Osmanthus

Osmanthus is a strange accord that is hard to get your hands (or nose) around. All you have to do to confirm this statement of mine is read the reviews of this perfume. In its purest and most botantical form, I would say the majority of people find the flower off putting. I think it's one of the best olfactory marvels of nature, so, naturally, I love DC's Osmanthus and many do not. In order to like - little alone love - this perfume, you need to have a general fondness for the real deal, because Jean-Claude Ellena is going to give it to you unapologetically and in full force. If you have never smelled real osmanthus, either in flower form or perfume form, and you're unsure if you like it or don't like it, DC's Osmanthus is far from being a safe blind buy. The perfume's opening is going to grab your attention and check your courage. Galbanum, bergamot, and orange come together to give a very bitter, slightly sweet, and very green accord, that calls to my mind underripe green bell peppers. Ellena is taking cover charges at the door with this opening accord; you're either going to like it and think it's worth the price of admission, or you're going to turn around and leave. What comes next in a seamless dry down from the opening notes is osmanthus. There are little bits of jasmine and rose here, but the accords that shine are the leather and tea. Real osmanthus has pretty clear presentations of both, but very few osmanthus perfumes lean into them; the accords can be quite challenging, so brands prefer to dial them back in favor of osmanthus's fruity and floral notes. Not Ellena and DC, though. The leather here is a rich, freshly tanned suede that is both strident and strong yet plushy and velvety. The tea note is a funky fruity black tea, and this is the part that piques my curiosity the most. In many osmanthus perfumes, as I mentioned, the fruity part of osmanthus is given favor and put front-and-center, and this note is usually very reminiscent of apricot (or perhaps underripe nectarines, or some similar yellow tree fruit). In this pefume, the fruit hovers over the earthy, grassy, rooty, fermented leaves of Camellia sinensis, seamless and inseparable. The heart of this perfume is funky; be warned. The musks at the base give this earthy and rooty fruit-inflected tea note a dense silkiness that I find very addictive. It's a small difference compared to other osmanthus perfumes, but it has outsized effects. If you have been able to make it through to the end of DC's Osmanthus, this is another part where people have a problem. For many this smells a bit too lotion like or soap like. Welcome to Fragrances in Cosmetics 101; today we start on Chapter One. The floral aspects of the osmanthus, namely the pink rose part of it, combined with the musks do have a soapy or lotion type accord to them, but if you don't like it that means you don't like it, not that Ellena made a technical mistake: natural osmanthus does have a fair bit of this aroma to it. I, for one, like it, and it also works in a naturalistic and logical way by providing a pleasant salve at the end to help you recover from the more difficult parts of the perfume that came before. I love this perfume. Whenever I try an osmanthus perfume that's new to me, I usually at some point ask myself "what do I think of this compared to DC's Osmanthus?" It was after I realized that I was doing this, some better part of two decades ago, that it truly occurred to me just how good it is. Two decades on, it's still a bar to measure against.

It's a big floral, and smells very exotic. I learn that this fragrance was inspired to JC Ellena by a trip in China, where the very rare (and scarce) flower "Osmanthus Fragrans" was harvested and reduced to a concrete form for travelling to the West. I can clearly see why it is inspiring... it's a creamy , poetic flower, and so is the scent. Definitely feminine and to be used with a light hand, the creaminess is paired to some green leaves and the top notes of bergamote, orange and mandarin (that generally marry well wiht white flowers). Some rose. A warm musk base that makes it long lasting (I would have loved more a benzoin/amber base, by the way). Reminds me of Farouche, for some non-explained reason. A Lovely, classy and sophisticated feminine perfume.

This is so addictive, I can't stop spraying it. I could probably wear this every day for the rest of my life. It is quite simplistic and fragile but also really blooms. I sometimes find Jean-Claude Ellena's creations to be a bit too pungent, this however strikes a perfect balance between that sharp freshness and softer feel.

It's just very lively, comforting, feminine and soft. The bergamot and mandarine give the slightly raspy osmanthus a good balance. Actually smells like an expensive face cream, with a hint of rose. I'm a fan.

I bought this as one of the 48 heures packets so I didn't spend that much for this as an individual perfume. That said, I'm finding myself likeing it more and more as I wear it more. At first I didn't like Osmanthus at all. I was very surprised because I had heard so many glowing reviews from friends I trust. It had a bitter green scent to me and on top of that a creaminess that I found disturbing. It reminded me of citrus peels mixed with Jergen's lotion. Yech! Maybe it was the nostalgia for Jergen's lotion that got me to wear it again but each time I wear it, Osmanthus grows on me. I am getting more floral now, less green bite and cream and more of the semi-musky base. This is a very pleasant scent to wear to bed or as someone else noted, when you are going to be close to other people and don't want to give offense as there is very little sillage. And unfortunately, very little lasting power. I doubt I will buy a bigger bottle of this. There are other bedtime scents I like better, but I will enjoy it while it lasts.

