Promethee

Olivier Durbano creates intelligent, mysterious and uncommon fragrances and therefore it's easy to see why ther is not much love for this witchy beauty. Opening with a strong burst of fenugreek, fennel and nutmeg, this one quickly settles into a more palatable incense vetiver amber combination with the spices hovering in the background. A dark, delicate composition with moderate sillage and projection, this is a fragrance that slowly and deliciously evolves and grows on you. Not recommended for lovers of more standard bright, citrusy or vanilla fragrances, and needing a very open mind to appreciate, this is a modern marvel of spice-based perfumery. Very well done.

Fennel and myrtle. Fresh, bitter and green. Then, the florally spice of pink pepper and a touch of camphorous sage. Bitter and green, but with roundness and depth. Then, the tang of freshly ground nutmeg and incense smoke and resin. It becomes pungent, spicy yet soft, bittersweet and green. It becomes more like resin incense as it dries down and the ambery labdanum appears. It ends woody, earthy, musky, ambergris-y in small equal parts with a constant, aromatic, camphorous touch. I really like this!

In this mysterious fragrance you can almost smell Blood of Promethee!, even Fire witch he stolen from gods is here. Personally i think that Promethee in style is similar to Antico Caruso Profumum Roma. longevity is about 4-6 hrs, silage is moderate.

Is Olivier Durbano taking a new direction? It definitely seems so... After exploring a bunch of precious gems he now turned into greek gods and more specifically this time he based his new fragrance around the myth of Prometheus, the god of rebels. In this context, the fragrance reflects Durbano's will to move forward from most of his previous fragrances by delivering something not completely centered around incense and by introducing new elements to his palette. Before I start, there's an aspect of Prométhée that I'd like to point out though. The fragrance behaves very differently on paper than on skin. This is basically an extremely aromatic woody composition with floral facets. On paper, the pairing of fenugreek and sage, enhances a certain pee-like vibe which is sort of challenging and fascinating at the same time. On skin, the fenugreek leans more towards the anisic / licorice side of the spectrum bordering towards helichrysum territories. There's an overall pepperiness throughout while incense still plays a relevant role. The florals are almost non-floral and bring evoking images of desert flowers, arid territories, sand dunes and warmness more than actually fresh flowers. The general arid-summery vibe is reinforced by myrtle and a slightly smoky styrax note.The main change in Durbano's style though, comes in the drydown where the incense is paired to a sourish woody vetiver / musk combo which is not far removed from a bunch of the latest Hermes or synth-musky stuff a-la Diptyque Eau Mage / Escentric Molecules. Nice but, in the end, not completely convincing. Rating: 6.5/10

Promethee! i smell fenugreek and at max here! i know Fenugreek is amazing as a herb while it does: 1+ purify blood 2+ kills bad cholesterol 3+ balance glucose and amazingly perfect for diabetes patients 4+ superbly amazing for intoxication. BUT when you consume it... damn you will smell awful when you sweat, pee, and your hair will spread fenugreek everywhere! So promethee is like that! the pepper, sage, vetiver, styrax, & nutmeg mix is creating this disturbing fenugreek note! I already know that Oliver's beloved note is the peppers but this one is too fenugreek! it's like a person who consumed allot of fenugreek in the morning, went to workout, had a shower and sweat again for a little then sprayed on floral fragrance"... disturbing ... nope not for me. Edit (17th Feb 2021) WOW.. after 6 years! Where the hell FENUGREEK came from! i mean what was i sniffing back then! There is no fenugreek! and i really wonder how come i said that to Oliver either! I get chunks of vetiver, musk, cedar, and styrax. No fennel i get, but more labdanum, pink pepper, sandalwood, & myrtle. It's fair honestly but not overwhelmingly beautiful, woody somehow but more herbal. Fair to be specific.

Unique, unusual scent with not oft used spices. I really like the rarity and uncommon aroma. It's different in a good way, and although I wouldn't wear it every day, it would be perfect for days when I want an exotic perfume. It opens with a sharp piquancy, and mellows out to a wonderful herb/spice accord that smells like what my imagination pictures as prized perfume from ancient worlds. A lost fragrance that is new again. The herbs smell of a cooking spice bazaar on a traders route long ago. Moderate sillage and longevity.