08/10/2022
Emrego
22 Reviews
Emrego
2
Good, but redundant if you already have some CdG staples
Finally had the chance to smell the new Zero today. After carefully testing for 6 hours (on paper) here's my review.
Overdose of Cashmeran (velvety, slightly woody musk) and Iso E or Iso Gamma Super (light, abstract cedarwood with musky nuance) backed by Vetiveryl acetate (primary odor molecule of vetiver oil). Typical backbone of the signature CdG DNA, and this is where the connections to Wonderoud (and partially to Wonderwood) makes a lot of sense. WO and WW distinguishes on heavy use of Javanol/Pashminol sandalwood molecules at the base where Zero smells to have none (perhaps tiny amounts of Javanol to support the rose). And with regards to opening, WO and WW open heavy on blackpepper-cypress whereas Zero opens with a punch of bright rose oxide that stays noticable throughout. You could think rose oxide as a more geranium-leaning, metallic, sharper and light peppery pink rose note.
I think I smell damascone or damascenone as well, a bit like dark rose-tobacco note - maybe this is where the "hey, varnish sounds like a cool note" idea comes from.
Did not mention the bergamot note because as usual it's only here to blend in and brighten up the blend.
Drydown reveals the overdose of Cashmeran after top and mids evaporate, traces of rose is still there and in diffusion Iso E/Gamma Super is again there but it's really mostly Cashmeran - you can almost do a side by side with Escentric Molecules - Molecule 05 at this point and both will be quite similar. I must also mention the vetiver is very toned down here compared to what we are used to from CdG.
Overall...This can be very charming, easy to wear, and unique to some. But personally I find it only pleasant, the rose is a nice addition to the CdG pebbles, other than that - I will continue to stick to Wonderoud/wood. Zero did not justify the full retail price against other options for me, if I hadn't have quite a CdG line at my disposal, would definitely give this a go as the abstract modern blend it is.
Overdose of Cashmeran (velvety, slightly woody musk) and Iso E or Iso Gamma Super (light, abstract cedarwood with musky nuance) backed by Vetiveryl acetate (primary odor molecule of vetiver oil). Typical backbone of the signature CdG DNA, and this is where the connections to Wonderoud (and partially to Wonderwood) makes a lot of sense. WO and WW distinguishes on heavy use of Javanol/Pashminol sandalwood molecules at the base where Zero smells to have none (perhaps tiny amounts of Javanol to support the rose). And with regards to opening, WO and WW open heavy on blackpepper-cypress whereas Zero opens with a punch of bright rose oxide that stays noticable throughout. You could think rose oxide as a more geranium-leaning, metallic, sharper and light peppery pink rose note.
I think I smell damascone or damascenone as well, a bit like dark rose-tobacco note - maybe this is where the "hey, varnish sounds like a cool note" idea comes from.
Did not mention the bergamot note because as usual it's only here to blend in and brighten up the blend.
Drydown reveals the overdose of Cashmeran after top and mids evaporate, traces of rose is still there and in diffusion Iso E/Gamma Super is again there but it's really mostly Cashmeran - you can almost do a side by side with Escentric Molecules - Molecule 05 at this point and both will be quite similar. I must also mention the vetiver is very toned down here compared to what we are used to from CdG.
Overall...This can be very charming, easy to wear, and unique to some. But personally I find it only pleasant, the rose is a nice addition to the CdG pebbles, other than that - I will continue to stick to Wonderoud/wood. Zero did not justify the full retail price against other options for me, if I hadn't have quite a CdG line at my disposal, would definitely give this a go as the abstract modern blend it is.
