Niche 4

Niche 4 is an “extremely minimalist” fragrance built around just three notes: apple, cinnamon, and amber. From the first spray, cinnamon and amber immediately rush forward. The cinnamon is very prominent, with a dry spiciness and none of the creamy quality or sugary sweetness of icing. The amber gives the whole fragrance a dense, substantial weight, warm and rich. Blended together, the opening is almost entirely a glowing mass of cinnamon and amber. As it moves into the heart and the amber gradually softens, the apple begins to emerge. It is not the tart freshness of green apple, nor the transparent quality of apple juice, but the rounded sweetness of a ripe red apple. Mixed with the remaining cinnamon, it smells like a clean, warm winter drink with a gentle fruity sweetness. This development is almost the reverse of many apple-based fragrances. Usually, the fruit is most noticeable at the beginning before gradually giving way to woods or amber. Niche 4 first uses cinnamon and amber to establish the overall atmosphere, and only then allows the apple to appear. Quite interesting. It does not have the complex layering of materials often found in Arabian perfumery, nor does it try to create dramatic transitions between the top, heart, and base. Instead, it simply keeps adjusting the proportions of the same three notes. The opening is dominated by cinnamon and amber, the middle and later stages gradually shift toward apple and cinnamon, and the fragrance finally settles into a soft, warm amber. I like it very much. It is not cloying even in summer. Long-lasting, with moderate projection.