LiboCedro Acca Kappa 2011 Eau de Cologne

Clove is written, clove exists; and not in short supply. Nevertheless, it is kept on a short leash, so it’s not eugenol-piercing. Nice. Next to it, a mild citrus fruit, perhaps pomelo. For bergamot, I would find this quite tame. It completely lacks that fuzzy-astringent twist that often characterizes it elsewhere. It is simply herb-citrusy and airy-fresh. Thus, the opening is shaped by two protagonists, both of which clearly remain below their potential for penetration. Apparently, Libo Cedro wants to become a subtly-fresh all-day fragrance.

This assumption is confirmed during the first hour when a bright, creamy, spotlessly clean, and completely non-animalic musk note joins in. It gradually replaces the clove. The rose is from the fruit candy faction, more sweet than rosy. I even doubt that I would have recognized it as such in its early attempts without any announcement. Sage can be readily identified, fresh and green.

In the third and fourth hour, the now perfectly recognizable rose disappears again. The sage contributes its freshness to the clean musk. Like all the other notes, we can also flatly check off the cedarwood. Bright, airy, and either synthetically derived or creating this impression through white musk. It doesn't matter.

Overall, the scent is very close to the skin anyway, but by now we are dealing with a musk-wood fragrance that is hardly stronger than a body cream. It offers a temporary surprise only around midday with the hinted return of a softly-citrusy note, which could just as well be a freshness-driven musk impression. White musk and the creamed wood quietly accompany me into the seventh and eighth hour, lingering at a homeopathic level for quite a bit longer. Fine for a cologne, although this term, in my opinion, is otherwise completely misleading.

For the surroundings, Libo Cedro offers a nice fresh laundry scent, which probably - if noticed at all - is quite well received. Certainly much better than the stuff I usually use, hehe.

Conclusion: Libo Cedro offers exactly the notes that are mentioned for it. Said and done. Pleasant to wear and quite boring. Great for people who absolutely do not want to stand out with a fragrance or prefer not to, but are looking for something that isn’t found everywhere instead of some pond, sea, or puddle aquatic. Price-wise, there’s not much to complain about, 100ml costs 51 euros. However, I still find that too much for what it is.

I thank Tiara for the sample.