dry yet balsamic at various intervals as it develops. It fades to a vanilla-amber skin scent eventually. Sillage is strong and longevity is long-lasting. A well-rounded, beautifully put-together floriental-chypre, this scent is a thing of beauty. Perfectly unisex with high-quality ingredients, this smells like money. Best worn in autumn/winter. I am not usually a fan of florientals, but this one is exceptional. 5/5.

Control A Display of mastery is control of every element. It is both external and internal. Externally, Control has to respect change, factor in elements then execute what it can as these factors vibrate. Internally, we have to resist temptations not to overdue or underwhelm, like to make a scent too sweet or too bold. Control will not always be right, but it will understand when it isn't right and how it can be wrong. If we say that a scent is well blended we are really saying the perfumer has "control" of every element. When we view this masterpiece through this sense I realize how amazing this scent truly is. Bertrand shows why he is indeed one of the greatest perfumers alive and how to make a classic Chypre even more classic and contemporary all at the same time. This is a tremendous feat. Palates are becoming sweeter in taste and the rise in amber perfumes has likely come at the expense of Chypre's. So to make a Amber Chypre with a strong incense soul is a stroke of genius and indeed one of the greatest(if not the greatest) Chypre's on the market. Probably the only scent that can compete to this level of sophistication and luxury is Diaghilev which is more challenging and dynamic and more...way more - expensive. In MDCI's, You will get a rich, deep, warm scent that is tangy, slightly sweet and certainly a Chypre. The fruity notes are second to the Incense, the flowers sing and the sweetness is...yes...controlled. It could be described as a lifetime of work and the sum of success in one bottle. I have owned this for a while and every time I wear it I get something new and I finally see how the control is intentional and beautiful. 4.99/5 "Do not let the things you can't control interfere with the things you can control"

I love how some of these reviews are like WOW, so unlike anything else! The opulence! The exoticism! Impossible to nail down! Meanwhile every brown uncle has owned multiple fragrances that smell exactly like this since the 70’s. My friend smelled this on me today and said “you smell JUST like the Persian corner shop owner from my childhood” and another recalled a Turkish rug store with trinkets and long-since snuffed incense. To me, this smells like being five years old at a family function, just tall enough to be at eye level with my father’s wrist. I’m happily pushing through crowds of other South Asian men to find him, bumping against their arms as I go, inhaling the fragrance from so many colorful, crisp and scratchy shalwar kameez. Little Me is on a floral journey; it’s ambery, joyful, deep, and so comfortingly sweet. It smells like the people I love and the safest place on earth. Finally, I find my father and grasp the hem of his kameez. My rustling of the fabric releases a burst of Chypre Palatin into the air. I’m home. I just adore this fragrance, and the longevity is beyond words. However, it smells like specific people and a specific place, and that turns me away from wearing it sometimes. When I wear this around other brown people, they jokingly say I smell like an uncle — and they’re RIGHT! I suspect it’s the smooth combo of labdanum, rose, jasmine, and animalic notes most heavily contributing to this “vibe.” But it’s an absolutely lovely fragrance, no one can deny it unless they have a particular aversion to this scent profile. Also smells like root beer or Dr Pepper to me a bit, which is fun.

Quite heavy perfume. I bought it from a top perfumery in Budapest that has many brands I was not even aware of (including MDCI). Smell Strong smell of benzoin and because of this brings me memories of going to church as a child. In addition it smells amber, it's very oriental and has a notable animalitistic touch. Very classy overall and unique smell. Use and feeling It's for the cold winter days, you can't wear this with warm weather or even during mild spring/autumn days. I don't think that it's a night-only perfume. I wear it in the office and during the day in general. It's not seductive, or oriented towards dating. it's very classy though. Brings something very "traditional" to the table. I could imagine "old money" people wearing it. Presentation The bottle is quite nice and this little hanging cloth emphasizes the oriental roots of this perfume. Only downside is that it comes in a plain white box, as if it's a 5 Euro Amazon delivery, or as if you got it from a dodgy grey market store🤣 Quite off, comparing it with the classiness of the smell and with the rest of the packaging. Some of the other MDCI perfumes have top class boxes, but not this one ... I'll make sure to travel to Budapest again to buy it, before the bottle finishes. In a few words: heavy, winter, oriental, amber, benzoin, animalistic, very classy, unique. Ps: I try to have a small collection of 5-6 perfumes, so I'm very picky before buying one. It has to have something quite special and bring up feelings, not only just to smell good. This perfume is part of my collection.

