Dulce Diablo

My initial reaction to Dulce Diablo was very close to what Nativelocal describes below in that I had incredibly high expectations, which to begin with fell a bit flat. The opening blast and the scent from the atomizer are completely breathtaking. Just phenomenal! As it dries down, I initially got disappointed as, on my skin, the apricots stole the show entirely with the booze and chocolate receding. I left the decant for a few weeks and recently revisited it, and I don’t know if my nose changed, if the decant changed, or if I just appreciate it more now, but I very quickly fell thoroughly in love with it on second sampling and have now ordered a bottle. Somehow the chocolate lingers much longer now, and I get both apricot and chocolate on the drydown - although as usual with most boozy fragrances, the rum still recedes after the opening. The chocolate (and even booziness) portion of the fragrance seems to last considerably longer on clothes than on skin, so I like it better when applied to skin and clothes in concert. This scent is ridiculously unique though and well-worth a bottle, in my opinion. I don’t know that I fully agree with the strong performance reviews by default, because if sprayed lightly (on me), it has rather mediocre performance, although if I somewhat overspray/go liberal on the trigger, then it appears to perform much, much better. (borderline beastly, and certainly fully satisfactory),

I honestly don't get the hate. This is a great perfume. I understand we don't have the same taste but we are here to appreciate the art (i hope so) even if it is not our style. I like strong, long lasting flagrances so I don't even bother with light, a few hours or so perfumes. In my opinion this is a good sillage and long lasting. I feel it on myself all day and on clothes one day after. I don't like sweet perfumes and I don't feel this is sweet. Maybe in my mind it's the difference between the sweetness of syrup and the sweetness of fruit. For dulce diablo it's the second. I feel easily the notes of chocolate, apricot, Brandy (but not the boozy type) with a bit of flower and something vegetal like moss. For me these notes stay until the end. The vanilla and tonka bean are mixed within, I don't feel them separately. I don't normally like patchouli but this is chocolate so i love it. I don't like musk and I don't feel it here. I do like spicy and spices in general but I wouldn't have said it was spicy before reading other people's comments. Is it pricey? Yes, especially if you are in Europe. I still really really love it and I want to buy it (for now I have a 10ml sample which is long lasting). I can use it day and night and in all seasons but especially winter (it is my go to ski fragrance). I love it as a woman, I would also like it on a man. Very unisex for me.

The opening is a blockbuster. It stunned me, in the best way. What I got was a really high quality, artisan made chocolate covered cherry cordial bon bon drenched in liquor and enrobed in rich dark chocolate. It projected like a beast. I couldn’t get enough. It’s very unique and distinctive and rich and luscious. Which is too bad for me, because on my skin at least that opening was fleeting. It dried down to a much milder booze like aroma, a brown one like a high quality scotch. Maybe the scotch is being served with a little plate of nibbles, such as dried fruit, cocoa dusted nuts, a creamy slice of sweet and spicy cake. But they are at arms length away and faint. This part of the fragrance journey lasted a good long time although it’s projection was only moderate. I would be tempted to buy this just for that opening but I’d probably have to keep respraying in order to smell it and that would be a very expensive habit. Since I’m about to buy Baraonda I don’t need another liquor perfume in my collection but if they come out with an intense version where the opening lasts longer I’ll be first in line. Getting hit with that chocolate cherry hammer is a pretty amazing experience. I recommend it. Buy a sample and see. Addendum- I can’t stop thinking about this one. I may have to buy it after all.

I'm a little confused by all the uproar over this fragrance because, although it is beautiful, after the tootsie roll opening, this turns into something incredibly familiar... 7 Virtues Vanilla Woods! Minus the pear, plus the apricot, plus a dusting of cocoa powder. I'm shocked no one else has compared the two. I've read all these reviews saying how unique it is and how they've never smelled another fragrance like it, but to me it smells a lot like so many other Vanilla Woods-esque fragrances that are already out, i.e. Midnight Shimmer, Crystal Love, Jimmy Choo's Vanilla Love. I even asked my husband what it reminded him of and he said the same thing: Vanilla Woods! I do love the apricot though and it also has this... Idk how to describe it.. kind of lipstick-y, Chapstick-y, I guess you would say waxy note, that I find really addicting. I'm guessing I might get a lot of people disagreeing with me since no one else has mentioned DD smelling like Vanilla Woods, which is fine. This is just what my personal nose (and my husband's) noticed.

