Iskander

I read somewhere that this scent was trying to capture the essence of Greece. Indeed, when I put it on I did get flash backs from the movie 'Mama Mia', with it's I-dare-You-Not-To-Fall-In-Love-With-Me greek scenery. I learned from other reviews that this can be a weak scent, so I used a heavy hand when applying hte tester. i then went out for drive about the bay area. I was very happy to spend the day with this fragrance. Whenever a breeze would kick up I'd get a sniff of the sensous, luscious notes in this perfume. I know this has an amber/musk base, which can be heavy, but I definitely feel this works on a warmer day wiht a gentle breeze. the citrus doesn't stand out much, to me, but the middle notes are wonderful. Highly recommend sampling this fragrance. Going on 7 hours now and I can still smell it.

If you are expecting a zingy citrus dominated fragrance then you will be disappointed. This on me is more to do with herbs, oakmoss and musk. Yes it opens with the lemon, citron and grapefruit but as typical top notes notes they wain quickly, remaining low key for the rest of the fragrances timeline. Yes, it can transport you to mediterranean shores quite quickly. It has quite a classic feeling but it is very pleasant fragrance that would be lovely to wear with a crisp white shirt. Its definitely a unisex fragrance and you really need to love oakmoss. Moderate sillage and long longevity.

Iskander is a delicious and memorable chypre fragrance. Citrus and white florals like orange, mandarin, and neroli provide a controlled, colorful sweetness on top of a base of moist oakmoss and cool, steady cedar. It is an interesting deviation from the usual framework for warm-weather scents. While it isn’t cloying, it could use more bitterness to balance out the sweetness on the drydown. 8/10

I think this is the best one of Parfum d'Empire fragrances. It's a lovely chypre with citrussy and spicy notes. And it lasts for hours on my skin.

very wearable and very good the best citrus i could find i am going to buy one

This is a very special one; this is the scent that carries my name; hopefully, I can give it justice here. There is a more famous Alexander in history who during his attempt to unify (and conquer) West and East, chose to be called Iskander, Persian translation of his name. A brave man equals a brave masculine scent. I would classify it as a a traditionally citrusy cologne, enriched with bitter herbal sparks. My nose registers the bitter herbal accord (such as it is, is magnificent), citrusy in nature AND, more sublty, the floral heart (of old vintage cologne), namely orange blossom. It was Alexander the Great who imported citron to the Mediterranean and, the PdE's perfume that carries its name can be seen as an ode to citron: the zestiness, the juiciness, the frizzt bitterness contrasted by green mandarin and complemented by grapefuit. IG @alexolympia6 As it develops, Iskander becomes greener and herbier and at the same time cheerier (it clears up), without changing the lush, moist overall impression, and without the dominating bitter citrus disappearing. The herb listed is tarragon: cultivated for its aniseed-flavored leaves, tarragon is an aromatic plant that is very popular in French and Chinese cuisine. A perennial, deciduous plant, tarragon forms a small bush with straight, branched stems. The scent profile is herbaceous, with a delicious aniseed character. Unfortunately tarragon contains estragole and methyl-eugenole which are restricted by IFRA since 2023, but tarragon was also regulated before that date. In current version there should be other herbs, but the overall effect is pretty much the same to my nose. The herbal citrus continues in the cedar of the heart with a saltiness of the base, lurking around for all the longevity of the scent that make me think of Mediterranean sea: does amber-gris play a part if this? is there any? Anyway, that is not listed. The construction is that of a chypre with the usual Corticchiato's moss, but I also detect some evident muskiness in the base, coherent with its cologne structure.