Chypre Palatin is, in my opinion, the best contemporary take on this magisterial olfactory genre. It is neither a green chypre, nor a floral one, nor an inky-bitter one, nor a leather one, nor a generic frutchouli one, though it does feature aspects of these subgroups. Rather, this is the richest, smoothest, most languid amber chypre I've ever smelled. The base is heavy and utterly opulent, with the warm resins, basalms, vanilla, and immortelle sensually smoldering while the mosses and animalic notes add texture and depth. For me, the ripe plum and indolent, regal gardenia share the heart, queenly in their power, seduction, and self-possession, attended to by the floral ladies in waiting. The top is a miracle of light painterly touches: herbaceous galbanum, dewy hyacinth, sweet-leathery labdanum, aromatic lavender, waxy aldehydes, and a whisper of citrus. All of Chypre Palatin's edges have been smoothed, polished, and gilded, making it a sparkling, graceful, commanding creature of the night. The name, Chypre of the Palace, or perhaps Palatial Chypre, is perfect: firelight gathered and refracted in a prism of cut crystal and gold filigree fashioned after the royal seal, falling on fine silks and heavy furs. I am dazzled and enchanted by it. Timeless in a way few fragrances are, totally unisex, undoubtedly formal, better in cool weather, and with otherworldly performance. This is one of those perfumes that make me fear reformulation and discontinuation, as it’s nearly perfect as it is and I'd love to always have a bottle in my collection.

Chypre Palatin is a mossy, bittersweet beauty! It’s a mutant on my skin. The very first sniff gave the impression that the hype train got me hooked (again) and people were describing their own delirious delusions. It was mainly a vanillic benzoin with some bitter florals - a very common blend out there. Time went by and it came back like I have just sprayed it on my skin. It became a mossy little monster with bittersweet floral nuances. I had to pick my jaw down on the floor. What’s happening here? As first impressions never remain, I had to admit: yes... the hype train was right. Chypre Palatin is the intersection point where classic and modern meet. A gem of a perfect blend. I imagine that this was how classics (like Chanel, Guerlain, Caron), when they were new, touched the hearts of perfume lovers. I read lots of considerations about reformulation. So I went on a brief research and ended up reading about it on Kafkaesque blog. I understood that there are, at least, three formulations: the original (that came in 60ml bottles and had a deep orange almost red color), a second one that came in the current 75ml bottle - but was pretty much like the original - and the current, that comes in the 75ml bottle and has a yellow-ish color and is claimed to be a different fragrance. Claude, MDCI’s owner, guaranteed it was not reformulated and showed himself very offended by the article. My bottle is the second one, if the reformulation hypothesis is true. Conspiracy theories aside, this is a masterpiece! 10/10

This scent is a wonderful luxurious hybrid chypre oriental fragrance that smells classy and opulent. Only the finest ingredients have been used and it shows. On the opening we have a bitter green floral accord from the Galbanum coupled with a sparkling fuzzy champagne scent coming from the aldehydes. A tinge of citrus and the symphony is now in full swing. Underneath this opening is a gorgeous slightly sweet vanilla toffee like balsam adding a contrast to the bitter green accord. After a while the Hycinth takes over which is a green and slightly rooty floral note, like the stem of a potted plant. At this stage the gorgeous musky vanilla toffee balsam note becomes stronger. And we have a lovely balance of the green floral and sweet notes. Many hours later the floral notes of jasmine and rose and can be smelled all blended in harmony like a symphony. This scent is so complex and every time I wear it I can pick different notes, it almost shimmers on the skin showing you different aspects. Sometimes a fruity note appears and other times a slight animalic accord rears it's head. The fragrance lasts five hours before it reigns itself in but I can still detect it on my skin and clothes for many hours after. The projection is average but the scent is soft and very refined making it versatile to be sprayed on your neck without choking you out. A perfect ten out of ten fragrance in my book and a scent I would class as a masterpiece in the art of perfumery!

