Hepcat

Love this one and am so sad they discontinued it! If anyone’s got a bottle sitting on their shelf and collecting dust - I’d love to take it off your hands!! And I am always looking for good dupe recommendations of course, so far nothing has really gone close on my skin.

Tobacco-y without smoke, feels very light on the skin...I really like this...love the opague glass bottle this comes in...there is a freshness to this...must be the vetiver...recommended...

I'm going to disagree with the majority of reviews here. Spicebomb is among my favorite scents and this does not smell like it. Spicebomb opens with a strong bergamont blast that I absolutely adore. That citrus note is not present here. This is much more akin to Bvlgari Man in Black. Hepcat does have a bit of a synthetic scent to it, though in spite of this it remains very pleasing to my nose. Also, Phlur's website actually lists every ingredient used in their perfumes which I have never seen a house reveal before. Sure enough, almost all their ingredients are synthetic but they boast this makes their scents eco friendly and sustainable. Now, for the scent: imagine warm tobacco mixed with sharp, bitter cherry -- that's Hepcat. This is not a sweet fragrance and I appreciate that about it. I've sampled 4 of their scents and this was the best, followed by Hanami. I have decided to buy a full sized bottle of this.

It is a pleasing scent, but smells very similar to spice bomb. Not worth having both. Day 2 edit: Yes - still spicebomb/bvlgari man in black - however, this develops more over time and has noticeably distinct phases. Overall, I enjoy this scent - and had I not smelled sb/mib, I would certainly pull the trigger on this, as it seems to be a better version of both. However, if you own either of the two (sb/mib) I would not recommend adding this. 6/10

Tobacco, oud, and dry chai spices. It strongly reminds me of Costume National 21 stripped of it's sweet milkiness. Hepcat is instead super, super dry. Even the cherry here is dried and more on the bitter side. Surprisingly tasty and edible despite the dryness and woody notes. Like good crunchy granola bar. Definitely a hedonistic scent.

You definitely get cherry tobacco but it is smoky, not sweet. I do enjoy this but it leans a bit too masculine for me so I’m not in love.

I do get oud from this. But a synthetic one, it adds a depth that works well to bring the composition to a higher level.

If you like this, try Diptyque's Oud Palao. It shares a lot of notes but it's richer and more complex.

I blind bought a bottle of this at a good price on the strength of some great experiences with this label, and initially I hated it. It has a tendency to go aggressively synthetic and sharp with some abstract approximations of oud, saffron, and sweet tobacco. It's like a game of telephone where my nose can vaguely detect the originally intended notes, but crudely transcribed. It wants to be a hip cafe or bar but is more like a slightly off-key, overly-emotive bar band. So - I found that the trick with this one is to barely spray it. I'm already a conservative sprayer, but I go extra-light with this one. It's a sharp enough fragrance that it still makes its presence known, but in diluted form, the shrieking synthetic cacophony quiets to a surprisingly pleasant murmur. With the volume turned way down, its a nice sweet and woody skin scent. This ultimately isn't a bad fragrance, but go easy.

Hepcat is a beautiful tobacco forward frag. Such a shame they discontinued and started producing exclusively mass-appealing scents. This is a dry tobacco slightly fruity vetiver scent. The cherry just adds a sweet and tart element. There’s also a good bit of saffron. I wore this in winter in NYC and got endless compliments. The projection on this is wild. She gives edgy and assertive energy. I will say, I’m into unisex/even masc frags, but as this bottle sat over time it got way more masculine in its dry down on my skin. I moved it to my husband’s side of the dresser and now it suits him. (For reference: He doesn’t usually fux with even a hint of unisex/fem and this is the sweetest in his collection) BEST DUPE I’VE FOUND (more earthy and masc though) Victoria Beckham Suite 302

Agree with rmf1112 below - this has notes like Spicebomb or Histoires Parfum 1899, but this is quite different. This is dry, earthier, and more mature. Not playful or syrupy like Spicebomb. My sample was also smokey and slightly ashy. Piles of vetiver in the dry down. Mix 75% Tauer Desert Moracain with 25% Spicebomb Extreme (maybe) and some additional woods and earthiness.... And your close to Hepcat.

I get the similarities with spicebomb, but the tobacco part, not the beginning so much as I am not a fan of that, but feels close the Gucci Intense Oud at the start, with a dusty feel from the saffron. Does remind of something else I cant put my finger on but kind of an old library feel. Like it so far, will update. Update- Dry-down is a nice dusty cherry tobacco, not sweet.

I really love this. I have a sample but might go for a full size! It’s very sensual and non cloying. Sharp yet soft. Clean, almost a library-type paper scent. It’s more masculine than feminine but I am definitely not masculine in any way and I plan to wear it this winter.

This has quite a lot of cherry in the opening, it’s almost medicinal and in your face. Then after it starts to dry down you get a woody tobacco with some sweetness. I got this and Moab for my husband and he likes both but does prefer Moab slightly more.

Here are the notes, from their website: Top: Saffron, Plum, Dried fruits Heart: Aged Leather, Tobacco, Incense Base: Patchouli, White Vetiver, Musk, Oud I really like this. It's my favorite of Phlur. Wish it wasn't discontinued.

Man, I really liked this. I don’t understand why they quit making it and rebranded. Their original lineup with the opaque bottles was fantastic.