Chypre Fulminare

Upon initial application of Chypre Fulminare and catching those first few moments in the air as they landed on my skin, I thought NOPE! For a split second I thought I sensed a faecal note, Not for me! Oh how very wrong I was!!!!! Literally within another second my senses acclimatised and I realised that what I was interpreting as bodily waste was in part my lack of preparation and the intense, pungent aroma of beautiful ingredients coming together to overwhelm my sense of smell. 😀 Taking a moment, I realised I was fully immersed in a stunning, wonderful, chypre cloud of manliness. The very thing I had hoped this Naughton & Wilson offering would provide. I adore the more traditional scents above all other genres. Barbershop, fougere and chypres are where my heart lies and I feel a real joy when I hit the jackpot. I knew this was the case with Chypre Fulminare, it's gone straight in amongst my favourites, it just hits the spot. Despite that initial moment of panic and orientation, I found myself completely absorbed in an abundance of heavy notes including leather, incense, castoreum, labdanum and beautiful oakmoss. It is topped off with a gentle sway of citrus and pepper to give a little freshness and lift to all the heavyweights in the mix. Its just a little animalic! But it's also just interesting, refined and deep. This is a very manly scent but hey, anything goes these days! Definitely for a mature man who has lived a life and knows what he likes. This is not for boys and anyone who doesn't shave twice a day. 😆. You'll sprout hair all over just by wearing this scent, it's magnificent. Having said all the above, you should've gathered it's fairly powerful.....but in a controlled way. It's doesn't run amok in closed spaces but people will know you are present, in part due to its traditional and therefore noticeable profile amongst a million sweet, blue and generic products that are worn by the masses. Projection wise, you'll be easily whiffable at arms length and a bit for a few hours and then just a little less for several more before approaching something more intimate. You'll leave a decent sillage for many hours though. This stuff will cling to your skin all day and night. Others won't necessarily like this aroma but if you do then I suspect you wouldn't give a damn what anyone else thinks anyway. It's beautifully constructed. As the fragrance progresses through it's cycle all the elements stay detectable but those darker ingredients become even more heavenly, combining to make you smell distinctive, assertive and very alpha. All the while the more delicate notes continue to offer nuances of freshness and come across as someone well dressed and at least a level or two above the average man on the street. It's just so beautifully blended by a master of gentleman fragrances. Just remember though, this isn't a scent that is crafted to be a chemical weapon, this is an elegant potion for an individual who knows how to show a little restraint. If I'm honest, I would've liked just a little more performance to see me through a busy day with a bit more oomph towards the end! I'm nit-picking though, it's genuinely hard to fault! It's a three season scent with only warmer summer days not suitable, in general the cooler days are where this shines brightest but it's hard to tear yourself away from a spritz or two every morning. This is a fragrance that Every well dressed man needs in his arsenal, but only if you're the sort of guy who ploughs his own field and treads his own path. Suitable for any occasion too, but again, only if you have the minerals! If you wear this then in all likelihood you do! Well done, great work from Naughton & Wilson. Looking forward to trying a few more from the brand asap.

Naughton & Wilson Chypre Fulminare is the third release of the house (2022), the follow-up the fresh/spicy gems Gravitas (2020) and Bon Viveur (2021), the former being spicier and the latter being fresher, both excellent. Chypre Fulminare is darker than both, a chypre, yes, but dense with notes of frankincense, leather, castoreum, and pepper that add a lot of intensity to the more standard chypre/fougere-type formula of citrus, florals, and oakmoss. It’s not quite as versatile as Gravitas or Bon Viveur but is similar superb in sophistication and seems very thoroughly-conceived; it’s just a bit more apt for cooler weather and evening wear than it is for warm weather and daytime wear, in general, in my opinion. But it’s just as much of an achievement as the other two. I do like the spicier, borderline-animalic take on the chypre concept, a bit experimental and daring while still quite classy and not too over-the-top, arguably a bit restrained in its edginess. The house’s UK website does not seem to list Chypre Fulminare but it is still sold in the US by Luckyscent, priced at $125 for 100ml, very reasonable in the current market. So perhaps it’s been discontinued? I’m not sure. Look into it, I’d say, if you haven’t yet. The current deals on the house site for Gravitas and Bon Viveur are quite exceptional, also, if you’ve not tried either of those. 8 out of 10

This is an outstanding fragrance that’s growing on me steadily with each wearing. Beautiful projection lifts this scent off my skin into the air and it’s just lovely. Incense, black pepper, leather and oakmoss really stand out to my nose; and the added note of castoreum adds an animalic edge that takes this into another realm or class. The citrus and ylang ylang up top make the opening bright and fresh, but before long heart and base notes come to the foreground and the scent becomes something really special. Well blended and constructed for sure. Definitely a gem. I’m expecting this to get more and more praise over time!!

