Antico Caruso

Profumum Antico Caruso is advertised and purported to be a classic men's scent, not necessarily a fougere but rather a soapy/citrus/woody blend. Fresh and tangy, yet woody and serene, sophisticated and classic. Certainly vaguely in the vicinity of the barbershop type of scent but without any lavender. And the soapiness isn't via neroli, apparently, just the combination of orange blossom and lemon, The lemon and orange blossom are certainly detectable at the top but remain part of the mix in the dry down, which exposes the almond, sandalwood and amber, though I don't get much amber. Almond, to me, is always a note I have a difficult time putting my finger on. In the case of Antico Caruso, the almond blends in pretty seamless with the other elements, so for me it isn't such a burst of almond as it is a citrus/floral/woody blend with hints of almond, and that's probably a good overall thing if you're not crazy about almond, as you might need to be to enjoy, say, Confetto, also by Profumum. I imagine some women could pull this off but this seems overwhelmingly to be oriented toward men, and not very young men, not that it smells of an old man, but rather that I could see it being more of an acquired test, a reserved but still-powerful entry. Comparisons to JPG Le Male, which I've seen from a couple of sources, are fair but only in a vague, abstract sense---the note breakdowns between LM and AC are quite different and upon application they're really quite different enough. Performance is mostly up to Profumum's standard power but while superb on longevity, it's not quite as substantial in the projection category, as the bar is set pretty high by the house. Still, a great classic men's scent that should be sampled by all men. 8 out of 10

January 27, 2023. Just for reference. I purchased a sample of this entire line. This is number six that I have tried so far. Every sample I have tested has lasted an extremely long time. Even overnight. This is yet again another fragrance I really enjoy. It is not as sweet as i was expecting it to be which is surprisingly a good thing. I do like sweet fragrances, but this is done so beautifully much like every other fragrance from this brand. It almost smells effortless. Very natural. It is a very fresh take on Orange Blossom. Completely different from Orange blossom by Jo Malone. Besides orange blossom the main notes are Lemon, almond, sandalwood and Amber. I don't get very much almond. Confetto I get right away almost like dessert. This one I believe is to balance out the sweetness from the orange blossom and amber. I agree with everyone who have said below this is a very good every day fragrance. It's not something that will attract people or seduce them, but it's really attractive in a fresh and clean sort of way. Almost like a weekend brunch or daytime date kind of way. I will purchase this before I purchase neroli but I'm not saying that it does not smell as good. They are both very beautiful in very different ways. This one does not have any earthiness or wood or anything else of that sort. This is all about the blossom. Very floral. The citrus balances out the sweetness as well. How many times can I say this is beautiful. Very good job interview fragrance. It smells like you are put together. Reliable. Etc.

A very underrated perfume from the house, it's actually one of the most unique scents I've tried so far. It opens with a blast of lemony citrus and soap but it quickly develops into an unmistakable almond (the only part I don't particularly like is the almond.) but then in the drydown it smells like soap again with hints of almond. I don't detect amber nor sandalwood. I took the sample and layered it over an initial spray of Comme des Garcons Series 4 Anbar because that thing is weak but has a constant neroli scent. The result, excellent long lasting neroli with almond and citrus! I could wear it to work every day. Update: I find myself going more and more for this one than for any other frag from this house from my sample collection. The reason? It is safe, clean and lasts forever. Patchouli and Ambra? I love it, but I don't think anyone else does so I avoid it when I know I will be having a meeting that day. I also find myself layering Neroli type fragrances on top of this, gives the orange blossom an extra punch which I love.

