1+1 Folia

Blind bought this based on notes after a recent trip to Hawaii where I smelled very strong petrichor and wanted to try a fragrance with a strong geosmin note. Read some blogs online that said this was unpleasantly vegetal. I like Yatagan which is strong vegetal (even though sometimes I get tired of it and have had some negative comments when I've worn it) so that didn't put me off it. It came with a nice insert of articles from NEZ magazine describing the process of their 1+1 brand: the magazine sponsors collaborations between visual artists and perfumers to translate the themes of their visual art into a fragrance. In this case the visual artist is Eva Jospin whose works are carvings made of cardboard that eerily and realistically evoke forest scenes. The fragrance is a fairly literal translation of a forest into an olfactory form but it really works. The opening is a very strong geosmin smell, to a level where it's more reminiscent of beets than of fresh rain. But with the other leafy/mushroomy accords it is quite evocative of a boreal forest and to me quite pleasant. I did catch hints of fresh rain as the geosmin evaporates and reaches lower concentrations. I do catch the violet leaf in the heart notes but I could not pick out the orange blossom. The drydown is a fairly conventional mix of patchouli and vetiver but it never becomes pure vetiver like some other fragrances with that as the main base note do, you get a sense of the forest from the beginning to the end. Although by the end I would say the most distinctive qualities of the fragrance are gone. Sillage is only moderate and longevitiy is fairly short. I was tempted to keep hitting the smallish bottle over and over the day I got it to keep reliving that first hour in a rather fragrant damp forest. But I would say that this increases its wearability because even if you like the vegetal opening it dries down to a much less polarizing and very pleasant, intimate patchouli/vetiver with a bit of damp earth. Not for everyone but if the top notes are appealing to you I'd strongly recommend. I'm in the U.S. and got the 15 mL bottle (only size they offer) online from the manufacturer for $35 so a pretty easy blind buy. I love it so just wish they had a larger size bottle! Might order another one of the 1+1 series and another bottle of this when I inevitably run out.

I grew up in a farming village, miss the old country, love green fragrances, and wish I could find some that were earthier and/or more piercingly green than any I have. (I'd probably give one of my kidneys for a scent that smelt like ivy and that kept smelling like ivy.) Consequently I've been looking for a scent that could add earthy detail to compatible green/woody/aromatic fragrances. I tried Peau d'Ailleurs and I really like it but its geosmin accord is quite fleeting. Once that goes, what's left is, to my nose, a kind of unisex or feminine-leaning fruity musk smell that on its own does not quite fit the bill as regards earthiness. I much prefer Folia. In my opinion, this is somewhere near equal measures geosmin and petrichor. It has plenty of the ozonic airiness that is associated with petrichor but plenty of a kind of damp, mossy, atmospheric, almost mintily piercing, green-brown, dirty-fresh earthiness that makes me think of peat, humus, the potting mix I've been working on, etc. This is not very dusty the way I think of petrichor as smelling dusty. There is a little of the backdrop that I experience as a kind of fruity musk, but far, far less than in Peau d'Ailleurs. It's incidental here. The sillage is probably moderate but in this respect the fragrance punches above its weight because it's so aromatic that a little--I mean a little of the smell more than of the perfume itself--goes a long way. The longevity is moderate at best in my case, but I'm already perfectly satisfied as this goes on smelling like earth or humus and stays that way for some time. The fragrance is surely quite linear but I can't really see how it could be anything else given that the earthy smell does not immediately disappear. Obviously this is not a hugely versatile fragrance, but it does exactly what I hoped, and if this is anywhere near the kind of fragrance you're looking for--you will probably know just by looking at the notes--I think you're very likely to love it, as, at this point, do I. Actually I think this is a triumph.

Damp, fresh dug soil and petrichor. Pretty linear and there’s not a whole lot else going on with it, but it’s definitely the best I’ve found for that soil accord. Thought it would be more of a novelty perfume in my collection, but I find myself craving it specifically and reaching for it often.... when I’m wanting just that wet earth smell without a lot of other notes vying for attention, there’s really no other option. Really, it makes a good argument for the need for more one-note type of fragrances in production and in a collection. Well worth the price, I see myself buying another bottle as it’s only 15ml and has limited availability.

This scent is inspired by the smells of a rain forest, and it’s as described. Reminds me of the smells of arboretums, greenhouses, jungle enclosures at the zoo (not including the animals). It’s a very earthy, wet, and green scent. Well worth the price.

Oh my. This is fresh dug soil, out in the garden and everything is still wet from fresh rain. I know exactly that I will wear this when I’m away to the countryside or in the evening after a day wild swimming. I love it. Not over powering and quite simple, the novelty and delight is in the unusual subject of fragrance. It’s never going to be a signature but I think this brand is a fantastic project in experimenting. The price point is excellent. Can’t wait to try the two others I’ve purchased. Nice literature came with the package.