If there’s one trend in male-oriented perfumery which I’d be delighted to see the back of, it’s the over-use of abrasive woody-musky materials (aka woody ambers). The stuff is everywhere, in the output of the whole gamut of brands, from Hermès to Hermetica, leering at hapless shoppers, pummelling them into submission with brute aggression. However, far from fading away, it now seems to be muscling in on the territory of feminine offerings. Case in point: the new Tulipe Noire from Atkinsons. Granted, the company presents it as a unisex release, but with a name like that – and with a floral-focused marketing campaign – there’s no doubt it’s got its sights set more on women’s pennies than men’s. And I, for one, am worried. Because there may have been an interesting idea somewhere at the birth of this composition: an attempt to convey an olfactory impression of a tulip by linking the biting greenness of rhubarb with the intoxicating qualities of tuberose. But then I guess someone must have asked for a gallon of those woody ambers. And the central concept was suffocated. But what do I know? I expect this stuff will do very well indeed and we’ll have to put up with many more years of being hit over the head with shouty vulgarity each time we venture into a beauty hall.
[Review based on a sample of eau de parfum provided by Atkinsons in 2019.]
Persolaise
Incidentally, while we’re on the subject of tulips, check out Gallivant’s Amsterdam and L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Traversée Du Bosphore for a far more interesting take on the flower.
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Oh dear. Doesn’t bode well for the future at all. Brings to mind another British perfume company of long standing who seem to be blasting people’s olfactory membranes with powerful smells, and have moved away totally from their traditional origins.
I wonder which one you could possibly mean 😂 The thing is: I have no problem whatsoever with change. It’s rare for brands to survive without constantly adapting and evolving to fit the changes around them. But it is possible to retain authenticity while changing, and that’s a balancing act not many brands can manage.
Thanks for writing!
I guess Hermes is one that does manage. Doesn’t Terre d’Hermes contain these “woody ambers” to give it a slightt sharpness? I am generally not a friend of metallic perfumes, but this example shows that woody ambers are not bad in themselves. If only they were not so pervasive. If they were used to set a perfume apart, instead of creating something generic, all would be fine.
Sebastian, thanks very much for taking the time to leave a comment. Yes, I completely agree: it’s the over-use of the materials that’s problematic. Any material can have a legitimate presence in a composition, if doses properly.
I expect Terre does have some of those ingredients. Have you tried Woody Perfecto from Parle Moi De Parfum: that makes woody ambers prominent, yet palatable at the same time.
No I haven’t. Thanks for the hint, it goes on the list.
One thing puzzles me about woody ambers: They are basically single molecules, that would be used where otherwise a mixture of other ingredients would be required. Statistically, that should make it much more likely for people to have widely divergent reactions to a perfume using them. (As is generally the case with prominent synthetic notes, I suppose.) On the other hand, these molecules occur in so many mainstream perfumes, people must like them generally, else it wouldn’t make economic sense to use them so much.
Oh, I’m sure lots of people like them. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head: they are being used more prominently because the perfumes which contain them are selling well. It’s only the likes of you and me that find their over-use problematic.
That said, I was having a conversation just the other day with someone who absolutely knows his stuff when it comes to scent, and he told me adores Hermès’ Eau De Citron Noir, which, for me, goes too far into woody-amber realms as it nears its drydown. So… where does that leave us?? 😂