Eau de Audacity

EN. Eau de Audacity by Penhaligon’s is one of those fragrances that captivate you from the very first moment you wear it: intense, bold, and decidedly unconventional. It doesn’t seek to please everyone, and honestly, that is precisely its most authentic charm. The opening notes envelop the senses with a vibrant spiciness, never crude or overpowering. Elemi and black pepper ignite the composition with energy, while orange blossom adds an unexpected and refined brightness. Yet what truly surprises is how the fragrance evolves: incense and saffron emerge decisively, shaping a mysterious and profound heart, where the rose is never romantic or sweet, but smoky, almost austere. Like many Penhaligon’s creations, this fragrance defies any classification: it adapts differently to each skin, revealing surprising facets. In the drydown, leather and vanilla merge into an elegant, warm, and sensual trail, capable of expressing either strength or softness depending on the wearer. It is a fragrance created for those who seek authenticity and are not afraid to stand out, without ever compromising. IT. Eau de Audacity di Penhaligon’s è una di quelle fragranze che ti conquistano già dal primo momento in cui la indossi: intensa, audace e decisamente fuori dagli schemi. Non cerca di piacere a tutti e, sinceramente, è proprio questo il suo fascino più autentico. Le prime note avvolgono i sensi con una speziatura vibrante, mai grezza o invadente. Elemi e pepe nero aprono la composizione con energia, mentre il fiore d’arancio aggiunge una luminosità inaspettata e raffinata. Ma ciò che davvero sorprende è come la fragranza evolve: l’incenso e lo zafferano emergono con decisione, dando vita a un cuore misterioso e profondo, dove la rosa non è mai romantica né leziosa, ma fumosa, quasi austera. Come tante opere di Penhaligon’s, anche questa creazione sfida qualsiasi classificazione: si adatta in modo diverso a ogni pelle, rivelando sfaccettature sorprendenti. Sul fondo, cuoio e vaniglia si fondono in una scia elegante, calda e sensuale, capace di esprimere forza o dolcezza a seconda di chi la indossa. È una fragranza pensata per chi cerca autenticità e non ha paura di distinguersi, senza mai scendere a compromessi.

pon the initial spray, you are greeted with a airy yet rich vanilla scent. If you’ve ever tried divinity candy, you might recognize that scent profile. This vanilla is complemented by a delightful green pine aroma that is present only at the opening. After about two minutes, the pine dissipates, leaving behind the vanilla, now accompanied by notes of pepper and incense smoke. At this point, the scent is quite strong, and the vanilla incense can quickly lead to a headache if you accidentally overspray. About ten minutes in, I began to pick up on saffron and leather notes, which joins the vanilla, creating a smoother and less overpowering fragrance. Once these notes appeared, I started to truly appreciate the aroma. The rich combination of vanilla, leather, and incense is expertly blended, with each scent complementing the others beautifully. This phase of the fragrance projects noticeably off my skin, creating a scented bubble of about three feet. One of the most impressive features of Eau de Audacity is its longevity. Even after five hours, the aroma remained distinct and was still noticeable close to my skin. The perfume continued to linger until my shower, a remarkable nine hours after I first sprayed it. When I first sprayed this fragrance, I recognized its scent profile, but I couldn't quite identify it. After researching the perfumer and discovering it was Dominique Ropion, everything clicked into place. This fragrance closely resembles Baby Cat by YSL which was also perfumed by Dominique. The fragrance resemle eacth other well particularly with thier combination of vanilla, incense, pepper, and leather. Interestingly, Dominique appears to have created a dupe of his own perfume for YSL and then developed it for Penhaligon's. Lastly I find it interesting how Dominique released Baby Cat, which retails for $295 for 4.2 oz, in 2022. In 2023, he launched Audacity at Penhaligon's for $300 for 3.4 oz. The similarities are striking, especially in the initial notes of vanilla and pepper, followed by later hints of saffron and leather. If you are a fan of Baby Cat and want a similar scent profile but from a niche house instead of a designer brand, this is a great option for you.