I love Profumum. It’s one of my safe go to’s. I received a bunch of free samples with a Luckyscent order. I’m still getting my head around this one. Never would have anticipated the smell against the note listing and marketing. I just don’t get it - reading the note table completely confuses me unless the sample is incorrectly labelled but this ironically instantly reminded me of Xerjoff Comandante which I love and I sprayed some on my other arm to make sure I’m not misleading you and yes it’s a very close presentation. If this is all correct note wise it none the less smells like a dustier Comandante which always reminds me of Windex Window cleaner and a touch of blonde tobacco which here would be the citrus and and cinnamon et al. Either way I like it and it’s a real corker so performance is off the scale but unfortunately I wouldn’t justify a purchase as it’s so close to Comandante. I will come back to this review after I’ve tried it some more...

There are definite similarities between this scent and JPG's Le Male. No, it's not the same as Le Male. It's an almond, vanilla, amber, wood scent. Le Male is a synthetic, sweet vanilla scent that is over-powering. Profumum's Antico Caruso is a classy, slightly sweet, complex scent. Sweetness and almond up top then they fade and blend well with everything else to create a deep and classy smell. There's a lot going on here and it changes and develops over time. It starts out like a sweet almond soap, something luxurious and antique (ahh!) like shaving soap. It mellows and softens through the day until in the afternoon you have something that gives a close to the skin ambience of classy luxurious scent. It's expensive because you want it and because people who want it want exclusivity. I don't want you to buy a bottle.

Just got this and I'm very pleasantly surprised. I have sampled Reflection and Reflection 45 quite a bit. This is very similar to Reflection Man but not as spicy... Reflection's pepper note is much more prominent in the opening. Antico Caruso is so smooth and pleasant, we'll see how the wifey likes it but I'm very impressed. Relatively simple compared to Reflection but obviously more complex compared to other Profumum Roma fragrances. It's honestly just perfect. Performance is fantastic... Love it.

First time smelling this I got this thick creamy almondy smell that was almost a bit nauseating. Despite this, it was quite intriguing. After running through my sample I definitely get the Italian barbershop smell. It’s still thick and creamy but airy at the same time. It’s so smooth and luxurious. It’s linear and simple but that’s ok given the scent profile. If you’re tired of aromatic barbershop scents this is a must try.

A beautiful minimalist Oriental Chypre style composition. The perfume opens with bright citrusy notes of Amalfi lemon and orange flower. The heart is a beautiful mix of amber and almond. The perfume settles on a powdery base of sandalwood and synthetic musk. The slight masculine leaning mostly natural scent has moderate to strong sillage and very good longevity. Powdery barbershop style but more classy natural bliss. Enjoy!

This one used to be my favorite of the house. Some time around this year a got a decant(I mostly run on decants) of this and it smelled different. Before it was smooth, with the almond clearly noticeable. The last decant I got had a very strong and sharp citrus with the almond barely noticeable and the citrus would turn sour!! Has anyone else had this experience?!

If you are 25 and need attention this isn’t for you. But if you wanna smell like an adult with money in the bank this is for you. So classy but works with casual clothes. Highly concentrated, high quality notes without childish sweetness. 9/10.

smells ultra clean and refreshing, has the same effect that wulong cha by nishane gives you - luxurious hotel room type of scent that just smells refind and elegant. purity resonates with this type of perfumery.

in the summer when I was wearing it it smelled sour and unpleasant, horrible, but in the winter it reminds me of le male.. they stand out better in winter on puffer jacket. love it

Does anyone know why it is titled ancient carousel?

The smell for the perfect, classy gentlemen...

One of my favorite parfum. I recommand It !

