Odenaturae

Fragrant 'Green' interpreted differently than usual, without vetiver, galbanum and lily of the valley. Mown grass, hay, chamomile, berries, lime blossoms and moss instead. Rarely have I smelled such lush, rich and contrasting nature in a fragrance that makes me want to go on a summer picnic in the countryside. Andrea Rubini and Cristiano Canali have once again surpassed themselves with this wonderful bucolic scent. Great art!

So good. The chamomile is incredibly beautiful and realistic here. Like a cup of tea that can be enjoyed year round; refreshing when chilled, and comforting when served hot.

The moment you step into an old-style apothecary. Upstairs everything is ordinary, boxed, and impeccably proper. Downstairs, the pharmacist’s witch-doctor side has awakened, and they are compounding custom remedies and salves just for you. The lower floor is strange, dim, packed with old objects. Amber-colored vials, herbs crushed in a mortar and pestle, an antiseptic medicinal smell. Mmmh. There is also a lightly sweet-leaning, fruity, ozonic breeze. And then you exit this room into the pharmacist’s secret garden. Green, aromatic, and intensely herbal. Mint, basil, chamomile, tomato leaf, orange, and resins are what I pick up most clearly. There are also natural floral elements that read to me like orange blossom. Hay-like nuances are present too. It feels quite sophisticated, and very well curated. I loved it. Tag(s): herbal, minty, antiseptic, medicinal, apothecary, chamomile, aromatic, secret garden, witch doctor

Maybe the perfect green scent. Yes its not groundbreaking but there is something so ideal here for spring and summer. Sometimes I find these type of scents to go too vegetal and dull (Mal-Aime, Bel Respiro) but I was also worried this would be too prickly in the nose like Bracken Woman with the forest fruits. But these just give a vibrancy without feeling "fruity" and the green notes are soft leaves not prickly ferns or weeds. Could be the one.

Odenaturae opens with an odd, flinty, abstract dry scent, and then goes into dry savory herbs. It's almost a bouquet-garni effect; this is what you're roasting your chicken with. In general I'm not fond of foody fragrances *or* of extremely dry gray ones, and Odenaturae is a bit of both. Then, it goes a touch more anisic-medicinal and bittersweet, more like the kind of herbs I enjoy, but still sitting on a dust-dry base. Eventually the base wins -- a bit of pleasant bitter dryness, a bit of dried sweat, a familiar landing place in classic 70s scents like O de Lancome. This part is actually rather nice. Civilized and comfortable. Feels like being in the shade of a sculpture garden on a hot summer day. As time goes on, it gets more and more satisfying. But IMO there are lots of herbal scents that do a similar thing without Odenaturae's musty, unpleasant off-notes -- Grimoire comes to mind. Apparently it's marketed as a green evocation of nature, inspired by Virgil's odes. But it just isn't green! It is grayish tan. And it doesn't evoke nature to me, more like dried kitchen herbs and stone walls. Luca Turin describes Odenaturae as an anisic fougere inspired by Brut, which makes it pop into place for me. The dusty sweat under bittersweet herbs makes sense once I realize it's a fougere. But this isn't a scent genre that often works for me -- fougeres tend to be too explicitly masculine. Maybe Odenaturae is worth trying if you have chest hair... and a little patience.