I have a collection of a couple hundreds fragrances including many Roja, Xerjoff, Amouage and so on. The quality of Chypre Fulminare is superb even compared to those. The ingredients smell natural like a Roja creation and most importantly, the smell is not only unique but sublime. It shares a certain fizzy, effervescent quality with Gravitas but is more powerful. This will sit on the shelf right next to Danger, Scandal, Oligarch and my two bottles of Gravitas. Great job Dan Norton and John Stephen. This reminds me of the Puredistance M cola vibe, plus the leather from Shalimar, plus a wonderful smokey incense effect.

I wasn’t a big fan of Bon Viveur but this is great. Not going by the notes I get a slightly candied citrus top with a nice woody base, smells of cedar to me. The leather is in the background on my skin which is fine by me. Definitely feels like an ode to vintage masculine perfume but much more wearable than brooding so I guess you could say modernized. This isn’t reminding me of anything at the moment so I’m quite impressed with it managing to feel vintage yet carrying uniqueness at the same time. This feels like it could be worn most seasons too depending on the amount of sprays. 8.5 out of 10.

Chypre Fulminare Is a magnificent entry to the house of Naughton & Wilson. It is a fully realized and robusty masculine powerhouse that never has to try to prove its superiority in style and excellence. It is to me something amazing, a throwback to a classic era of men’s fragrance with just the right touch of modernity to make it exemplary and exceptionaly wearable. This may be a problem to younger noses and to those young men and women I say, Chypre Fulminare is a fragrance to aspire to, to grow into along with the best experiences of life.

A wonderful, masculine old school chypre. I really enjoy this scent, it's very well blended and every ingredient shows up and dances together. As it dries down the vetiver and oak moss play and the castoreum sneaks in and you get just a little funk. This is definitely a shirt and tie scent for me , a very classy upscale scent. Maybe not for the young guys I think this will appeal to a more mature man . But don't write this off as another YouTuber fragrance. This is very nice and worth a bottle or two.

It's not bad, but it smells like a poor man's Chypre Palatin, and it just makes me want to wear Chypre Palatin. This one is less magical and less bombastic, and smells more like an Eau de Cologne than a full blown chypre. No shade though, it's very pleasant.

Another fantastic release by Dan at N&W that I am seeing a trend in bringing "old school masculine" into the modern area. Classy, elegant and high quality! Scent: 9 Projection: 8.5 Longevity: 9 Value: 9

Now this has gravitas! This is not for the faint of heart, wear it when composure is needed. It has some real power and depth to it so when you wear it, pls act accordingly. Absolute love for me.

One of the best blindbuys i’ve ever made, this smells like business and money.

It's rare to have a men's fragrance with ylang-ylang forward, but the pepper and incense smoothe out the ylang-ylang's buttery floral smell in nice and interesting ways. There are just teeny-tiny touches of leather and castoreum behind this, too, which also increase the masculinity of the overall fragrance. The labdanum, vetiver, and oakmoss (along with the juicy lime) allow for the elegant chypre effect. Naughton & Wilson seem to go for a retro approach, and that does seem vaguely reminiscent (although it is not actually close to) two of the most famous late 20th century masculine chypres (although they are not similar to one another), Antaeus and Aramis for Men. Yet this is unusual enough that it would be a good signature scent for someone, and it is remarkably versatile--you could wear this in all but the hottest of weathers, and both for the office and for a night out.

Old school chypre vibe which is delightful. Many of Naughton & Wilson fragrances are very well crafted and lovely profile. Its opening is strong and settles into delightful vetiver scent which I am a big fan of. Definitely for the mature crowd and is very sophisticated and gentlemanly which is right up my alley. I will pick up a bottle if I find a great price for sure. Has just that little bit of funk in it to keep it interesting. Pretty solid release!

