Fougère Nobile

Fougère Nobile is part of the unisex collection, which has as presentation pattern the metallized label, 100ml bottles and a box whose print refers to the geometric pattern of stone façades of historical palaces, churches and cathedrals, as a tribute to Liguria, land that adopted the company. This line is called I Rigati (The Stripes) and currently has six perfumes available, since Lavanda Nobile is no longer produced. Fougère Nobile was released in 2015 and had, as a creative concept, to portray the style of the gentleman of an era, more precisely, 1946. The background to the emergence of the creative concept speaks of a visit involving Umberto and his son, Vittorio, to his tailor in the city of Turin on June 11th, 1946. At the time, fabrics such as Tweed and Oxford had just arrived from London and soon became indispensable articles in the attire of the distinguished lords of high society. And it was there, in this studio, that little Vittorio saw a bottle and sprayed on his father a fragrance that, according to the tailor, symbolized the "scent of rebirth", referring to the formation of the Republic. Fougère Nobile makes you forget everything you believe you know about fougère perfumes, constructed with notes of bergamot, lavender and an oakmoss base. Here, there is a connection with tradition and present times, like the dream of a better future. That was what the tailor was talking about in naming the scent of rebirth. The fragrance features notes of lavender, bergamot, basil absolute and black pepper, which blend with notes of elemi, geranium and Aldehyde C12, on a creamy base of tobacco, vetiver, tonka bean, patchouli, sandalwood and white musk. This C12 Aldehyde is the name given to synthetic composed of a 12-carbon chain. It is more used in fine perfumery and gives volume and strength to the fragrance, even expanding its projection power. In the case of C12 (or C12 MNA) the result usually pulls towards the sweet, unlike the metallized content of C11 aldehyde, for example. On the skin, Fougère Nobile is more than a story, but a way to review concepts. There is a mixture between the green and the almondy; the balsamic and the floral; the creamy and the menthol. Although it has not presented distinct steps in my skin, it is a multifaceted and timeless perfume. Every time I wear this fragrance, I feel like it's a more current version of the classic Pour Un Homme de Caron (1934). I can feel an old school effect, nuances of fragrances that go back to the smell of barbershop, the mentholated side of the geranium, the creaminess of the tonka bean, the sugary sweetness of tobacco, etc. And everything works in a very cozy and elegant way. And the best part is: although it tries to portray the gentleman, it is not an exclusively male fragrance. Fougère Nobile portrays well the image of the one who values the family, is wise and thirsty for knowledge; has sensitivity and considers himself a genuine romantic; that man who exudes charm and does not wear conventional fragrances or those that became trend or hype.

This is a wonderful fougère I would very much love to add to my collection. The opening blast is really heavenly: the tobacco and tonka bean produce an accord that smells fruity and is at the perfect level of sweetness without seeming cloying. As the fragrance dries down, the musk and the vetiver take more of a center stage, and seem quite classy. This would be a wonderful scent to wear to the office, or on a date, or anywhere. Both beautiful and impressive. UPDATE 10/5/24: I did indeed buy a full bottle of this, and I have received many compliments when I wear this. I was once chased down out of doors by a woman who wanted to know what I was wearing because she liked the smell of this so much on the sidewalk. I've noticed there are some comments in the reviews about whether or not this is a real fougère, and I'd like to point out that this very much does qualify as what the industry calls a "new fougère" in the wake of the 2000 IFRA regulations severely restricting oakmoss. (In its place, the "new fougère" uses patchouli or vetiver, and this fragrance uses vetiver in the place of oakmoss.) What this is not is a classic fougère that's a simple freshie, which most people are used to smelling and thinking of when they hear the term "fougère." Fougère Nobile has the elements of a fougère, but added to it (to make it interesting )are some darker, dirtier notes, such as tobacco and black pepper. Whether you like the addition of these notes is something you'll have to figure out for yourself by sampling, but this absolutely IS a fougère as the perfume industry now defines the term, as the presence of the bergamot, lavender, and geranium in this attest. (And there are other tobacco-heavy fougères out there, such as Dusita's La Rhapsodie Noire--another terrific fragrance.)

Finally arrived. Completely straight forward slightly dry Lavender stem, leaves and oil. Any other notes are skilfully blended to enhance the scent - bar the tonka where a tiny smidge is detected nose to skin. This helps make it a lovely natural perfume rather than a natural oil. This (together with Aqua Nobile) appear to be like AlysonOldoini which are successful without going to a dark deep base for enhancement and longevity with sandalwood, oakmoss, patchouli etc which seems to be how everyone else would do it - it remains quite light and fresh - so any depth in darkness is a delicate addition. This can mean though it doesn’t project super well or last very long. There is definitely a scent bubble which lasts at the low end of moderate maybe four hours then it’s a nice skin scent with the tonka more prominent. The bubble is stronger than you may think but in reality this is a classic aromatic Fougere upgrade over a classic cologne or EDT - just! This would almost be an identical lighter version of Oriza Scotch Lavande which I also own. Is it then redundant? No, there are days I want this smell, mostly in summer and in winter I’d easily grab my Oriza instead. It’s high quality build if you want something and simple it might be for you.

Okay not much to say about this other than it’s a very well made, pleasant smelling fragrance with the classic combination of citrus, lavender, and coumarin, whipped into a creamy lather. It lacks a little punch or individually even compared to 1725, reflection, and certainly the Houbigant or invasion b... but the fact it’s being mentioned in reference to those I guess you know what to expect. Just to address the last commenter here, who clearly has impeccable taste don’t get me wrong, rocking Balenciaga pour Homme... but this is pretty much the epitome of what a Fougere is as it has all the elements, if a little safe and beige. I get we can broaden out the definition and perhaps even omit some parts of the Fougere make up to create Fougere adjacent fragrances but the classic definition being Houbigant’s original you have to say this is a faithful modern interpretation of an old folk song, recipe which frankly I love whether it’s a bit lack lustre like this one or a spandex upon with patchouli like the new Fougere royal or vastly modernised by the likes of Tom Ford. To say this Nobile is not a Fougere is WILD!

Update a few years in and very different review: it is truly a beauty! yes, it is softer than Fougere d argent but... it also creamier, smoother and more wearable. It does last longer than what i originally experienced. Update after wearing it a few more times over the last months: It is indeed like a detuned version of Fougere d'Argent The opening is great but it becomes very quickly a soft and nice skin scent Longevity is also limited If i were to chose, i would go with Fougere d Argent instead A classic and high quality "gentleman" scent. What i mean by that is: soft, powdery, clean, beautiful, long lasting but not mega blasting projection as those were not designed for that. This is what you can wear at the office or on a casual preppy Sunday event. The lavender and the geranium blend very well and there is a slightly sweet undertone.