PURPLE 222C

Okay, so this is one of the occasions when I don't feel completely confused when comparing my experience with actual notes. I immediately took to this scent. My initial thoughts were of wet stone, of something very slightly marine without being "aquatic" or "sea saltiness", of old-fashioned ink drying on top quality writing paper and rather less explicably, watermelon, but not at all in that cheap bubble bath, fruity kinda way. Contradictory elements of dry and wet; woodiness with spiky freshness. I'm guessing the marine aspect is from the ambergris. No matter water anyone tells me, I always detect a slight marine aspect to fragrances featuring ambergris even before I recognise that it contains it, but, of course, lots of aquatic fragrances seem to contain ambroxan and/or orris root, so maybe it's that. The spiky freshness is probably the pine, but when I note that its Swiss stone pine, I immediately wonder whether that's where the sense of rock or stone comes from, that as with graps used to make wine, tinctures contain elements of the soils in which they grow. As for this subtle watermelon vibe, I'm guessing it apple and other elements combining. But, with or without doing an effective Miss Marple on what notes are in there, it's a great combination and one that stands out from the crowd.

Ignore the notes, it’s fake. Let’s consider this one as a very unusual patchouli-rose scent. It starts with coniferous and camphor incense, green pine needles and dry, earthy and minty patchouli. Where’s the rose? Tender dewy rose petals and undefined red berries covered up with with dusty cashmeran and amberwood, but once you find it you’ll never lose it back. Quite mineral because of amberwoods (Ambrox, Ambermax, Cashmeran, natural Ambergris tincture) so be careful if you have this type of macrosmia. I’m in love with this one.

Fresh and citrusy opening with some herbal bitterness with a touch of animalic nuances. Very clean and refreshing scent, yet has some softness and powderiness from a waxy orris root! Also something is giving me a bit of boozy undertones. Lovely!

Love the fragrance. Love the nose. Love the sensibility behind the line. I know what I'm getting. It's a scent! Perfect unisex amber/wood. Understated sexy it draws people into your aura for more.

To me, the opening smells like a pharmacy - there's something very clean-medicinal about it that I really like, but that might disturb others. The pine note is the most prominent element, with just a hint of salty warmth from the ambergris, a sweet dash of mimosa, and a starchy haziness that I think is the orris. The ginger develops later and adds a drop of zingy heat. To me, however, this is still a very pine-centric perfume: woody, dry, clean and austere, with a bracing freshness that I think contrasts beautifully with the interplay of mimosa and ambergris. This, to my nose, smells like a freshly-laundered lab coat - there's something almost scientific about it, a kind of professional coolness and detachment. It's very unusual for sure, and possibly not for everyone; even though I love it, I'm struggling to think of an occasion when I might want to smell like this. In my opinion, Purple is the fragrance that embodies the spirit of the brand the best: it's not a perfume, because, well, perfume sucks. There's no attempt at provocation there, but rather a kind of disregard for the cosmetic aspects of fragrance in favour of just making an interesting scent. You might find that ridiculous or gimmicky, or you might find it truly revolutionary; either way, I think that Purple is the truest example of what that philosophy means when it's actually put into practice.

Smells like taking a deep breath in the Swiss mountains, very fresh and almost cold. The orris really helps smooth this out, one of my favourite fresh scents