Masterpiece... This is one of the most complex fragrance I have ever come across, development and transition of this perfume is amazing. I don't know how to describe, it has everything, it's sweet yet bitter, it's dark and mysterious yet fresh and charming. To me the best part is the opening. It start with bitter green galbanum, oakmoss, fresh aldehydes and sweetened fruity notes together with touch of animalic vibe. I believe sweetness come from tolu balsam. Opening is truly mind blowing. After first few hours fresh aldehydes and fruity notes start to fade away and some white floral notes start to pop up. And the dry down leave you an addictive sweetness of tolu balsam together with fading galbanum and animalic notes. These are the main notes I managed to detect, but I sure get a sniff of some other notes also times to time, not sure which one is which. Bertrand Duchaufour is my one of favorite perfumers. His creations are very unique and always challenging, it will take few wearing to love his perfumes, but this one is love at first sniff for me. Performance is quite good, last around 8 to 9 hours, first 4 hours the projection is pretty strong and then become a skin scent. This is classified as Chypre Fruity, but to me it's more like Chypre Oriental/Gourmand. And what a beautiful name, "Chypre Palatin". Presentation is also stunning with the bust, but I bought without bust as it's more cheaper.

I haven't done a gushing review for a while so it's long over due but this is a sublime fragrance. I haven't had the pleasure of seeing the MDCI bottles complete with their bust stoppers in the flesh before. I'd always got little sample vial of the ones I've tried so far so actually spraying one from the bottle was nice. I'd avoided this one for testing purposes due to the name 'Chypre' not that I have anything against that classification but I've far more olfactory priorities like 'orientals' 'balsamics' etc... Woah was I wrong? This is a masterpiece from Duchaufour opens with a wonderful warm but sharp floral, balsamic, slightly green aroma which then gets sweeter and is joined by a sweetness of vanilla and animal notes of musk. It's an absolute knockout! The drydown has a lovely quality of resin with my favourite labdanum in there and a complex woody floral base. I Can't really say much about the composition because it is so complex that it becomes simplistic and all I would say is try it for yourself. I had almost written of MDCI as a niche house which under delivered, although I like Invasion barbare and adored Cuir Garamande I couldn't justify the price. This one however is magic! I'm mystified as to why I didn't buy it? I think I was so stunned and over whelmed by it and it wasn't until I let it drydown and release more secrets hours later when I got home that I was fully convinced.

Absolutely incredible. Singular chypre fragrance. If you like non-linear scents, this won't disappoint. The progression is symphonic, separated in no less than four movements, sometimes more - depending on the temperature and amount of body heat the wearer creates. I get a blast of aldehydes and hyacinth and citrus (clementine) in the opening- gorgeous. The floral heart notes are less dominant, and they give way to an ethereal resinous base that smells like it was made in heaven. The hyacinth and clementine is always present, and is so beautiful in the dry down. To top it all off, there is a deceptively strong animalic undertone that permeates through the life of the fragrance in all but the initial 5 minutes, which are dominated by the aforementioned aldehydes, citrus, and hyacinth. There is an elegance to this fragrance that makes it tower over almost my entire collection. I believe it is an all season scent. It is my signature and I cannot get enough of it. The opening is just down right addictive. The shape-shifting, symphonic progression is so complex that subtle environmental changes let the user experience a seemingly infinite number of permutations of the smell. Masterpiece. Performance is perfect. Heavy sillage for the first two hours, then an arm's length scent bubble for another 8-10 hours. Skin scent for the next 12 hours. Stunning

As close to a signature scent that I have. Opens aldehydic, soapy even. With leather, fruits (notes say plum and clementine.. I guess- I’d say plum is closest as it’s a deep sweet not so much citric), and some animalic touches like castoreum. The transition is the best- and it takes its time. Hours in your at the amber style base that is still slightly animalic and masculine. But warmer and cozier than the opening. Lavender and labdanum help a powdery green opening as well. I love it, my family like it. Not a compliment getter I’d say, but a truly long lasting transitional fragrance. Scent 9.5/ 10 - So many facets, so many transitions, absolutely wonderful to smell throughout the day Performance 9.5/10 - lasts all day, opening lasts an hour, mid lasts hours, base stays all day. One of the best performing fragrances I’ve come across to date, especially in terms of longevity Sillage 7/10 - not beast mode sillage but a few hours of arms length or more is great for any fragrance. Won’t choke out a room, but will be pleasantly present upon each application. Overall 9.5/10 Although slightly mature (I’m 36) I’d say this is 30+ signature scent worthy. Even if you’re younger, sampling should be done to see exactly how complex and transitional a fragrance CAN be. So much going on here it’s a lovely to behold.

