Patchouli Intense

Patchouli Intense is a beautiful and unusual take on a patchouli-dominant scent. After a lull of sorts in my Nicolaï discovery set (nothing bad, but several unremarkable scents), PI is another masterpiece from the repertoire of the formidably talented Patricia de Nicolaï. A multifaceted scent, it is at times aromatic and herbal, becoming balsamic and featuring some amber and woody nuances along the way. It shares facets of the chypre and fougère families without truly adhering to either scent profile. Patchouli is placed firmly centre-stage here, and it somehow feels different to other patchouli scents. I have long found patchouli to be a challenging but ultimately rewarding note - I used to dislike it, and avoided scents containing a prominent patchouli note, but now I count it among my favourite notes. Le Labo Patchouli 24 and Perris Monte Carlo Patchouli Nosy Be (and, to a lesser extent, Frédéric Malle Monsieur) are my favourite patchouli scents, and I would now put PI up there with those. PI opens with a bright orange note, adding freshness up top. It is followed closely by the green herbal accord, smooth and aromatic, led by peppery geranium and bright, punchy lavender, adding a barbershop quality up top. The patchouli of the title emerges shortly afterwards, forming the backbone of this scent. It is a clean, smooth patchouli - high-quality and refined rather than earthy or smoky. It is airy and bright up top, and the aromatic accord gives it a restorative feeling. As it develops, the patchouli is joined by sweet-spicy cinnamon, adding depth and darkness to this scent. Powdery rose joins, melding beautifully with the patchouli and spices here. The balsamic base develops slowly in the background, keeping things smooth and melding seamlessly with the patchouli. The vanilla alongside the patchouli gives an almost chocolate-like effect here. I adore a chocolate-patchouli impression in perfume, and while it is just a small part of this perfume, it is a lovely inclusion. Some smooth, dry sandalwood complements this part nicely. It remains quite aromatic until the end, becoming cleanly musky as it fades. Sillage is strong and longevity is long-lasting. It is a unisex, transeasonal scent, versatile despite its originality. PI is an unusual, compelling patchouli scent that is deeply satisfying throughout. Restorative and comforting yet avant-garde - all while being wearable - PI is a gem. One of Mme de Nicolaï's best, and that is saying something. 5/5.

Very impressed with this, after sampling the original patchouli homme.. I felt they are on to something here. but it was just a little underwhelming to me. Nicolai figured it out with their intense version. very nice indeed... now this is what I am talking about! Did not go too heavy with this to start and I am finding it to be the patchouli scent I have been looking for. it does remind me of the 70's when that scent was floating around on great looking hippie chicks, my older cousin was a great looking hippy dude and he wore patchouli oils.He always smelled so good. One of those smells that was on his clothes and you could detect traces of it even after he left the scene.. to me this is a masculine patchouli and worth testing if you love patchouli. I could see this as a frequent wear for me, beginning to love this fragrance.. it seems to have excellent longevity and that is such a wonderful bonus when you find a fragrance you dig wearing. thanks for the memories. It is one of those that I could see some not liking.. or they have a certain idea of what a patchouli scent should be. there are a lot of them to chose from. This is a bit different than some of the more "louder" patchouli scents I have tried.. for me this is more my cup of tea. My wife likes this one on me. She doesn't think it would work well on her though. I am not so sure she is right about that. She has a quieter personality so maybe? From my point of view I would say it would smell wonderful on a feisty woman, would be very sexy indeed..( hopefully I can get my wife to try it ).. If you are into Patchouli scents I would recommend you try this if you can.. I bought some samples from lucky scent to compare it with the original, then I placed my order once I knew .. I was close to buying Patchouli Homme. I was starting to enjoy it more but so glad I tried this first. This is the same idea just a bit more punch and longevity to it or it seems to bring out what I enjoy most about this fragrance. I do think either way they both are great patchouli fragrances and I would give a thumbs up for both. my wife has started to change her tune.. thought I detected it on her, she told me .. it was there I thought I would try it, I know believe we will share this.. it does work well on her..

