Akro Bake, Diptyque Eau Nabati, Acqua Di Parma Arancia La Spugnatura and other reviews – 2023

The scent of gorgeous French patisseries was in the air during my recent YouTube review of the new Akro Bake, composed by Olivier Cresp. Here’s a link to the video, followed by a complete list of all the scents that were covered (with timestamps) and further thoughts on some of them: Akro Bake, Diptyque Eau Nabati, Acqua Di Parma Arancia La Spugnatura, Alexandre J Black Beetle extrait and Ode To Rose extrait reviews.

Akro Bake (Olivier Cresp) 2:58
Acqua Di Parma Arancia La Spugnatura (Francois Demachy) 17:20
Diptyque Eau Nabati (Fabrice Pellegrin) 28:22
Alexandre J Black Beetle extrait 39:49
Alexandre J Ode To Rose extrait 45:30

I’m sorry to say that Arancia doesn’t rise to the same heights as the Bergamotto entry in the Spugnatura range. It gets off to a promising start – a citrus that’s sophisticated and understated, as opposed to flashy and energetic – but it quickly becomes rather muted, as though too frightened to sustain its elegant tune. The Alexandre Js are worth checking out for their classic, traditional takes on spices and rose, but they too would have benefited from more memorable drydowns.

Diptyque Eau Nabati sees Fabrice Pellegrin update the heavenly moods and tones of Dior Dune for the 21st century, which is to say that he’s given us a green amber that is more translucent and less abstract than its 1990s counterpart. This also means that it’s relatively less substantial, but while it lasts, its ability to conjure a turquoise oasis in the middle of a desert is second to none. When compared to the recent L’Eau Papier, it also shows off Pellegrin’s extraordinary range and reminds us that he’s one of the most talented artists in his field.

Finally, Akro Bake is the most fun-loving delight to have passed beneath my nose in recent months. An almost ridiculously accurate representation of a lemon meringue tart – complete with a serving of delicate, fluffy chantilly on the side – it knows precisely how much acidity is required to balance its diet-banishing sweetness. It may have a one-track mind, but its decisiveness is one of its many more-ish strengths.

Persolaise

[Samples provided by the brands.]

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