Ok so first things first, yes, this is very clearly inspired by Babycat. The biggest difference is that they’ve swapped the leather for incense, which honestly works really well. As for the scent itself, make no mistake, this is a vanilla fragrance. Not a “vanilla and xyz” fragrance, just straight up smooth, loud, rich vanilla with the other notes supporting it quietly in the background. The incense and leather style smokiness sit tucked neatly behind the vanilla rather than beside it, giving it depth without ever taking over. The rose and saffron are clearly doing something to smooth everything out, but you’re not going to be pulling them apart note by note. Performance is excellent. It lasts all day on clothes and around 8 to 10 hours on skin, with strong projection for the first 4 to 5 hours. It performs exactly how you’d want a sweet vanilla fragrance to perform. Overall, this is an incredible unisex gourmand. Sweet, smooth and ridiculously addictive. Now here’s the important bit. If you do not already own Babycat or Eau de Audacity, this is a fantastic option. But if you’re shopping with actual financial sense in mind, Rifaaqat is still the one people should be buying. I own Rifaaqat, I own this, and I have a Babycat sample, and hand on heart I cannot tell you that either Penhaligon’s or YSL are giving you a £230 better experience. Rifaaqat does not smell synthetic, it avoids the harsh opening some vanilla fragrances have, and it performs on the exact same level as both of them. At a certain point we genuinely need to stop rewarding ridiculous pricing and start teaching brands like Penhaligon’s and YSL a lesson in economics. So unless you’re absolutely loaded, just buy Rifaaqat. It gives you basically the exact same experience for about £25, and honestly that’s borderline absurd value.

The perfect Babycat dupe - except for the price! I love this. It smells almost exactly like Babycat, but without the suede note. The suede note was a big reason why I couldn't fully commit to Babycat, because after a few hours you end up smelling literally like a suede jacket with no pepper or vanilla left. I would say if you are dying to get your hands on Babycat but can't find it, this is a really close match, like 90% the same, the only difference to my nose being the lack of a suede note. This is smoky and sexy, a very sophisticated black pepper vanilla. I don't really get saffron or leather, just pepper, incense smoke and vanilla. It's perfect for parties, autumn or winter days and nights. I think it's too heavy to wear during the day time in spring or summer but could work as a sultry summer evening scent. I find it long lasting and with decent projection. The only drawback is the price. Ideally a dupe is cheaper, but this is very expensive. In the UK a full bottle of this costs £200 (about $250), which is absurd, and pretty much the same price I see Babycat going for in department stores here. I think if I were pressed to choose one or the other I would chose this one, because of the lack of suede, but to be honest I struggle to see myself paying £200 for either, even if it is full bottle worthy. I have been buying 5ml decants from my fav sample website and just using those, and that works fine.

Badonk-a-donk-donk. This perfume is certainly worthy of it's name. It is absolutely audacious, in every sense of the word. It revs my mucky engine, and keeps it ticking over. A fandabbydosy, well rounded, sweet vanilla scent, spliced with patchouli and some dirty hippie joss sticks. It doesn't sound like a lot, does it? But fuck me, it's so extravagant and beautiful. It also has absolutely ridiculous performance. Both the sillage and longevity are off the charts; it'll stick to your skin like glue and stay there until you wash it off, but even after a wash, it's ghost will remain. Like an STD that doesn't respond to antibiotics. I smelt this in the Penhaligons shop, and felt an instant, mysterious connection to it. It is definitely not a perfume for summer; it's heavy, sticky nature will make you feel a bit unhealthy and overweight, when the ball of fire in the sky burns the hottest. But, like a struggling alcoholic, I will be straight back on it's bandwagon as soon as the weather gets colder. If smoky scents are not your thing, look elsewhere in the Penhaligons arsenal. But, if like me, you are always looking for new ways to experience smoke profiles, have a fiddle with this little ditty. You won't regret it. 9/10. It is definitely a season-dependent wear, so that loses it a point.