Iskander is Corticchiato’s entry into the standard chypre genre, and I deliberately use the word standard. The template is followed to the letter, which means there is hardly anything noteworthy on the side of novelty to this perfume, but the noteworthiness of it is due simply to Corticchiato’s unique and enviable style of excellent materials delivered with extreme clarity. The orange and grapefruit top is just as sour and zesty as you’d hope and expect it to be, and absent the sulfuric acid type astringency common to grapefruit. Refreshing and invigorating. The transition of these to a tarragon and neroli heart is perfectly executed, where the neroli carries the message of refreshing citrus in its white floral softness and the tarragon providing an herbal lift. Finally, at the base, predictably, are woods and tree moss of fine quality. There really isn’t a whole lot to say about this. I’ve smelled this structure a thousand and one times before, and I don’t have a desire to be repetitive. As it’s so derivative you get the feeling that Corticchiato is simply checking a box, which is highly unusual for Parfum d’Empire’s current lineup, but it is nonetheless very good. Superb materials delivered with superb clarity, so you buy this not for novelty but simply because you love Corticchiato’s style - which I do, so I did.

Iskander is a nice example of a citrus-led aromatic chypre, if not particularly interesting. While it is nothing unusual, it is a good-quality, classic freshie that offers easy elegance in warm weather. It reminds me a little of Ô de Lancôme, one of my favourite freshies - a lemon cologne with a nice chypre base - but Ô is my preference. Iskander opens with a sunny citrus accord, initially lemon-led, but tempered by the orange and grapefruit notes. Lemon can be a bit harsh on its own, but the blend of citrus here balances it out nicely. There is a green undertone that complements it nicely, alongside a hint of soft, aromatic spice. As it develops, the neroli and orange blossom add a soft floral progression to the citrus accord, prolonging it. Soft woody notes creep in after a short while, paving the way to the subtle chypre base. It becomes a little mossy and musky as it fades. Sillage is intimate and longevity is moderate, and it is perfectly unisex. A simple, subtle citrus freshie with a chypre base, Iskander is a pleasant summer day scent. However, there is nothing exciting about it, and there are many similar scents available. While Iskander is safe, elegant and good-quality, it is forgettable among Parfum d'Empire's consistently excellent line-up. 3/5.

I like all kind of lemon scents and Iskander is a very good one. My first impression was that it was too masculine for me, but that's just because of how aromatic it is - there's nothing especially bright and sunny about it, and certainly nothing sweetened. But in fact that very thing, the un-exaggerated, realistic zesty citrus combined with aromatic-bitter herbs and some woody/spicy notes, is what makes it exceptionally natural and for that reason, on nearer reflection, also perfectly unisex. After a few wearings I don't find it especially masculine at all anymore, although I still think it probably appeals to more men than women. I have two citrus-herbal scents that this one reminds me of in my (decant) collection already: Annick Goutal's Mandragore, which is more mellow and kind of "witchy" (a fantasy of a witch's cottage where herbs and citruses are drying, among fragrant fields), and Dior's Granville, which is super natural in a borderline culinary way (simultaneously like a delicious citrus-herbal infused oil and a holiday in France). When it comes to mood and associations, this one falls right between those two. Which means I really like it, but I probably don't need more of it now that my sample is gone.

In my hunt for the perfect Citron-centered fragrance, I stumbled across this fragrance. I wanted to buy it blindly at first cuz I could not find any way to sample it beforehand, but then luckily I found a sample for a cheap price. It opens with very authentic natural sharp citruses. The citron note is prominent, but unfortunately, it is not the only main player, and grapefruit shares the spotlight with it, eliminating this fragrance from being the Citron fragrance I have been searching for. Shortly after, coriander and tarragon come to play. The dry down is mainly oakmoss, while the citruses and aromatics are in the background. It is a very nice creation of high-quality and authentic notes, but it is nothing unique in particular. Lemon line is another fragrance that comes to mind when I smell this, but the latter is the dollar store version of this. Overall, if, like me, you are looking for something that truly represents citron, I do not think this will satisfy you. It is still a very good fragrance nonetheless. P.S.: I am glad I did not blind buy it at the end.