I used to like a long lasting frag, till i met this. Patchouli Intense has a great performance, i mean really great! IMO its how EDP concentration should be, and other brands should have this frag's standard on making their EDP. The projection and sillage are not in beast category, but its close to be called a beast. Just from 2 sprays on my arms, almost choked me in my bedroom, i had to wash it off. Lesson learned, this is not a small room frag. Im not a faint hearted, im used to strong frags such as Unique'e Luxury's line, Xerjoff Alex II, Amouage Royal Tobacco, and many more; but Patchouli Intense somehow choking me in a small room. But thats not the worst thing from this frag. What i hate the most is the longetivity. This frag stupidly lasts even on the skin, u cant get rid of the scent easily. On clothes, it could survive a wash! So this is pissing me off because when i want to use other frags, the scents get mixed. But if u use this as ur daily driver, or only use this on special occasions, this could work for u. Since this has an eternal longetivity, the projection and sillage are insane. Its still radiating from my skin even after 6h passed. Not as strong as the first few hours, but i still get waff and people around me still able to detect it without bringing their noses to my skin. Scent wise, i really adore and love this. I wouldnt call this a fougere frag, but this certainly has a bit of fougere vibe. It smells clean, profesional, classy, and masculine. Its versatile for day and night scent, also u can wear this on a hot day, just go easy with the trigger. Well even in other situations, just go easy on the trigger. Its potent and it lasts. Other than the scent, the bottle has the best atomizer for me. Ik some people might prefer Sauvage or Mancera kind of atomizer, but the mist from pressurized atomizer will bounce back if u spray it on ur clothes, so thats a waste. The mist from this atomizer is evenly spreaded in the perfect amount that i like. Its so satisfying, the best atomizer for me personally. Overall, this is a lovely frag, but i hate the eternal longetivity on this. This is a first time for me to hate a long lasting frag.

When I first sprayed this on I noticed a somewhat strong Citronellol smell from the Geranium Bourbon, then came the candied orange, followed by a very well balanced lavender. After about a half hour I noticed the Patchouli starts its entrance blended perfectly with Turkish Rose, as well as a hint of cinnamon, and the lavender is still alive and doing very well. The Patchouli blends seamlessly being on the neutral side, but still very noticeable to me being extremely refined. Over the next couple hours maybe longer, the lavender makes its departure with an extremely slow fade. I am enjoying the Turkish Rose at this time and slowly start to notice the sandalwood which grows more intense with time and is later combined with a very nice smelling incense. This seems to dirty the Patch up ever so slightly from being so refined to begin with, and gives it a masculine kick in the ass. The vanilla is not sweet, and rather neutral, I haven't been able to make it out yet. It seems to me the sweetness is from the amber. Personally this scent keeps me interested for the entire show, their is never a dull moment, since their are not many people raving about this...PLEASE!!! ALLOW ME!!! Longevity is crazy good! You will put this on at night and wake up smelling it in the morning guaranteed! I've noticed if you put a fresh layer on top of a partial dry down I get 24 hrs. no problem! Sillage is at an arms length easy for several hours! I didn't expect to like Patchouli Intense as much as I do! The performance and complexity is done flawlessly. This is not only 100ml bottle worthy. It's two 100ml bottle worthy. I wore this twice and ordered a second bottle with no regrets. If I lived in Europe I would buy the 250ml. Extremely Unisex! I can see why any man or women would want to wear this it smells amazing! Perfect! 10/10 I'm in love!

OK...for once the 'intense' in the name of a scent means something! This is a hippy marathon runner! I'm a self acknowledged lover of the patchouli and sandalwood combo & this is bang on the money. After a little citrus, lavender and geranium in the head notes, which more or less burn off after an hour or two, there also emerges a gorgeous Turkish rose note that has me thinking back to Histoires' Noir Patchouli, which gets very 'pink musk stick' in the mid notes. But PI, never rolls right on down that sweetness alley, I think thanks to that lovely dry sandalwood and its outstanding base, which keeps it more grounded and dustier than Noir. In the base I feel some amber and incense along with a hint of leather. It takes a few hours to hear these notes, but that's the wonderful thing about powerhouse scents that take their time to develop and escort you on a scented journey. As previously mentioned, this is a longevity beast. I put a single spritz from this sample on each wrist almost 12 hours ago & it's barely lost any intensity at all. I hear its predecessor Patchouli Homme has somewhat the opposite issue, so some good work has been put into it's sibling in that department it would seem! Not sure I'd be brave enough to wear this in an office or anything where I might frighten any of the humans, because this throws like a total mofo too! What more can I say? As a patch lover, this sample was worth every cent I paid for it (it was quite a lot of cents for 4-5ml if memory serves me!), and due to it's strength and the fact that I'd only find the odd occasion suited to wearing it, I'd say I won't be requiring a further purchase any time soon! Great stuff!

