Mourant
10/10/2021 - 05:59 PM
13
8Scent 9Longevity

It's a Name Choice!

There is nothing about you that I don't like. Except for your name. Yes, even Shakespeare said: "What's in a name?". Your beauty is not diminished by your name; you are more than welcome on my skin and in my nose. Even if you come off as brazen and try to play the hitchhiker, riding on foreign waves and traveling (as seems to be typical for your house). So be it. But have you ever thought about a second baptism? The obvious similarity to your ancestor from the house of Nasomatto is as shameless as it is honest, but you simply have nothing to do with hashish. Maybe we should find you a new name.

One that truly suits you,
to your wafting leather breath,
to your invigorating darkness,
the smoky balm,
the rough brown,
that evaporates, spiritualizes, floats away:
memory of brutality,
faded harshness,
androgyny,
dry herbs that rise in resin,
bitter melt that dissolves on the tongue
a core of coffee and black snow.

Don't take it the wrong way, but we're renaming you. Now don't be grumpy.
Maybe you can keep your first name. How about... Black Haze? Black Melt? Black Core? Black Snow? Or we can roll something out of the following word pool that comes to mind: Dark, Damp, Brown, Murky, Mud, Gloom, Somber, Saturn, Dusk... Maybe the audience would like to participate? Any other suggestions?

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So, how do I rate a fragrance that couldn't be a more obvious copy of one of the most well-known niche fragrances? Probably only with my nose. I actually don't care that the name and scent here are clearly borrowing from the original. Because:
1. In my opinion, BH surpasses its model Black Afgano Extrait de Parfum. It is more refined, airy, and multi-layered. In comparison, BA seems a bit more earthy, angular, rough, and simpler to me. For me, BH represents an improvement. BA does not fascinate me nearly as much.
2. People looking for a cheaper alternative to BA will find it here. I wouldn't know why I should pay Nasomatto prices when I can get practically the same (in this case, in my opinion even better), with a wonderfully great longevity and sillage, at a significantly lower price.

What do you think? Is it legitimate or, on the contrary, even "reprehensible" to support something like this? If musicians cover a song and present it as their own composition without mentioning the original, that would bother me. Why is it different with a perfume, as it is also a work of art? Or is the name such an obvious allusion that it practically passes as a "concession"?
The brand ArteOlfatto seems to like to be "inspired" by foreign giants (Habano Vanilla = Tobacco Vanille Eau de Parfum / Wild Orchid = Black Orchid Eau de Parfum). It is obviously legal. But has the personal boundary between inspiration and copy been crossed here? Or are the fine differences enough justification?

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Addendum: I realized afterward that I assumed hashish had a general cannabis smell. I have never smelled hashish (the resin obtained from the cannabis plant) in nature, so I can't compare it to the perfume at all. But this scent definitely does not smell like the leaves/the typical weed smell.
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5 Comments
GoldGold 4 years ago
Yes, the small, subtle differences are justification enough, although I always find it sad that some perfumers constantly copy themselves or that others jump on successful fragrance trends when they smell money...
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LicoriceLicorice 4 years ago
I recently tested the original and found it quite nice, but unremarkable. A new version is definitely exciting. Thanks for bringing it to my attention! :) Great description from you.
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FloydFloyd 4 years ago
The more I smell in this direction, the more I realize how often the dupes are better than the original I once owned but no longer enjoy. Great read!
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PollitaPollita 4 years ago
Amadea says it. If you like the scent, that's what matters. There are different brands in this direction, like LPDO or RP, for example.
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Amadea70Amadea70 4 years ago
I don't care. If a Wiener Schnitzel is on the menu and it says "breaded veal cutlet" in parentheses - that's fine by me. But if it's a pork schnitzel and someone sells it as Wiener Schnitzel, I see that as cheating. The name was also confusing for me with Black Afgano, because I expected a scent note like hashish ;)
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