Beautiful herbal-lemon, aromatic rather than juicy and acidic, with the green shades just adding realism and subtlety and an even more natural feel. Oak moss certainy there, but not overpowering on my skin. On me it completely skated wide and clear of any of the usual lemon pitfalls (no moments of soapiness or cleaning products at all). No sugar or blossom whatsoever, and the white flowers are far enough off not to cloy at all, either. So absolutely truly unisex for those who love real green, garden-fresh, zingy citrus but hate harsh or cloying fake-lemon. Sadly my skin doesn't let this one live for more than 2-3 hours so it's a no for me personally - though I'd happily buy it if the longevity were better. In my view Azemour Les Orangers just edges this one out for value and all-over pleasantness, but for those who prefer lemon to orange this will be the one (they're pretty close siblings, but not twins, in the classy treatment and the overall balance of sharpness and spice and nuance.)

Very nice and very well done woody citrus. When I first applied it, I felt it was yet another mixed citrus/citron dominated fragrance and I was ready to write it off but I really love the dry down. Nice blend of cilantro and oakmoss with a touch of amber. The amber doesn't overpower and the citrus notes still come through well, even after a couple of hours. This is more of a masculine fragrance than feminine and would probably be more well received if smelled on a man. I am totally missing any white florals. Nothing about this is floral to my nose. Opening was a slightly boring disappointment but the middle to dry down is actually quite nice. Lasts fairly well also, especially for a citrus mix. I ended up liking this more than I thought I would. It is nowhere close to my favorite from this house, Osmanthus Interdite, but I enjoyed trying it. Smells nice and is a great value for niche if you like this style of fragrance.

On skin Iskander 's grapefruit note, prominent on the blotter, is immediately less forward and instead the twist of aromatic tarragon is the opening surprise. It's accenting a sunny wave of citron and sharp green mandarin over depths of cool, green neroli, moss and musk. It's been done many times but I think Iskander is one of my favourite takes on the lemon chypre. As with all citruses the telling is in the dry down, where a tea-like note emerges. I can't see petitgrain listed but I'm sure I can smell something like it. It may still be the tarragon which, suprisingly, compliments and fuses with the citron beautifully. Iskander then dries to a pleasantly long-lasting, musky but fresh and summery skin scent.

I gave this a 4 because 3.5 is not an option. I don't hate this perfume, but i dont really like it either. There are a couple notes in there that are bringing down my entire opinion about the perfume. I am guessing it is either the citron or the terragon. I do not like it at all. I can tell the rest of it is very pleasantly citrus, great for the spring and summer months. But, ...if i want a great citrus perfume, I have Pure Shine or Oltramere or Come La Luna, etc... I like Parfum d'Empire a lot, and own a few of them, but this one will not be one of them. Glad i didn't blind buy this one! Woot!

Another wonderfully composed Parfum d'Empire creation. This is a gorgeous juicy lemony blend, with a bit of orange and neroli to add some sweetness and just enough wood and spice to keep the lemon alive but grounded . . . I usually avoid "aromatics" because they tend to smell very masculine on me but this stays right in the middle . . . definitely unisex. It is a real treat to test!

I would describe this as mossy cedar. It does open with a lot of lemon, but settles to a woody green scent. Seems to me like a pleasant yet pretty basic chypre designed for men - so much so that I suspect I would be able to find something similar and cheaper at the local chemist's. Still, a pleasant and even evocative summer scent.

Initial thoughts – very strong grown-up deep lemon. Fresh in a dark, serious way. Afterthoughts – very addictive aroma, the citrus is gone and the scent is somehow sweet though masculine.

Delicious lemony scent, perfect for hot summer evenings. Coriander breaks a drydown too citrus. Nothing exceptional.

For me it is so far the best fragrance of the Parfum d'Empire-house. Love it!

This is pretty good. Better then average, but not in the "great" territory. Refreshing citrus, spicy coriander, and a nice oakmoss. Cedar and neroli to give it a light and clean touch. It is pleasant, and a good alternative to fragrances such as "Eau Sauvage" from Dior. I particularly like the coriander and citron here, which are of the two dominant notes. In the dry down, it has an almost sea water note to it. It reminds me of a marine fragrance. 6.5/10. There are too meny other similar fragrances to get a higher score. It's a pretty good fragrance, plain and simple.