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Top Review
11
A dozen roses for the man (4/12)
As a newcomer here, I'm going to try my hand at a series of comments. This is the fourth part.
The motivation, the idea and the criteria
I'm a real fan of the scent of roses (in my youth my mother had Paris from YSL. I found "the hammer") But the rose isn't exactly the one you first come across as part of a men's fragrance. Nevertheless, I think the rose is contained in more and more men's fragrances.
According to the following criteria I have selected 12 of these fragrances and will comment and compare them bit by bit:
- Men fragrance (exception Desert Rose from Urban Scent as unisex fragrance, I simply had to add)
- Rose as heart note (exception: Much ado about the Duke of Penhaligon, I was just in London at the idea)
- Published from the year 2000
- Rating of at least 6.0 with at least 40 ratings
- No Oud (not so mine)
Fragrance no. 4 is: Colonia Ambra by Acqua di Parma
(previously: (1) Lumière Noire pour Homme by Maison Francis Kurkdjian, (2) 24 Old Bond Street Triple Extract by Atkinsons, (3) Lyric Man by Amouage)
The house, the perfumer and the shopping
François Demachy (*1949) is a "primal rock" of the fragrance industry. And not only because he grew up in Grasse and thus grew up with the scent of lavender and jasmine, but also because he was already active in so many well-known (scented) houses and created various classics. So with Mane (like also Christine Nagel, see 24 Old Bond Street), Chanel (from 1978 and created there with Antaeus (1981) my "all-time-favorite" classic), Givenchy, Fendi, Ungaro, Tiffany and of course Dior. There he created almost all the Dior fragrances of my youth, like Égoiste (1990), Eau Sauvage and Fahrenheit. It is interesting in this context that in 2013 François Demachy had Christian Diors (the Château de La Colle Noire, half an hour's drive from Grasse), the old, heavily dilapidated country estate bought again in order to set up a new creation laboratory there and grow flowers himself. He wanted to be the master himself about which ingredients are used in the brand's fragrances and which raw materials are used. Since 2006, François Demachy has been head of development for the cosmetics and perfume division of the giant LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), which means "luxury" for everything, and he has been Dior's "head nose". Since (like Dior) Acqua di Parma also belongs to the LVMH Group, it is obvious that he also plays a decisive role in the design of fragrances. The first fragrance of the later company "Acqua di Parma" was called "Colonia" and was created in a small perfumery in the historic old town of Parma in 1916. After several changes of ownership, the LVMH Group took over the company in 2001. The logo of the brand is still the coat of arms of Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma (1816-1847), who played an important role in the development of the region of Parma. For the sample of Colonia Ambra I would like to thank my favourite perfumery specialist of my trust!
The fragrance, the ingredients and the experience
In contrast to Lyric Man, with whom Colonia Ambra (2015) has some similarities in the fragrance pyramid, the start here is dark, resinous, slightly sweet, and in any case slightly wood-tobacco-like. The here therefore rather sweet bergamot is "refreshed" at the beginning somewhat by the orange. I'll take it straight away. For me, the start and the further course of the fragrance remind me very strongly of Bulgari Black (1998). The following floral note (Bulgari Black by jasmine), here by the rose, is somewhat subordinate, but (in combination with the bergamot) brings a beautiful softness, harmony and sensuality to the fragrance. This impression is reinforced (as already with Lumière Noire pour Homme) by Patchouli, which takes the whole thing in an even more earthy, balsamic and velvety direction. Cedar and sandalwood and naturally vanilla harmonize on a slightly sweet base with memories of the Orient. All very warm and pleasant. Incidentally, the scent of sandalwood (as well as patchouli) is said to have an aphrodisiac effect. An ingredient contained in it should smell exactly like a male hormone. In other words, sandalwood is said to be very similar to the scent that men send out as an attractant. I haven't noticed anything yet, well. Instead of the musk at Lyric Man we find at Colonia Ambra the eponym as animal secretion in the base. Ambra (also amber) is actually a grey, wax-like metabolic product from the digestive tract of the sperm whale (nowadays almost exclusively produced synthetically for reasons of species protection). The amber combines and varies the effect between balsamic-warm, woody-tobacco-like up to very slightly bouquet-like. Ambergris (as well as musk) are very often found in the base of fragrances.
The conclusion, the comparison and the practical application
Colonia Ambra starts very strong, quickly becomes harmonious with a balsamic, woody-tack-like, possibly even a slightly leathery note (this in contrast to the first three rose scents, which are all rather flowery-spicy). The fragrance flattens relatively strongly, which makes it very suitable - at least for me - for daily use in the office. I stick to the fact that he reminds me very strongly of Bulgari Black (for me a "twin fragrance"), and that he is very different from Lyric Man despite very similar fragrances in the composition, not least because of the very restrained rose. I find the average rating of 6.8 somewhat low and increase to 7.5.
(1) Lumière Noire pour Homme - The noble softie
(2) 24 Old Bond Street Triple Extract - The elegant Brite
(3) Lyric Man - The "pure" Rose
(4) Colonia Ambra - The "warm (rose) wood"