Wow... Believe the hype! This is indeed a 10/10 Holy Grail Gourmand! But! My love for Dulce Diablo is doubled as an absolutely beautiful cognac scent, too. I'm always seeking the next best cognac & all the explosive gourmand deliciousness here is just a bonus on top of what could've passed for a fantastic cognac without it. That said, I love everything about this & wouldn't change a thing. The "wow factor" is major & after the big opening it dries down to such a pleasant scent I could see literally just about anyone wearing it. The persistent apricot really keeps this one satisfyingly yummy! Dulce Diablo instantly jumps to the top of my list as one of my best & most-reached-for bottles in my collection, as well as one of the best releases of 2022. Same goes for Doza, which is a bit of a game changer. Both are truly epic, luxurious & indulgent scents. Get your nose on both for sure. Bravo to Claude Dir for some true stunners!

I am in love ❤️ And I don't say that easily. I am a fan of rich, boozy, warm and sweet scents but this one really checks all the boxes for me. It made my mouth water by tingling all of the gourmand senses!! I imagine a bottle of Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby 150: Baccarat Edition being poured over a decadent molten lava chocolate cake and topped with fresh sliced juicy apricots beside a sun-warmed bouquet of freesia on the table still fragrant from the sun's rays going down and a soft, sandalwood candle burning nearby. It's a whole vibe! I get more apricot in the dry down, soft fruity and light freesia floral with more vanilla notes after its settled. I will buy a full bottle and this is going on my repurchase forever list. You can't please everyone's taste but this one certainly pleases mine!! I am happy my nose does not pick up cherry as some people say they get. I love cherry but it's not in the ingredients.

got the sample from LuckyScent... and I have to say, this smells ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. If I have to describe this scent, 4 words, it's "Banana Split Ice Cream" that's it! First spray on my skin, it reminds me of the classic banana split. You have that fruity sour boozy that reminds me of maraschino cherries (not that there is any cherry note in it, but it's a little sour boozy that reminds me of cherry). Next it turn sweet just like the old school chocolate milk ice cream drizzled with more chocolate sauce. It is gourmand, very strong potent perfume, but it's not cloying nor it makes me nausea. Somehow I can still smells it on my skin even after washing it. Just be careful not to over spray it because you can make the whole room in chaos. Will I recommend it? absolutely! Will I recommend people blind buy it? absolutely not. That sour boozy maraschino cherry scent might not something that people like.

My gosh, this is good!! I did not know that I could love apricot so much in a perfume until I tried Dulce Diablo! I do not get the tootsie roll vibe like some people claim to (thank goodness because I am not a fan of tootsie rolls and never have been), and it doesn't come off as too boozy to me either, which is something else that can turn me off. The blend is perfection because all I get is sweet, slightly boozy, honeyed apricots! And it's delicious!! I wouldn't say it's $280 worth of delicious but it smells so yummy! Once I spray Dulce Diablo on it's there until I shower, so I am super happy with the longevity! And that bottle...wow, just stunning! So heavy and luxe! Highly recommend if you love sweet, slightly boozy apricot perfumes and don't mind dropping a pretty penny on one.

I am sooooo sad because I love this and it does not last nor project very well :( If you are familiar with the Hungarian cookie that has apricot jam in the middle and is covered in chocolate, that is what this smells like, but in a much more sexy version. I love this so much, I got a decant, but I am not going to invest in a full bottle until something happens with the performance. This is a S3X fragrance for sweet gourmand lovers who enjoy a touch of booziness and the photorealistic scent of chocolate covered dried apricot cookies. It is so edible and seductive in my opinion. So dark, yet inviting for a dance that can end anywhere.. haha. If there was an Arabian fragrance duping this it would most likely have better longevity - I would buy it in an instant!

I haven't been this excited about a fragrance in a while; it's good! I used my entire sample before purchasing a bottle. The apricot note is so addicting it knocked my beloved Gourmand Coquin out of its long-standing signature spot. I was getting nonstop compliments from strangers when I wore this out, and my son thought I had baked a cake. I'm disappointed that my sample had better longevity than the bottle I received. It seems to only last a couple of hours before it completely disappears, but I'm not giving up on it just yet. I'm hoping the the bottle just needs to macerate, and it'll be good to go by fall * fingers crossed* Edit- It just needed to settle a few days after being delivered. It lasts all day... same as my sample ❤️

Wow. This is a good one. Normally gourmand chocolate doesnt work on my skin. But this one is amazing. Probably one of the easiest wearable gourmand fragrance ive ever smelled. Its not super strong sweet fragrance. More like chocolate gourmand sweet spring type of fragrance. Its boozy sensual alluring soft inviting. Not that in your face super sweet tooth gourmanish type of fragrance. Must be that cognac and flower notes that make this fragrance well balanced. And the chocolate and cacao make it sweet. Man this can be safe to wear any type of season. Its not going to choke people out. I havent got a full wearing of this as i write this review but this one is mesmerizing. I Will update this real soon. Overall its an amazing scent

