Metal Redux Couteau de Poche 2024

The start is bright and citrusy. A fluffy, airy, modern citrus. Light and immediately uplifting. My first thought was bright, sunny, solar.

In the opening, I can’t say I get a lot of metal, not in a literal sense. What stands out more are modern, airy aldehydes, which provide freshness and lift to the fragrance. As it develops, I begin to smell frankincense and myrrh. At this stage, it feels like a light, aldehydic incense. Soft and diffused, not burning or smoky. An unlit, airy, fluffy incense with subtle citrus facets.

Then, about 1.5 to 2 hours in, things get interesting. The metal finally shows up and now it is true, cold metal and nothing else. Pure metallic at this point, mineralic, aldehydic, clean, sterile, avant-garde, futuristic. Polished, lab-like metal.

It makes me think of Seminalis, which uses bourgeonal, metallic aldehyde to imitate that cold, clean sensation. Also, I think of La vierge de fer, with its cold, ozonic metal-like character. But these fragrances are not super similar. They just share some elements, with different moods and fragrance genres.

So yes, the metal eventually arrives, fashionably late, but very chill and sci-fi. The metal here is not the smell of rusty coins or metallic blood. It is abstract, contributing more to the sense of freshness and airiness than to anything harsh or sharp.

Overall, this reads as a modern, futuristic, fresh scent. Surprisingly wearable and suitable for everyday use.