Definitely one of my favorite fragrances, if not my absolute favorite. Sophisticated, but not excessively so; old-school, but not dated; modern in its uniqueness, but not trying too hard to be "too much." There's something both calming and comforting about it, yet also provocative - familiar and homey, while still giving you that thrill of going up for an adventure into the unknown. Almost immediately, it triggered a madeleine effect in me, evoking associations with something incredibly pleasant, something that feels familiar yet exciting because you're experiencing it for the first time. An undoubted advantage, at least for me, is the consistent quality through nearly every stage, from opening to finish, although - truth be told - while the opening literally pins you to your seat with its olfactory impact, the drydown is equally pleasant but softer, though still lasting several hours. I've also noticed it has a certain effect on people nearby - and I'm sure that even if they won't admit it directly, they must be intrigued, in the most positive sense of the word. I have a decant from after the composition was modified, but if someone tells me that Chypre Palatin lost something with this change, I'd love to experience what it was like before. An absolutely otherworldly experience.

Have been considering which perfume deserves one of, if not the first fragrance reviews, and certainly Chypre Palatin deserves a place. (Spoiler: Being a muggle in perfumery, I am not in any sense deeply educated in all these theories, notes, perfume structures etc., so my review is totally based on subjective perception) This perfume is rich - the fruitiness, the amber, the florals, the herbals, etc. - but then, despite the abundance of notes, the perfume is never too over-the-top. On the contrary, it embraces you warmly like a luxurious mantle. And, of course, as a chypre fragrance, it does give a certain "old/aged" vibe (because chypre of course, the oakmoss and animalics; perhaps the aldehydes plays a minor role here too), but here it feels more like an old fragrance reinvented, a modern creation inheriting valuable tradition. Just like a true noble of prominent lineage who resides in an ancient but grand castle in a forest, living true luxury but keeping low profile, no arrogance but grace and sophistication. Projection pretty strong but never overpowering. Easily lasts 8+ hours so longevity not a problem. Complex, ambery sweet but never cloying, ethereal but luxurious. Aristocracy in a bottle.

Personally, Chypre Palatin is more of a floriental than it is a 'chypre', and an excellent one at that! Anything hyacinth dominant straight up gives me a vintage vibe and this is no exception. The open is pure green, polleny hyacinth layered with a heady gardenia and aldehydically spicy galbanum, but instead of barrelling toward the extra grandiose 70s heavy florals' direction, the flowers find themselves encumbered (in a good way) by a plush, incensy plum, balmy cinnamon-like tolu balsam and toasty, mildly chewy benzoin with a copious amount of oily leathery musks from castoreum and costus combined as the fragrance transitions into the base. Unfortunately, the oakmoss doesn't really pop out on my skin until the late dry down, which is a bit of a curveball given the name and all, and it doesn't add much to the scent either beside accentuating the green facets of the florals. Chypre Palatin unquestionably bears remnants of old school vintages while delivering something state-of-the-art that appeals to the younger crowds and in its complacency and detachment, it smells riveting and intimate. No ruse or gimmicks, just quality ingredients and Bertrand Duchaufour's ingenious craftsmanship all in all.

Chypré Palatin is my favorite amber fragrance, and yes I think this complex fragrance identifies more as an amber than a chypre, despite the name, although it's so complex it's a bit of a chameleon. Tonight its manifesting more of its Chypre and animalic facets. It's decadent, opulent and rich, just like an amber should be. Its a complex Amber with Chypre characteristics for sure, but with the amber accord so prominent its character is pretty much decided, although it does seem that the Amber and Chypre accords do struggle for control of fragrance's classification. It's my favorite Amber scent precisely because it's a complex one. And it has a classic vibe, particularly with the slight animalic component, which is never too intrusive. It's one of my two MDCI scents, second behind Invasion Barbare. On a side note, another reviewer, from Australia, said that Chypré Palatin smelled like musk sticks, an Aussi favorite, tastes. So of course I had to order some musk sticks all the way from Australia to the USA to find out for myself. Yep, they pretty much do.