I am used to the osmanthus flower since it is frequently used in my culture. TDC's Osmanthus opens up a little bright with a heavy emphasis on osmanthus flowers. The juicy citruses are detectable, but they never seize the centre stage - nothing overly citrus or juicy. This smells like osmanthus flowers which are steeped in water to the point that the water is a highly concentrated liquid. Instead of being just a floral scent, there is something animalic about Osmanthus - perhaps the castoreum note in this? The fragrance has a rather creamy, waxy feel to it, just like Osmanthus tea. Longevity: 5-6 hours Sillage: moderate for the first 2, dying down to a skin scent Sprays used: 3-4 BTW: On my bottle the notes are listed as follow: vert de feuille, bergamote, orange, mandarin, rose, baies roses, castoreum, foin and musc.

I don't like the opening part and first twenty minutes or so.there was something green,herbal,slightly spicy and bitterish which I disliked but gradually it faded away and what was left was a nice and sweet(but not too much sweet) floral-fruity,a mix of creamy florals,mostly osnanthus and jasmine with an orangey-apricot fruit accord.I like it in this stage as well as it's drydown which is a soft skin-scent of florals and a hint of clean,powdery musk,but I don't like it enough to add it to my wishlist With a single spray,longevity was moderate at it's bests and sillage seemed to be soft to moderate

The Different Company Osmanthus (2000) - peach clouds - one of the most beautiful floral oils in perfumery is Osmanthus oil with its beautiful apricot-like and suede notes. I always wanted a perfume to simply bottle this concept and focus on the ingredient. This is what #jeanclaudeellena does and mixes it with fresh Bergamot and Mandarin orange creating a balance with the creamy peach florals. Reminds me of biting into a fresh ripe peach, it’s skin furry and fragrant.

This is going to sound nuts, but to me this is a near dead ringer for Zest brand soap's Aqua scent with just a leeeetle bit more florals. It's what my mom always bought growing upm and I still buy it because it's so ingrained to me that that is what soap should smell like. Obviously I do like the smell, but when I say it smells soapy I mean it very literally. Also not the osmanthus in a starring role I was hoping for.

This smooth and comforting green musk may appear unpretentious, but is clearly taught in the ways of the expensive chic. I smell clean bedsheets over green grass, white flowers in the hair, and two sun-bronzed bodies enjoying each other, while bees buzz in the air. ****(*)

I am testing Osmanthus on my wrist right now and I detect nothing but a solifloral camomile scent. The top notes are citrusy and somehow cold but they last for a very short time and then there's nothing but camomiles left. I'll see what happens during next few hours...

Green citrousy light soapy beginning notes, turns into pure osmanthus smell in 15 min. If you love and know osmanthus smell, you'll like it. To me beginning is quite questionable and not the greatest one, but beautiful osmanthus which you feel in a while worth it.

This is a pleasant scent for spring and cool summer evenings with a dominant combo of osmanthus, mandarin, musk with mild greens. It leans to feminine scents imo. Moderate longevity with soft projection.

I was in Paris when I first smelled this fragrance. I hadn't smelt osmanthus before the Different Company's; well, not to my knowledge anyway, and smelling TDC's for the first time was a bit of a surprise because the first notes I could smell were citrus notes, especially bergamot. Next was a touch of dry tea. In fact, more than a delicate flower, I was reminded of Irie Wash 09h25 and 20h50 mixed together, as in very warm citrus notes, although not as heavy. But this is until those notes soften, and when that happens, I think that’s when the osmanthus shows itself, if lightly. I’ve read that osmanthus can smell apricotty and this one does to me. With the citrus and tea notes at the base, a light and warm apricot note emerges, coupled with a soft rose note. There is meant to be castoreum in there too, but I can’t tell (or find out anywhere on the web) whether it is the real stuff or a bouquet. I’d like to imagine that it is a bouquet, especially since I can barely notice its attendance. I think what is special about it to me though, is the way it rests on my skin and starts to develop an almost ethereal quality, gently sweet, but not sweet, unobtrusive, gentle and floating. So with all that going on in my nose, I got excited, it was my second day in Paris, I was on the Champs Elysees, I liked a perfume (like I don’t like a good few hundred!), so I bought it. And it is the most expensive body spray I own. Now, I’m not saying that TDC Osmanthus is the same as a supermarket body spray; but the fact that I have to spray about 15 squirts onto myself to feel it’s going to last and the fact that I bought a 250ml, yes, 250ml bottle of the stuff (no, I don’t know what I was thinking!), makes me feel that way. I bought the huge bottle because although still expensive, it was cheaper than to buy a smaller size. Plus it does have a nifty cap which one can decant from (and still spill everywhere if you're me). I really do find TDC’s Osmanthus to be beautiful, but its presence is far too fleeting for me to completely rave about it, especially for the price I paid.

I have an older bottle of this, from around 2009-ish. It's a very herbal/green take on osmanthus - almost medicinal before it settles into a white floral/clean scent. Those who've said green tea below are right on -- osmanthus's other name is "tea olive" and it has a tea-like scent in it's pure form. It's green-ness reminds me a lot of chamomile tea, on my skin - chamomile tea and soap. Lasts around 2 hours and lingers as mainly a skin scent. This is not a "sweet" scent. But it's a calming one. I have others in this genre I like better, (Roos & Roose Malamata!) but if you like herbal/grassy/clean florals then this will definitely be up your alley.

