Radical Brown Armaf

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8.2 / 10 152 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

Lemon

Cinnamon

Pepper

Heart Notes

Geranium

Tobacco

Lavender

Frankincense

Base Notes

Amber

Cedarwood

Cistus

Vetiver

Ratings

Scent

8.2152 Ratings

Longevity

7.1144 Ratings

Sillage

6.8145 Ratings

Bottle

6.4136 Ratings

Value for money

8.8109 Ratings

Submitted by WiseOwl, last update on 08.04.2024.

Reviews

3 in-depth fragrance descriptions

02/22/2024

8
Pricing 7
Bottle 6
Sillage 7
Longevity 7
Scent

Daniel1323
16 Reviews

Translated Show original

Daniel1323

Opening WOW, afterwards rather lukewarm

I've owned the fragrance for 3 years now and still remember the first time I smelled it. For my then still very inexperienced nose, the Radical Brown was simply melt-in-your-mouth:
Sweet and Christmassy spice paired with just enough citrus to give it that certain kick - an opening for the winter gods.

Even today, my opinion of it hasn't changed. However, with the passing of time comes experience and this has taught me that a good opening is only half the battle (probably more like 20%). Because what the Radical Brown delivers afterwards is more than passable for this price range, but by no means at the same level:
The highly praised Christmas-citrus spiciness gives way to floral notes and tobacco, which almost seem a little powdery in this combination. A small stick of cinnamon returns from time to time, joined by a little amber.

This probably all sounds quite interesting, but overall it is simply not enough to meet my initial expectations, which were far exceeded. I really want to love the fragrance, but unfortunately I can't; whether it's because of the lack of depth or because it's misguided.

If you are interested in a slightly different low-budget alternative to Herod and L'Homme Idéal Eau de Parfum, you will definitely be very happy here. I think the fragrance is really great, especially for beginners like me. Anyone who has been around a little longer will probably feel a little underwhelmed.

03/04/2020

3
Bottle 7
Sillage 7
Longevity 8.5
Scent

SchnüFFleRR
23 Reviews

Translated Show original

SchnüFFleRR

Very helpful Review 13

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.

06/11/2019

8
Bottle 7
Sillage 7
Longevity 9
Scent

MrHonest
110 Reviews

MrHonest

Helpful Review 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!