Radical Brown

Radical Brown by Armaf
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8.3 / 10 106 Ratings
Radical Brown is a popular perfume by Armaf for men. The release year is unknown. The scent is spicy-sweet. It is being marketed by Sterling Perfumes.
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Main accords

Spicy
Sweet
Oriental
Gourmand
Woody

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
LemonLemon CinnamonCinnamon PepperPepper
Heart Notes Heart Notes
GeraniumGeranium TobaccoTobacco LavenderLavender FrankincenseFrankincense
Base Notes Base Notes
AmberAmber CedarwoodCedarwood CistusCistus VetiverVetiver
Ratings
Scent
8.3106 Ratings
Longevity
7.2106 Ratings
Sillage
7.0107 Ratings
Bottle
6.3102 Ratings
Value for money
9.073 Ratings
Submitted by WiseOwl, last update on 24.05.2023.
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Reviews

2 in-depth fragrance descriptions
3
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
8.5
Scent
SchnüFFleRR
Translated Show original Show translation
SchnüFFleRR
SchnüFFleRR
Helpful Review 11  
Frankenstein's monster...
First of all, I would like to join with the previous speakers in thanking them for their intentions.
Because in fact, the fragrance appears to be a mixture of spicebomb extreme and guerlain l'homme ideal and perhaps even a ticking Azzaro Wanted by night . (25% SB 65% GIh 10% Azzaro)
I own the three fragrances and was amazed by the opening. It really has something of a spicebomb because a strong vanilla cloud rises into the air as a first impression. This then mixed with the cinnamon and reminded me briefly of Azzaro. But then this gradually evaporates on the skin and a sweet, slightly synthetic cherry chord emerges. Somewhat suspicious because there is no cherry in the fragrances. The crispness then mixes pleasantly with the cinnamon and vanilla. Tobacco, frankincense, vetiver or other fragrances are hardly noticeable in the background, if at all, only very slightly and supportively. The cedar wood comes through slightly at the end of the drydown but basically the cherry covers almost everything up to the end. Connoisseurs of Spicebomb understand, however, when I say that it is and remains a constant interaction of all components in which one or two main components are then formed.

So what do you get for almost 30-40 euros.
No Spicebomb extreme, no guerlain l'homme, no Azzaro Wbn and also the mix is more like this well.
The DNA is there, but unfortunately the scent hasn't got the fineness and depth.
The fragrance is not bad in itself, but the lack of depth and synthetics, especially in the cherry, must be criticized. Besides, it seems as if the scent doesn't quite know what it wants now.
Well, you could say: "Great 3 fragrances in a bottle and at that price", and I would like to say that the above mentioned fragrances all belong to the best designer fragrances on the market. According to this, each fragrance stands for itself. It just seems as if one had tried to pour something from everything into the pot. Only here again the saying "many cooks spoil the broth" comes into play.

Conclusion: If you really don't have any money for the three above-mentioned and don't own any of them, don't bump into synthetics and lacking depth, you will find a nice winter scent here.
But if you want some depth, soul and craftsmanship, you should go for the originals.

2 Replies
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
7
Longevity
9
Scent
MrHonest

104 Reviews
MrHonest
MrHonest
2  
HeRoD!!
That was the first word out of my mouth when I initially sniffed it. The next one was WoWww - with 3 w's. I can’t remember the third because my body suddenly hit the floor, flailing in ecstasy in the wake of another successful blind buy.

All joking aside, I’m rather impressed with the execution of Armaf’s Radical. After a nearly year-long dry spell of sternly avoiding clones or “inspired perfumes”, I decided to have some fun and scoop up something relatively new and unknown, yet incredibly intriguing, judging by the notes and scattered impressions online. Fortunately, there was something very familiar about the note breakdown that I almost immediately recognized from my collection – cinnamon, tobacco, frankincense, pepper, cistus, sweetness, cedar and vetiver – a combination that can only be summed up in one word – YES. Or perhaps 4 words? Hide the young males!

