Business Over Pleasure

This is my very first try of Business Over Pleasure by TLTG Reviews x Zaharoff, one of the recent releases of the Zed Creators collaboration with Zaharoff. Business Over Pleasure overtly has some of the DNA of the original Zaharoff Signature’s fresh/sweet/spicy mix, but blended with a bit a fresh floral almost cocktail-like side to it. It’s a little fresher, smoother, and less sharp than the original Signature while being comparably sweet, and it strikes me instantly as a more warm-weather-friendly variation to enjoy, for example, in the current hot summer than many of us in the US are experiencing. Looking at the note breakdown between BOP and Signature, there are common notes of iris, patchouli, amber, and ginger—not a ton of overlap—with some of the key substitutions (in my vague estimation) being that the lavender being removed from the original represents a movement toward a less sharp opening. The sweet elements are similar but BOP is a little less creamy than Signature as it dries down. Both have a strong floral heart, though, with a delicate use of iris, not too heavy-handed. As Ross Carlos describes in his YouTube video focusing on the fragrance, some of the touches are quite subtle (he notes the guaiac wood and palo santo in the base), and I’d throw the iris in the bit, as its inclusion does not lead to a buttery or powdery result but rather a bright white floral element that stands out while not overshadowing the spices (ginger, pepper, coriander) or woody/sweet/resinous dry down component. Business Over Pleasure is priced at $119 for 60ml in EDP concentration, and seems to perform quite well, perhaps not quite as well as Signature or Signature Noir or The Siren, but comparably enough, especially considering its slightly fresher character. In conclusion, I have to step back and figure that my reaction to BOP would be the same as when I tried Zaharoff Signature itself for the first time last year, even though I’m noting some of the shared DNA and comparing the two. BOP is instantly innovative yet practical, and I want to wear it more and more. In the vein of Signature, it feels like highly-interesting take on a modern men’s signature scent but it’s not stereotypically masculine per se, and I expect that anyone could enjoy this. 8 out of 10

Scent is truly amazing, I really think so. Where this lacks, as you can conclude from other reviews, there isn't much pop from this fragrance. So, initially when I sprayed this and smelled it for the first time I was not immediately reminded of something, which is good! The smell is silky smooth and uplifting. Definitely falls into the "blue" category which is what Ross loves. I hate to, but I have to knock the projection. One of the weaker projecting fragrances I own. If you are timid about fragrances and don't want to offend anyone and wear a fragrance for your nose only then this is a perfect option. I did spray this on someone else and had them walk by after about 10 minutes, the sillage was there but I had to search for it. What I did find really did smell amazing and that's what kills me. If this fragrance was stronger and had better performance, this would be a very sought after fragrance bc it smells that good. I really hope there could be a reformulation to up the performance and I would buy it in a hearbeat. Overall, well done, Ross! Awesome fragrance for your first time! You really do have a great sense of notes and nailed it on your first try. Hope to see more in the future! Edit 12 hours later: About hour 10 the scent was gone from my arm. Up until that time I continuously smelled my arm and concluded this is one of the best smelling fragrances I own. It smells that good. The projection though, it's not great and that really saddens me bc of how good this smells. Still, a fantastic fragrance that deserves a spot in everyone's collection. This could be a top 5 fragrance for me if the projection issue was corrected, even just a little bit that's all I ask for.

I’m shocked that people would down rate this fragrance before it’s release. I guess I just don’t understand that kind of thing. I found this fragrance to be very nice. Does it jump of the skin? Not really, not a huge projection beast, but the longevity is there on me. I woke up with it on. So for me it lasted 9-10 hours. Became a skin scent around 7 hours in. It does what I assume it’s meant to do based on the name. It’s not supposed to fill a room so it can be worn in business settings. I’ve worn it twice, and I grew to like it more the 2nd time around. The blend is very very nice, with a touch of spice from the pepper and ginger. The iris and lemon verbena give it a brightness, with the cashmere wood, amber, Tonka bean smoothing it out. It’s very well blended so it’s hard to pick out individual notes. The pepper seems to carry through the life of the fragrance, which I enjoy. This fragrance takes on many transitions, and takes you on a true journey. I can only imagine that the low ratings are based on some kind of dislike of this content creator? This is not a 2.90 fragrance. I’d say it’s somewhere in the 4’s. For me it’s around a 4.25 maybe 4.30.

I ordered all of the Zed Creators fragrances. Got them in today and wore Business Over Pleasure to work. This one has a very nice iris in it that mixes well with white floral. The guaiac wood gives a very nice smoky nuance to the fragrance. I think this makes the iris much more wearable to more people even if they’re not fans of iris. This could easily be a signature scent, any season any occasion type of fragrance. The performance I got was very solid. The projection was good, but not overpowering. The projection lasted a couple of hours. Once I hit the 7 hour mark I did choose to refresh to get it projecting again, but the fragrance was still going even at the 7 hour mark. It also was complimented by coworkers. My final thoughts are that this is a versatile, sophisticated style of fragrance. A niche take on iris with such a nice smoky nuance. Performance is very good. The presentation was up to the Zaharoff standards. For 120 USD I feel like this fragrance is a very good deal! You get a limited edition fragrance, the Zaharoff class, and the scent is composed of high quality oils. - The Fragrance Wardrobe - YouTube

Got a sample from my order with the Siren. It smelled so good I went ahead and ordered a bottle. Upon first spray you get the pepper and bergamot and slight lily of the valley. As it drys down that iris, white florals and tonka bean begin to come out and eventually settles to a woody, fresh, sexy iris scent that is addiciting. I kept smelling myself every few minutes because it was that good and when you catch it in the wind it smells divine. The only negative thing I'll say is that projection is not the strongest, however I only had 2ml sample which was about 10 sprays and I am a 15+ oversprayer. So I am 100% sure if I had 5ml I would have been set. That being said Ross did an AMAZING job creating this and I cannot wait for my bottle. This fragrance is best for any occasion and smells outstanding, IMO this deserves an impressive 10 out of 10