I'm going to try to make this a short review, but Patchouli Intense is quite a complex animal and I could get locked into an incoherent ramble about the sensations and vibes I get from it. Let's keep it simple and stick to the basics, there's a comparison to Incense Oud by Nicolai a fragrance I purchased at the same time from the brand, and while it's true, they are quite different as well. Also my perceptions of this were not patchouli at first, I mean I didn't even like the fragrance but as it wore on I because more conscious of patchouli and the growing sense of a men's masculine framework of yesteryear. The opening is now peppery woods and heavy patchouli, but it's not dank, wet, hippy, it's dry and unique if I'm honest. I smell rose (and apparently geranium) but it's very low in the mix, I like it though it lends, depth and opulence. It's smooth and rounded can't say the basenotes listed here come through, accept of course for sandalwood. This is the curious blend of milky and edgeless and spicy, rough, woodshop working, sandalwood. It's BRILLIANT!!! I don't even feel I've run the full gamut of emotions where this fragrance is concerned and so far it's been a mulicolour rollercoaster, of love and hate, that is clearly an emotive fragrance, this is what we all want, Pat has achieved something here, and it's not even immediately apparent. I think I've said this in other reviews that there's something stuffy and traditional about Nicolai, something which never quite elevates them into perfumes you long for. However, across the board they are SOLID, and if you love perfume you can't help but admire them.

Gorgeous Fragrance! I first encountered Patchouli Intense while sampling the offerings of NICOLAÏ PARFUMEUR-CREATEUR and soon I purchased 30 ml bottles of Patchouli Intense, New York Intense, Cuir Cuba Intense, and Neroli Intense. All Patricia de Nicolaï’s creations are beautiful and each have unique character. Patchouli Intense is a much loved all-time favorite of mine. Patchouli Intense by Nicolaï is like walking through a blooming manicured garden on an early spring at first light as frost dusts the ground – your senses awakened to the announcement of new life and a new season as the sun breaks over the horizon and the dark spices of winter linger closely by. PI is enchanting, regal, and alluring. I recall the first compliment I received wearing Patchouli Intense. I was in Washington DC on business early February 2019. While preparing to leave the hotel for the conference, I walked to the front lobby to request the car and grab coffee. The early February morning was cold, windy, but sunny. While returning to the elevator, I passed a woman walking her small dog. I noticed her to the side as she grabbed up the pup like a handbag and quickly made her way behind me to get on the elevator. She promptly said, "Sir, may I ask what you are wearing? You smell amazing." I smiled and replied, "Thank you! It's Patchouli Intense by Patricia de Nicolaï." If I remember correctly, the pooch was less than amused but the encounter was memorable for me. Back to the fragrance: scent: 10/10 with exceptional durability and sillage.

Wow! Over 5 years on, and I still really like this scent! An annoying thing I do is in my insatiable need to accumulate and hoard, and test test test, decide on what I like, buy it, and then return to test test testing -- and oftentimes, I end up with a whole heaps of BNIB perfumes that I bought, like, 5 years ago, and I haven't even used them yet! I remember the origins of my journey with this well, too -- I ended up getting this as a sample from Lucky Scent in my LAST order with them (from HK days), and I don't think I even got around to trying it out until I got back from (Melbs). I tried this out early 2020, JUST before the covid madness started, and I had a massive day out with my wife (Fishermen's Bend, Westgate park, punt, etc), and I decided then and there YES, this is something I want. The next week, basically, the world stopped and before you know it, no one was sending stuff anywhere, and it was quite the pain! I ended up getting this in late 2020, BNIB from Lucky Scent, and it's been BNIB since! I finally opened it today and I STILL love it. It's a patchouli-forward scent, with rose-geranium, spice and an ambery base. I really REALLY do love this one, I feel. I really really like the way it presents as warm, welcoming and just cozy. It's a really cozy scent, I feel... To quote the notorious logorrheist, mohsen95, 9 / 10...

A patchouli fragrance like no other. I do not get the uber-fougere, or barbershop vibe others speak about in their reviews. Overall, I am pleasantly surprised with this fragrance. Wasn’t sure what to expect when I applied a generous amount of fragrance from my 10ml decant. Patchouli Intense is all about the mixture of accords and notes, not a single note, or a solo patchouli experience. Opening is bright, herbal, green, citrusy and quite floral. I easily detect lavender and other bright florals in the opening notes. On skin, the fragrance quickly develops and deepens with earthy, green, herbal-leaning patchouli, some smooth woods, amber and vanilla. The base notes seem to last forever and deliver a cozy, comforting, slightly floral, somewhat herbaceous, woody vanilla landing. Patchouli is present but not overwhelming, nor does the patchouli drown out the other accords, or notes. This perfect harmony of notes has consistently been my experience with many Nicolai Parfumeur fragrances because the notes are well-balanced, exquisitely blended and near perfection. I will live with this for a while to see if it remains a true love. May be full bottle worthy because Patchouli Intense is like no other perfume I currently have in my very modest collection.