4.6 (at the time of writing) is lofty indeed but this is pretty good. Its green rather than fruity. Think Mitsouko, Chypre Siam, Femme Rochas, J-L Scherrer's EDT. Then overlay with wafts of Terre Hermes. In this way the greenness and bitterness is tempered and there's a little sweetness. Which means Chype Fulminare is accessible and perhaps more wearable than others. Performance is good and pricing reasonable. 3.5/5

I was hoping this would be a mediocre attempt at a Chypre and I could whistle away happy in my song and self satisfaction. But no this is a beautifully crafted Chypre that’s eerily close to my favourite Chypre of all time; Chanel’s Antaeus. This is good it’s very good. I like it a lot. My Favourite from Messers Naughton and Wilson. 7.9/10

I have to say that this is a good Fragrance but I just don't like it personally... The opening is really robust and reminds me of Diaghilev but it plummets to a skin scent FAIRLY soon and it's vetiver vetiver vetiver.... It would be more aptly named "relentless vetiver"... I think it's a GOOD fragrance that's just not to my personal taste... Definitely give it a try!!

Very similar to Creed's Millesime 1849. It also reminds me of a more upscale version of Grey Flannel. This is the most old school of N&W's in every way, and needs a more mature nose to appreciate it. Reminds me of a trip I took to central England several years ago when we visited Nottingham and Derby, and took strolls though the towns and countryside.

N&W created a modern-day chypre with a bit of a retro-touch. I can see some people liking this one but not me. I’m not a fan of the Ylang-Ylang with that castoreum.

As I expected, this is a bit nasty. I'm afraid of animalic chypres and this perpetuates and justifies my fear. Smells somewhat animalic and medicinal, particularly in the opening. Like the smell of the waiting room of your local veterinarian hospital. Another scent association might be the smell of your dogs bandaid after taking it off its hind quarters. It gets a bit better in the drydown as the animalic and medicinal smell give way somewhat to a sweet spiciness. I like Gravitas and have hope for its flanker, but this Chypre is a pass.

This is excellent. I suspect the mixed bag of reactions in the reviews below are less of an accurate representation of the quality and execution of the fragrance itself, and more of an example of people seeking out an "influencer fragrance" without truly understanding the construction of a chypre. This is very clearly an homage to the powerhouse masculine chypres of years past, but it is blended very tastefully and cleaned up significantly to fit the expectations of modern perfumery. Fulminare is subtle and smooth, whereas Aramis can be brash and overbearing. It has hints of animalics that accentuate the mid and base, whereas the animalics in Antaeus take center stage and outshine the other notes in the Chanel classic. It settles on a leathery oakmoss base reminiscent of Halston Z14, but it remains noticeably less dry, and slightly sweeter, than it's vintage counterpart through the use of modern aromachemicals that feel much more familiar to a modern nose than a splash from the dark brown bottle on grandpa's dresser. Fulminare opens with a zesty but short-lived citrus medley, that is quickly overtaken by a creamy ylang ylang note backed by a dry leather and a light smoke from the incense. As the fragrance settles, the ylang ylang fades in intensity and eventually becomes a supporting note to the leather, creating a hint of semisweet chocolate similar to the sweetness in Guerlain LIDGE. As the fragrance moves to the base, the leather and ylang ylang from the mid mixes with a strong note of oakmoss, a spicy labdanum, a bit of ambergris freshness, and a relatively "clean" synthetic castoreum. This base is the longest stage of the fragrance's progression, and it eventually fades to sweet and spicy leather skin scent that lingers for hours. If this was re-bottled and packaged in a certain cube shaped bottle with a gold plaque and bejeweled cap, certain "collectors" would be proclaiming it a modern masterpiece and justifying it's accompanying 4 figure pricetag. However, at it's current price point of roughly $100 (USD), it punches well above its weight class. Longevity is very good, projection is close enough to not offend sensitive noses but far enough to get noticed in close encounters. It creates a nice scent bubble, and you'll get wafts throughout the day as your body moves and your skin warms. In short, it performs exactly how you want this style of fragrance to perform. I truly believe that any fan of this style of fragrance will be pleasantly surprised by this one, and I highly recommend it.