It was time to dip into the stripped back aesthetics of Scandinavia in episode 157 of Love At First Scent which focussed on the three new eaux de toilette from the Danish brand, Skandinavisk. Here’s a link to the broadcast: Skandinavisk Kapitel 4, 12 & 17 review.
There’s no doubt that there’s room in perfumery for scents that adopt a streamlined, minimalist approach. But if you’re going to take the line that less is more, you need to make sure that the ‘less’ you pour into your compositions is of a sufficiently high quality to stand up without support. To my nose, the three Kapitels from Skandinavisk don’t quite hit the mark. And although it’s clear that each of them was intended to present an unfettered, uncrowded scent-scape, the thinness of their ingredients never allows them to leave the confines of the lab and break free into the liberated outdoors.
Persolaise
[Skandinavisk Kapitel 4, 12 & 17 review based on samples provided by the brand in 2020.]
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Thanks for the great video. I had a similar experience with Svensk Parfym, which held all sorts of promises of smells to take me back to my multi-Scandi roots. I sampled the entire range named after key nature concepts, but nothing really provided the “transport” I was hoping for, and a few needed a scrub, if not a hot sauna. I don’t want to smell like a candle, either. And what’s with the derivative Le Labo bottles for Skandinavisk? I’d rather just continue with a thorough burrow in my vintage chypre furrow. Someone did mention Vilhelm, though, and I am rather partial to their Fleur Burlesque; “Stockholm” isn’t bad either; at a stretch, it could even take me back to my native city. At least there’s a bit of character to each offering, even if you don’t like it.
Thanks for writing, Hanamini.
Yes, the whole ‘easiness’ of the Scandi vibe feels so forced sometimes, doesn’t it?
Many thanks for writing.