Season: All seasons, day and night. It would be easy for any wearer of this fragrance to become addicted and wear it all the time. Occasion: Date night, going out on the weekend, sophisticated events such as the symphony. Due to its prominent sillage, it would not suit many indoor events or office wear. Likewise, its strength and projection may interrupt a degustation menu. Patricia Nicolai is the Midas of the fragrance world; everything she creates is pure gold. Patchouli is not the most defining characteristic upon first application, but plays its part from the second act, which is why some people may have commented that this fragrance’s name is misleading. Instead, orange, cinnamon and rose sit proud at the beginning and about an hour later, this frag becomes more balanced with the woody/mossy patchouli combination playing its part. Lavender is always present throughout the entire experience, but never overpowering or playing a leading role. Forewarned is forearmed: apply sparingly, for this frag projects far and with vigour. It is never classy to be smelt before you are seen.

It does smells like a vintage perfume, which i love. Despite the name, i think the patchouli is just a support that build on the vintage aldehyde soapy and powdery kind of notes with sharp peppery notes comes with it, but the dry down is pretty modern for me. My skin chemistry with powdery notes were never compatible as far as i tried as many, as it turns super salty and unpleasant for my like, but this one is an exception that remain stable with drying down to spicy sharp peppery musk instead of old dusty granny powdery notes that i find in NY intense. This is my 1st perfume that made me feel like want to bath in it, i want to smells like it after shower, i feel lovely smelling myself in this. Probably this is how Marylin feels with chanel no.5 or lanvin arpege as she wears it to bed, thats how i feel like i want to do with this. It is a def a gem for people who love this kind of classic vintage scents, and for me that hardly able to find perfume with vintage smells that stable with my skin chemistry, this such a treasure find for me.

Patchouli Intense is another winner from the House of Nicolai. The name can be a wee bit misleading here as even though Patchouli provides the spine of the fragrance and gets top billing, lavender and geranium are co-starring with equally meaty roles. Top notes are a bright floral punch of lavender, geranium and Orange providing a soapy freshness. Just beautifully captivating from first sniff. The Heart remains floral with the geranium joined by hints of rose. It does turn a bit darker with the cinnamon and the Patchouli joining in the mid to dry down phases with slight hints of incense and musk which is kind of the trademark Nicolai Base. In summation this is a beautiful, kind of soapy floral patchouli in the grand manner with all the bells and whistles. Projection is a good solid cloud around you for most of it's scent life and longevity again is excellent, in the 10 hour range. If a bright, airy, floral patchouli frag with great performance sounds like something you might like, definitely check this one out. Fabulous. 9/10

I wholeheartedly recommend this fragrance (and I don’t often say that). It’s a dry, spicy, aromatic fragrance with a patchouli that’s unlike no other; this patchouli is dry but rich, like 95% dark chocolate, as it’s bitter, unsweetened, nutty, savoury, silken and with a powdered coffee base. But don’t think that is is sweet nor gourmand, as it’s actually the opposite, as it’s dry and green, like powdered matcha tea with a pinch of ground black pepper. This is what Bracken Man should have been (but went too damp/swampy/earthy). It has a similar aromatic, green, spiciness of Safari but modernised and made with superb quality and strength. It is a classic men's fragrance but also manages to stay current, but it does lean just over the unisex line towards men’s suits and jumper territory. I love it though. Every man should own this. Unfortunately, it actually doesn’t last for more than a few hours in my skin. That’s just me though, as others get amazing longevity.

Starts off as a sweet, floral chypre with bright, spring/summer, almost more feminine notes. The dry-down though is where the magic happens. PI settles down to an atypical patchouli accord that is not earthy or dirty, but green and fougère-like. This is what makes this Nicolaï gem lean more masculine. Then there is the occasional waft of Nishane's Hacivat too... Longevity is eternal; indeed this is the most powerful projecting scent I have. If you are OK with this and if you can find a good deal at a discounter, like Maxaroma, I'd say that this is a must for anyone who enjoys a more retro style. Shares geranium and lavender with Chanel's exquisite Platinum Égoïste, though there is a slight oriental twist here, thanks to the cinnamon/incense combo (incense is not listed on Fragrantica). Could appeal to fans of the barbershop/old school genre in search of a new direction, like...some New Romantic looking for the TV sound...Oscar Wilde per chance?

