Papyrus de Ciane 24

I've tried a few scents from this house, and up until now I've come to believe that Guilame's whole reason to be was to fragrant poodle behinds with his white floral stinkers. But what a delicious treat this is!!! This is a yummy, woody green that holds onto it's bark. I'm not the biggest fan of Chanel N19, but there are phases to 19 that I detect here, and blessedly, it's the one phase that i liked. This is one fragrance that deserves best in show. Nice sillage, well done, keeps your nose interested throughout. I really like it! Edit: this is my next planned purchase. The more I wear it the more I love it. One of the best dry green scents I've ever come across.

Extremely classy, gentle and restrained green, magically just spicy and acrid enough to be really interesting, without tipping into bitter-galbanum overload. Strong and beautifully done gust of crushed fresh grass underfoot on the open, though with an unexpected warmth and sweet roundedness underneath, which soon peeks through discreetly. A very, very finely-balanced tightrope walk between the (to me unmanageable) school of 'super spiky bitter greens' like Chevalier Vert or Corsica Furiosa, and the 'soft pillowy clean green' of Elizabeth W Leaves or other more mainstream vegetal stuff. Great fluffy heaps of oakmoss everywhere, too, yet it never gets brutal or gasoline-like or really acrid. Genuinely evokes a walk through damp, fresh greenery - but it's all light and sunshiney enough to never turn dank or rank. Not my usual habitat but lovely for a short stroll. Sadly that's all you'll get - as usual with many of the more subtle and original PG scents, its performance is weak-to-evanescent, with the full effect only really present for about the first hour and the rest (while growing even greener and more idyllic) only hanging on for 3-4h tops. But it's definitely unisex and some may find this subtle presence a positive plus. Another case of annoying ambivalence, then. I am not even a great galbanum fan - it can turn me off a fragrance altogether, and nauseates me in excess - but the beauty of this made me understand for the first time how some people might truly love it. Admirable skill there. But oh, that spindly performance - at a pretty ambitious price. Won't seek it out, much less pay for it, but I do pay it my respects for completely changing my concept of what galbanum can be in the right hands.

At first sniff I am initially alarmed. The first thing that comes to mind is an EDP version of 4711 and Jean Nate. Then it comes on like chypre-greenery awash with lavender surrounded by a soft woody element. I believe the incense and white musk have saved this from becoming the very plain scent akin to a very refined triple-milled French soap or a floral-based Roger & Gallet soap I've smelled before. Found notes on LuckyScent.com: "Bergamot, galbanum, neroli, broom, solar notes, lavender,mugwort, clove, incense, cistus labdanum, hedione, vetiver,Mousse de Saxe,Silvanone, white musk." As it dries down, if I let my imagination run away with me I detect bugkill, "Raid"-like smell.I quickly think of something more pleasant and come away with another vetiver-laden fragrance I have and cannot place the name but it is pleasant. I may find myself layering with another scent. I think of this as a more masculine than feminine scent but on the right person with the right chemistry it can work. All said I do like it but agree with SilverFire. This is not how I would like to smell on the regular.

A different cut above the typical woody scents. A mix of meditteranean citrus/woods. Longevity is 4-5 hours on my skin. Profile: Male Age 25 Skin Type: oily/dry combination. Overall Smell: 6/10

142) Printer perfume blah, it's pretty as a beautiful office plant a bit dried by air conditioning. A bit flowery but also a bit printer paper. Very well made but uninteresting or wallflower. Mwais, c'est joli comme une belle plante de bureau un peu assèchée par l'air conditionnée. Un peu fleuri mais aussi un peu papier d'imprimante. Très bien composée mais inintéressant ou bien passe-partout.

Thought I would love this. but this is a purely herbal scent, doesn't even smell like grass really to me. It does soften but still too herbal. Thumbs down for me.

"From the Arethuse fountain to the meandering dark waters of Ciane, the elegant sway of intense green plumes ..." This is the lovely "quote" by which Monsieur Pierre Guillaume describes his latest interesting creation. It's a most apt "scent picture" which evokes the fragrance perfectly ! The Arethusan spring at Syracuse, (famous for it's papyrus), was a sacred place to the cult of the Goddess Artemis. "Arethusa" and "Ciane" were naiads, (freshwater nymphs) associated with this ancient spring. ... Ciane was transformed into this fountain by Pluto (Hades) because she told Demeter of his rape of Persephone. Or, in another version of the same myth, Ciane mourned for Persephone 'till she was naught but tears/water. (Kyane (Ciane) or "azure font" is the root of the English word "Cyan" (i.e. the colour "blue/green") And most aptly too, for my exact initial thought when smelling PG24, was just how amazingly greeny blue it smelled. It's a perfectly azure scent ! And the sparkling waters of a spring is exactly what's immediately evoked by the distinct "aquatic" facets of the scent's opening notes. ... These soon become increasingly "greener" by the emerging almost luminous Papyrus, and ever so slightly bitter Galbanum notes. A vibrant "sappy" scent, sweetened ever so slightly by some lovely Genet (Broom). The intense "greeness" then subsides somewhat, as it dives instead deeper towards the richer "murkier" mossy golden green waters of it's incensed heart. Enrichened further by the wonderful oakmossy "Mousse de Saxe" and musk blend base. ... Leaving just the "creamy" somewhat powdery and ever so slightly "wooded" musk to linger finally. However, this wonderful mossy "Mousse de Saxe" base is certainly entirely Monsieur Guillaume's "new" interpretation of the famous classic base. ... It's been instead rendered much "lighter", and I'd say therefore way more "casual" and easier to wear. Whilst though, most definitely still retaining the distinct classic roots and feel of the original much "heavier" and "darker" base. Monsieur PG's aim was to modernise this "Mousse de Saxe" base. And I believe he has most certainly and admirably done so. ~ "Papyrus de Ciane" is yet another beautiful addition to his marvellous oeuvre !