Fortunately however, those who have suggested that this could be a clone of Bvlgari’s Man Black Orient (MBO) or Guerlain’s L’homme Ideal Parfum (LIP) are definitely not far off the mark. All 3, including Parfums de Marly’s Herod share Radical's dark cherry-like vibe, that becomes quite prominent in the mid onwards, with brief stages throughout that give nods to each fragrance in turn. But I gotta say, on paper, the drydown 6 hours in smells so much like LIP that it’s rather difficult to tell which one is closer… a triumph in and of itself!

On skin, the opening is a flirty, and perhaps even a bit feminine cherry candy with a hint of fleeting lemon - not quite the quality you can expect from Allure Homme Edition Blanche, but with the same gourmand nuance. Within seconds, the similarity to Herod becomes apparent as the cinnamon and amber push through, albeit without that characteristic vanilla that makes Herod so smooth. But don’t be fooled! It gets better and better…

The transition into the mid about 10 minutes in is the best part. As the notes begin to settle, the dark cherry aroma (LIP) becomes prominent as the cistus (a resinous floral) combines with the amber, cinnamon and cedar to produce a warm and comforting gourmand-esque base that persists well into the 5th hour. And just like in Herod, the scent is absolutely heavenly. But there certainly are slight differences…

Whereas Herod (on my skin) remains perfectly balanced throughout, Radical takes some interesting turns in the mid that allow brief bursts of frankincense (MBO) or lemon to poke through, adding a touch of sophisticated charm to the already sweet and playful sexiness. Interestingly, the frankincense even resembles a minty anise in the early stages on paper before plunging back into the abyss, only to re-emerge more seldom than the Lock Ness Monster.

In the far drydown, it basically becomes a spicy amber, cinnamon and tobacco skin scent with a dream-like whisper of green vetiver at the very end if you REALLY dig your nose in. My advice – don’t bother. Just enjoy the overall warm cherry bubble that surrounds you for the first few hours, because that’s about all you’re gonna get.

As can be expected, the projection and longevity are nowhere NEAR the strength of Herod, but it’s no slouch either, especially if sprayed on clothing. I get about 7 hours total with the first 2 hours sporting a rather impressive sillage - par for the course in terms of spicy gourmands I suppose. But the attention….oh my.

This might come as a shocker, but I’ve actually gotten just as much positive feedback from this as I have with Herod. In fact, due to its slightly brighter nature, I find it to be the better unisex AND warm weather option – not to mention the more wallet-friendly one. Sure, the stability of the formula may be inferior, but for the price, I’m CERTAINLY not complaining.

As far as the bottle goes, the thin, coloured plastic adorning the glass is more reminiscent of a children’s toy than a luxury product. Oh it stands upright on its own alright - and the atomizer has the logo on top – but it’s the same plastic cap, clicking plunger and cheap rubberized trim that you can expect from the rest of the Armaf line. Nevertheless, the overall design vaguely reminds me of a bottle of cherry liqueur – a theme that isn’t far from the actually scent itself!!

Either way, I’m more than happy to label this my “daytime Herod” and be done with it. And considering the brand's history of spotty releases to date, Radical [brown] is an astonishing win. Just don’t get caught calling it the King of anything…or you might just end up skipping town to avoid all the unwanted attention. Young males be warned!
0 Replies

Statements

4 short views on the fragrance
SejanoSejano 3 years ago
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
8.5
Scent
Sweet spicy oriental exquisite. Extraordinary work of armaf. Discreet and very comfortable. A very valuable piece for the price
0 Replies
Carlitos01Carlitos01 3 years ago
7
Bottle
8
Sillage
8
Longevity
8.5
Scent
It exceeded my expectations. It's quite spicy, woody, ambery and mildly sweet. I like it very much and it's inexpensive like all Armafs.
0 Replies
DarkbeatDarkbeat 4 years ago
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
9
Scent
A beautiful blend of Guerlain L'homme Ideal and Bvlgari Man in Black, performance and price quite good.
0 Replies
DoctorJayDoctorJay 4 years ago
8
Bottle
7
Sillage
8
Longevity
8.5
Scent
honestly, this smells just like Guerlain L'homme Ideal EDP.
0 Replies

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