I'd give this a 9.5 /10 because of its craftmanship--there's just something about the geranium opening that is really enticing. Someone mentioned that they get lots of moss on the drydown and I completely agree. The best way I can describe it is: a very rich, very refined fougere mashup of Brute and old Polo Green. Obviously much more refined than Brute while maintaining Brute's freshness and obviously not tobacco-harsh like Polo yet retaining Polo's gorgeous greenness. Plus, as everyone has mentioned, it's got unbelievable longevity, it's really incredible. It turns into a high-quality soapy and faintly-powdery fougere. The citrus notes take a long time to dissipate too. Lovely fragrance in my view. (the patchouli must be a clearwood version or just a super clean version because I don't get the dark rooty grassiness from this, and I smell the normal patchouli every single day as part of my job).

Do not buy this if you're looking for a patchouli forward scent! BUT, if you're looking for a beautiful woody, herbal geranium with patchouli holding the composition together you might want to try this. Under the geranium the orange and amber will play a prominent role. If you miss your patchouli it will come up with the sandalwood and last throughout the rest of the life of this perfume. And the longevity of this perfume is stellar. You will wear out before it does. I can't say enough good things about Pathcouli Intense. Between this and New York Intense I can't decide which is my favorite Nicolai Parfumeur scents. This stuff is what perfumes were made to do. It entertains me, it lasts, it surprises me and I feel in good company when I'm wearing it. I freakin love this stuff, Really....... Sometimes I put this on and want to weep it's so beautiful.

This is quite a stunning scent. The intense opening of lavender, rose geranium backed by a lot of patch. A very obvious dense fougere. It feels masculine but on the dry down its more unisex. I wouldn't recommend a fella wearing more than a couple of sprays as this stuff is nuclear! Great longevity and big sillage in a warm environment. I enjoy it more after 30 mins when the amber, rose, orange and cinnamon finally get to peek out. It now has more warmth but still potent. I knew there was something familiar about the dry down. It reminds me a lot of Chanel Mademoiselle Intense but less sweet and heavy. This has some kick from the geranium and lavender. A nice scent for a chilly day. I think it's too much for office wear but each to there own. I wouldn't want to get in a lift where someone has generously sprayed this on.

occasionally, you hear of a 3+ ingredient mix that leads to an amazing accord; this perfume is one of those. who would've thought that rose/geranium, lavender, amber and patchouli would lead to such an amazing, bubbly, sweet and spritely. it's weird, too, because it's not the type of perfume i would ever go for, and yet, here i am, inspired and motivated so much that i'm writing about it on fragrantica. so many scents that i like have an initial period that i don't care for. you know, i need to wait until x developes, or y disappears, and so on and so on. this, too, is one of these types of scents. i'm not sure what the undesirable opening accord that i don't like is, but it goes, i really enjoy the scent. gonna continue trying it out and looking for a full body, possibly...

This is excellent. Review based on a 30ml bottle that is approx 2-3 years old. Spicy, floral and woody chypre fragrance. Very high quality and well blended patchouli fragrance that doesn’t smell dated. This can be worn during any season but I wouldn’t wear this on a boiling hot summer day. BUT... be careful as it is ridiculously strong and lasts forever. I can smell 2-3 sprays on skin 12++ hours later. On clothes... Years? Decades? 😜 Lasts an insanely long time on fabrics in any case. I would strongly advise against wearing this to the office or in close quarters like a long car ride. This also projects like crazy. I love this fragrance but it is far from a dumb reach and I am always super cognizant of how many sprays and where I wear this one. You have been warned. 😜

This is just as much Pelargonium graveolens as it is Pogostemon cablin, with the former lifting the qualities of the latter. The geranium lends a vigorous sharp head note, bitter-green, herbaceous, with its rosy undertones merging with the patchoulyl acetate-forward patchouli. Patchoulyl acetate provides a warmer, woodier contrast, a bit "cleaner" than full-on patchouli, and this could perhaps account for why some don't perceive the patchouli as they come to expect its large personality, being far greener and expansive. The overall feel is a most magnificent bouquet of aromatic proportions, with a barbershop fougere feel and a certain transparency that belies its strength and tenacity. It's a great creation from Patricia de Nicolai.