Bracken Man Amouage 2016

When wearability and quality ingredients take precedence over attempts at rocket science, a minimalist masterpiece like Bracken Man is born. Perfumed by two maestros hailing from Grasse, the French capital of perfumery, it only makes sense for the final product to be the embodiment of "less is more."

As I sniff the atomizer, I'm greeted by soapy lavender, sweet spices and pleasant warmth. With each wear, green, earthy and musky nuances become more noticeable. There aren't any bitter herbs, animalics or pungent notes. That said, it still packs enough of a punch to keep your attention, making it both versatile and inviting.

The opening is aromatic, as the myriad of spices intertwine with lavender. Citruses offer light zinginess, while cypress adds uplifting conifer freshness to the scent profile. Sweet cloves and nutmeg are the bread and butter of this fragrance, with dusty cinnamon and cedarwood laying the foundation of a woody undertone.

While Bracken Man initially leans soapy and slightly rose-like due to geranium, it ventures into a creamy direction in the drydown. Sandalwood, coumarin and musk accentuate the warm quality and patchouli provides a hint of earthiness. Overall, it's a wonderful balance of punchy spiciness, dry woodiness and muskiness.

Don't expect it to perform like the usual Amouage beast - the projection is as understated and sophisticated as the scent itself. However, it sticks around for a long time; I usually get at least 8 hours on skin. I understand the discontinuation, since such a simple and likeable release doesn't necessarily fit into Amouage's catalogue.

Is this elusive fougère worth the detective work and a big amount of money? Only if you're a die-hard fan of the genre, with appreciation for French elegance. I started searching for it after putting my nose on a couple of older perfumes and realizing that cloves and lavender never fail to put a confident smile on my face.

I'm so glad I tested this with a full wearing. I was almost ready to throw down hundreds on a FB since I really remember liking this when testing in store, and was scared I had missed out on an amazing fragrance. It's good but not incredible, definitely not worth the $500+ it is going for these days as a discontinued fragrance.

It's another (along with Beloved Man ) variation on Dia Man, a smooth spicy woody composition that sits close to the skin. Yes it's a fougere, but it is so smoothed out by the tea-like clove note that you'd hardly know on first spray. It is similar to Fougère Royale (2010) Eau de Parfum, but there the "smoothness" comes from the chamomile note, and Fougere Royale still has some rough soapy edges. The soap/barbershop is very slight in the first hour or so of spraying Bracken Man, dominated in the beginning by clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Finally as it starts drying down you recognize the geranium, lavender, tonka, and oakmoss that are the traditional components of the fougere.

I like my fougeres to be more punchy, more in-your-face than Bracken Man. So I think Fougère Royale (2010) Eau de Parfum is a better option in terms of smooth tea-like fougere.

I think it is better and longer-lasting than Dia Man so I'm a bit confused as to why this was discontinued instead of Dia. It could be that Amouage wanted to hold on to some of their older heritage scents rather than a 10-year-old fragrance that doesn't improve on it that much.

If you're a big fan of punchy strong soapy fougeres like Beau de Jour Eau de Parfum or Viking, I'd say you're not missing much with the discontinuation of Bracken Man. And even if you want a toned-down fougere with a smooth spicy opening, Dia Man is still around, and Fougere Royale is also a great option, although not as spicy. As always, sample this one first before throwing down hundreds on a full bottle!

Beautiful classic yet modern man perfume. The opening, which combines bitter bergamot with lemon and cypress needles, is reminiscent of the beginning of Terre d'Iris (Miller Harris). It is followed by velvety lavender, which blends with pungent clove, sweetened with cinnamon dust. The finish includes earthy sweet, at some moments almost mushroomy patchouli smoothed with creamy musk.

Bracken Man offers us a charming, traditional old school fougere: spicy, fresh, zesty and woody. Its clean, well composed, lineair (which isnt always a bad thing) and, in the end, an unique alternative for fougeres lovers.

For reference: imagine going for a walk in a forest, one hour after a rainstorm. Under those types of circumstances our olfactive senses are indulged with that dewy, damp, sharp, itching, woody yet refreshing smell that keeps lingering in the forest during your whole walk.

I would call it masculinity at its finest. How would you?

I think there must be some kind of confussion with this fragrance because of ingredients. It has a lot of herbal aspects in the composition, but not dominates the fragrance. Absolutely fougere in Invasion Barbare way, but if I had to highlight an aspect is the patchouli dominant part. Remember me of that kind of patchouli you can find in Richwood Xerjoff and the lavender parts of Angel men. Not a light fragrance at all even with this presentation, but lighter than his brother Sunshine from the house. There is a clear connection and where Sunshine is vanilla sweet and boozy, Bracken is more formal, classic and elegant patchouli - lavender. Nothing new in this fragrance, although is a new direction in Amouage perfumes. This is not a spectacularly blended and rounded fragrance, a little harsh and headache inducing. I prefer Sunshine for his originality.