I've again attempted to expand my (very limited) perfume and EDT wardrobe. Sigh...I guess I do not do well with change and apparently there IS a very good reason I have such a limited "go-to fragrance wardrobe"--smile. As others have stated, this is a non-complex scent and on my skin, it essentially landed as two notes...well, actually ONE note...powdery amber...period. Trying to avoid doing so, I definitely detected the "barber shoppe" aroma among the opening notes. I detected an herbal & nearly medicinal accord in the opening notes, perhaps some citrus, too. Within minutes, the scent rapidly transitioned on me and I definitely detected some almond that was pleasant enough...just not PRESENT enough for my tastes. And finally, sadly on me the dry-down of this fragrance landed as a simple, very ordinary linear note...not almond (as many have stated) but to my senses, the final note was AMBER...and a soapy amber, I'd say! Maybe I'm sensing sandalwood (which I like quite a lot) and not amber. But I think I can detect sandalwood from amber. Antico Caruso definitely landed as amber...simple, non-complex, kinda ordinary amber. On the plus side, longevity seems GREAT with this fragrance 'cause I applied it several hours back and it still smells quite song. Silage also seems to be quite strong as there are wafts of this stuff throughout my entire house right now. I actually caused one of my poor cats to sneeze when I hugged him a few minutes ago-lololol. Nonetheless, I do not like the end results of this one. Traveling with it from its opening notes to its end was pleasant enough. But in the end, this fragrance feels (smells) too ordinary and way too masculine given my current preferences. Think I'll pass this on to my dear husband and see if he'd like to try if out for a while.

The listed notes make perfect sense to me. To my nose this is definitely an almond-focused fragrance, where the other notes add freshness, cleanliness, depth and nuance, but they really don't stand out on their own. The almond is dominant. There's a sweetness in here, but it's also fairly bitter, almost bordering on sharp during the first hour or so. The overall impression is sort of reminiscent of Le Male, so I do get the comparison... Both fragrances combine a warm sweetness with an effervescent freshness, however they at the same time smell completely different. Le Male is dominated by lavender and vanilla, and neither of those notes are present in Antico Caruso. It's really kind of a mystery to me how this fragrance can be so reminiscent of Le Male even though the actual notes are so different. After about 7-8 hours the almond is mostly gone from my skin (but remains on my shirt) and what's left is a cozy sandalwood/amber skin scent. Fairly unisex, but I'd say it leans masculine and mature. Feels classic / old school. It straddles the line between casual and formal. If you like almond, and/or you like the Le Male style of men's fragrance - fresh and clean while still soft and somewhat sweet and warm - then this could be a great option for you. Almond fragrances aren't quite to my taste so this isn't my favorite Profumum Roma fragrance, but even so I definitely prefer this to Le Male.

Instantly I thought this smelled like a lavender, almond and vanilla combination which is very pleasing. How about this Antico Caruso is an elegant blend of the best bits of from three well known fragrances. A ménage a trois of sorts between Le Male, Givenchy Pi and Amouage Reflection. I think that's the most concise set of comparisons I've ever made during a review. It's what Le Male should smell like but goes awful on my skin and it has the deep almond accord of givenchy Pi without the sour edge. Finally it has the class and sophistication of Reflection without the relative complexity. This is a nice fragrance that has phenomenal lasting power it really is impressive. If you like any of the fragrances I've mentioned and want something similar for whatever reason then I'd recommend you get it, I won't be.

Yes... Le Male- that's what it reminds me of! I couldn't place it before. The top-notes are slightly-different, however... but the drydown is that same suede-y roundness- leather is more-pronounced here, however, than in Le Male. Very manly. Actually, it reminds me of a cross between LM and Tauer's Lonestar Memories... It also reminds me of Bvlgari Black. I like this one only enough for a decant. Update: the drydown after 18 hours+ is very interesting- lots of white musk! Rather lovely... and I think it is here that it really stands out from any others like it! This is one of those rare frags that transforms from day to evening wear seamlessly.

Immediately when I applied this, it brought me back to my teenage years. I didn't know why... until it hit me: Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier was the most popular fragrance when I was a teenager in the late 90s. Antico Caruso is very similar to my nose. Sure enough, Le Male is #1 on the "This perfume reminds me of" list! I would say Antico Caruso is an older, more sophisticated, and less intense take on the same idea. As an inoffensive and versatile crowd-pleaser, this would make a great signature scent. If you're the kind of person who just wants one or two fragrances, this would be a solid choice. It also has excellent performance.