One might or one might not like PG. On some people their fragrances smells better than on others. I am somewhere in the middle I guess. Although everything I tested so far seemed promising at first, they do not create an aura around me. I must admit however that every single one has an amazing image-creating power. You smell your wrist and you see 'something'. Surprisingly enough, for me Papyrus de Ciane is not telling a story from the past. Thanks to auto suggestion I did initially think of papyrus. However, very soon it became a scent of... the very present, or even future. I see a spacious, white office smelling of paper and ink. If in the press they would use papyrus instead of paper, that's how those places would smell like. A fantastic mixture of past and something a bit futuristic. It settles somewhat woody, with a hint or warm sawdust. Imagine you're laying on a porch during hot summer. On me there also appears a soapy note which is slightly irritating, since I am not a fan of soapy scents.

Many Guillame's perfumes are basically like movies trailers. They show in 3 minutes all their best, so you get hooked. But the whole film is often (not always) different. When I tested Papyrus De Ciane on paper I was totally impressed." Oh finally, the green scent I was looking for"... I was ready to buy a FB then a tiny little voice pushed me to sample it first. Thanx, I can only say thanx to that tiny voice. After the amazing opening with dry green notes, galbanum and a super fresh cut-grass / cactus effect, the fragrance turns incredibly soapy, green flowery and a tad too "pretty" (at least on my skin). Don't get me wrong, this is not a generic fresh-and-clean composition but more of a dry-green, meditative frankincense that while being very distinctive and intriguing it's a tad too mannered and affected to my taste. That being said, if you're into transparent incenses you should definitely give Papyrus de Ciane a chance. Well done. Rating: 7.5-8/10

If I understand this correctly, this is meant to be a green Chypre of sorts. Yet, I kept getting this leather note, and thought it might be a leather Chypre. After some further reading on the subject, seems this is Guillaume's attempt in modernizing the Mousse de Saxe base (partly Chypre, partly leather, depending on how it's used). Kudos for being ambitious, and I'm sure there is very clever chemistry behind this, but I find that the composition doesn't add up. It kinda wants to be a green Chypre, but then changes direction towards Leather. There is also a sweet note (is it the broom?), that turns the whole thing on its head: it's not a green accord any more. Obviously, happy to sample this. If nothing else, it clarifies a lot re bases used in so many Chypres.

A rather unusual take on green/fresh, in my estimation. Opens intense, vegetal, and dry. Grass doesn't quite describe the green opening. I'd compare it to pepper: both peppercorns and fresh bell peppers. The initial notes are almost bitter, with no hint of sweetness. Which is why the sweetness that opens up as this wears is so unexpected and enjoyable. Again here, it's not quite a powdery sweetness, but it's also neither floral nor honeyed. Also past the open is where the mossy/woody/resinous notes come into play. Longevity is moderate, around 3+ hours, with modest projection.

If you are looking for unique Green fragrance, you have to give Papyrus de Ciane a try. The idea behind this fragrance is, to recreate Papyrus plant smell surrendered by nature. I've never smelled Papyrus before and can't tell you if they did a good job simulating it but I love this creation. It smells sunny, zingy, deep green, dusty, a bit like paper, little frankincense. Maybe, that's how opening an old papyrus scroll in a deep leafy forest would smell like :)? The fragrance is simple but illusive, hard to describe. Definitely original! Love it!

The is the most complex perfume I have smelled in a while. It starts with a mixture of bitter green, citrus and a floral note. It's a very resinous green, and I think I can smell a little incense and spice too. The heart is smoky and powdery green and woody and somehow it's dark and light at the same time and cut through with the green. It's very dry. I thought for a while that it might be too masculine, that the resinous/smoky note was too much, and then came the musky-woody drydown and I was in love.

This is a shape shifter. Not so much on skin, but in my head: copier heat, grass, peppers, incense... they all take turns at catching attention in this modern take on papyrus leaf. Incense has the most stamina, still lingering after half a day, in a nice discreet way, very personal, nothing loud here. I don't get a lot of powder, to me this is very vegetal, but against a big city backdrop, as big cities contain fresh grass and asphalt.

Bitter woody greens, aromatics, and a shaving cream accord given the Pierre Guillaume signature modern touch. 7/10 This has been another edition of "LittleDinkums Reductive Reviews."

Try PG24 for galbanum in all its green and leathery glory. PG24 is also a unique homage to a vintage Mousse de Saxe base, a sharp retro isoquinoline leather.

I loved this at first but it gave me a horrible headache after 30 minutes. All of PG's works do.