This smells exactly of boozy, chocolate covered apricots. Such a unique and very well blended scent. The dry down is also divine! Someone said it isn’t really a gourmand, but you don’t get any more gourmand than this! It literally smells as though you’ve taken a bowl, chopped up some fresh apricots, then drizzled them in cognac, honey and chocolate. It is so mouth watering and delicious. I’m not a fan of apricots, yet I really adore this scent! So much so I’ve invested in a full bottle, because I just couldn’t stop thinking of this perfum. There just isn’t anything like this, or anything that can compare to this on the market. It’s a masterpiece in my opinion and the best scent from this house.

Fragrantiica was the best place for people with significant niche collections, experience, and knowledge. It has become a place for rookies who come here to see note images and compare and bush quality perfumes. Such examples are comments comparing cheap clone scents to true niche and a unique fragrance created by world-famous perfumer Claude Dir to something that does not even come close to it. Dulce Diablo is so unique that it smells nothing like anything here. But the comments compare Dulce Diablo, created by Claude Dir, and the prestigious French Flavoring House to a synthetic Navitus clone. Fragrantica is becoming a joke.

I bought Narcotica by Narcotica and fell in love with it, and it became my most complimented scent quickly, so when I read on Instagram that Dulce Diablo is by the same perfumer Claude Dir, I had to rash to the store to try it. Let me tell you. This perfume had me from the first spray. If you love the notes of cognac, rum, and chocolate, this is 100% for you. As soon as you spray it, the boozy smell of cognac and chocolate, apricot, and soft sandalwood take you places. I got mine yesterday from D'or Prestige, I wore it in the evening, and today at work, my coworkers are addicted. Thank you, Claude Dir, you did it again.

Oh man. This is fruit leather enrobed in a DENSE chocolate sauce, served with some dark liquor. A heavy hitter winter gourmand. You have to love your chocolate gourmands and booziness for this one. I’m pretty sure I got a cavity from smelling this 🤣. The opening scared me a little with the blast of booze but it does settle down into the background and the chocolate and apricot take center stage. I do get Halloween vibes as some other reviewers pointed out. Moderate projection but beastmode longevity - I can still smell it on myself the next morning. Sexy and fun and definitely going on my full bottle wishlist.

I simply can't get enough of this. Every time I wear it I keep smelling something exquisite in the air and after a minute I realize it's me. 😀 You can detect the apricot, chocolate, and booze on first spray but the dry down is where the magic happens IMHO. All the notes combine to create an other-worldly scent that is more than the sum of its parts. Sorry I can't be more specific but I've never smelled anything like it before at that point and it stimulates the pleasure centers of my brain. Longevity at first was not great but the longer this sits the better it becomes. Now I smell it all day.

Words cannot describe how incredible this smells to me – Hands down my favorite perfume buy of 2023. I remember ordering a sample, wearing it 2x, then immediately running to purchase at full size (and trust, this stuff is not cheap!)... Boozy chocolate syrupy apricot? Yes please! It’s lovely to find a unique gourmand that stands on its own uniqueness – nothing else in my collection compares, which says a lot. Just as the name suggests, everything happening here is dark, brown, deep, and deliciously delectable. This is so seductive and luscious– A very sophisticated gourmand indeed.

This is crazy good, really good, fabulous, and smells unique, realistic, boozy, yummy, and addictive. I am still determining how the perfumer-made notes smell so delicious. It literally smells like natural apricot soaked in cognac, covered with chocolate, and drizzled with cocoa, plus so much more. If a famous brand had created this perfume, it would have been more expensive and raved about by many. People should know about Dulce Diablo; they should at least try it. Credit to the perfumer.

To me this is rum/cognac, dried apricots and dark choose!! Smells very sweet and juicy, I just wanna eat it! 😋 However the performance is disappointing. I don’t smell this on myself after an hour or two. It also sits pretty close to the skin. The sillage is only strong upon spraying it nd then it quickly starts to sit close to the skin. I wish the performance was better, I would’ve given it a 10/10. However, in my opinion this is the best and most realistic gourmand that’s out there! ♥️

Ok this was love at first sniff for me. Full bottle worthy perhaps, once I look at the price I will decide. I bought a 5 ml decant and I'm happy with that for now. Reminds me of Gourmand Bakhoor in that they are both polarizing but they don't smell exactly alike. Dulce Diablo is less lactonic and milky than GB but just as creamy and robust. All of the notes play beautifully with each other. I just love this. Delicious, warm, sultry and inviting. Definitely my scent profile.