Nice but not my favorite. The opening is very citrusy and I get a strong bergamot scent. However, the citrus dies down quickly and it soon turns very soapy. It's not a bright, just got out of the shower scent, but more like a calm, I showered and put some lotion on scent. It smells a lot like lotion or a sun screen after the citrus. I don't get a lot of osmanthus in here though I do get a wiff of it's flowery fruity notes from time to time. Wish it had a more osmanthus vibe. The dry down does have more osmanthus but still smells too much like a lotion for my taste. Overall pleasant but nothing special. 4/10

It’s osmanthus season here and I’m testing a bunch of osmanthus scents while I have the actual flowers in hand to compare to. This one by the Different Company has a citrussy opening (actually thought it was lemon) with a lot of green tea. Then a floral / geranium/ musk / citrus / tea mix that smells a bit like osmanthus but not as much as I’d like. Maybe the geranium is just amplified on my skin. But either way, there’s not enough of the suede/apricot/nuttiness that makes me love osmanthus. Meh overall. Medium longevity/ projection

Blink and you'll miss it. Got a whole sample of it, waited ages for it and when it eventually arrived I was quite disappointed. One or two sprays to the hand, got some bergamot and mandarin and then it completely disappeared. What is there to review? It's a shame, because the notes pyramid looked great...

Quite fresh smelling, synthetic osmanthus. I prefer Nuit de Cellophane for that clean, shampoo osmanthus.

Osmanthus by The Different Company is the next niche fragrance that i have gotten after Serge Luten's Ambre Sultan. And i had the good fortune to get it during a sale which i hauled along a few other fragrances, hopefully i will be able to review them if i have the chance to. Some background on Osmanthus, the fragrance is composed by the current nose of Hermes fragrance, Jean-claude Ellena and was launched in 2001. Osmanthus is a feminine fragrance and according to the description on The Different Company's website, it is a delicate and musky floral fragrance. Top Notes: Bergamot, Mandarin, Green Notes. Middle Notes: Osmanthus, Jasmine, Geranium. Base Notes: Musk, Rose. I have not had the fortune of smelling Osmanthus the flower personally and thus i am absolutely clueless on how it is "supposed" to smell like. Hence, i am just going to give my honest 2 cents worth in my layman terms...... My very first fragrance from The Different Company. The Second layer of packaging- which i think is not necessary, perhaps they hope that it will add a extra "luxurious" touch to the packaging. The fragrance nicely and safely housed in a more sturdy cardboard box. The fragrance contained in a thick hefty glass bottle. Top, middle and base notes printed on the bottle. Packaging has never been something that fragrance companies will spare expenses on it, afterall it is the very first thing that catches the attention of consumers like you and i . True enough, the Osmanthus is housed in a thick heavy glass bottle, with silver spray cap that you can screw open to pour in refill of the fragrance and of course, you have a list of the top, middle and base notes printed tastefully on the bottle (which constitutes part of the design of the product). However, what i am rather skeptical is that the silver cap does not screw securely onto the bottle if you do not use quite a bit of force (i had the good mind to carry my fragrance in its upright position, as i found that the cap is not secured properly when i reached home). Imagine if i let it loose in my bag as i usually do..... that would be very very expensive wastage and i would very much prefer me than my bag smelling good. Other than that, niche fragrance, luxurious packaging. Now, how should i even begin to describe this fragrance..... Osmanthus is nothing like what i have in my current stash, i always like that when i am fragrance scouting, hunting or seeking. I mean what is the point of having fragrance A that smells like fragrance B and also like fragrance C, D and E that is in your stash. One can be adventurous in very few things in life, and fragrance is one of them. Yes, it is different...... yet it is not very special in the sense that i am totally captivated by it. Osmanthus is a delicate and demure lady who is properly educated in manners and the way of the world, never exposed to the vulgarity in life, she never shouts nor laugh out loud, but only to speak in hush and smile. A very gentle fragrance to wear if you do not wish to offend people around you and they can only smell it on you if he/she leans very close to you. Yes, Osmanthus is that polite and is someone who easily makes people comfortable around her. On me, Osmanthus smells of white tea floral, a little soapy like, somewhat woody, it does not last more than a couple of hours on me to which i am utterly confused as i have not encountered a fragrance that does not last at least a few good hours on my skin ( i have oily skin). It smells watery and fades away very fast, which i do not expect from a niche fragrance house at such a price point (if one buys it at full retail price, it would cost more than a 100ml Chanel eau de parfum of anything, be it Coco or No. 5). Much as i appreciate and like how quiet, clean and demure the fragrance is, i simply cannot withstand the thought of forking out $$$ on such a beauty, unless one is prepared to bath in it literally. Until there is a reformulation to make it last longer, i guess i won't be parting with my hard earned dough for her.