Chèvrefeuille Creed 1982

This fragrance opens with with a beautiful honeysuckle note as tart and bright as lemon. A herbaceous accord surrounds the main floral like baby’s breath does a flower bouquet. Despite their dewy, minty freshness the green notes are very perfume-y and this diminishes the freshness of the main floral. Nevertheless, the spring-like character of the scent is retained. As the fragrance progresses the honeysuckle note fades more and more, leading to a phase in which the fragrance is more mossy than floral. Also this accord starts rapidly fading as this short-lived Creed rushes towards the dry-down. The fragrance is fun and lively at the beginning, only to become dim and murky towards the end.

I reviewed Creed CHEVREFEUILLE for the first time nearly two years ago, and I must say that I was shocked. It was a case of seriously dashed expectations. I expected honeysuckle; I found a bright citrus green. My conclusion was that the perfume was misnamed (as Creed perfumes often seem to be), and this composition should really have been called FEUILLES DE CHEVREFEUILLE.

Since I did not really believe my first experience with this perfume, although I had obtained manufacturer-carded samples from a licensed retailer (parfumsraffy), I decided to obtain a fresh sample, and since I only just reviewed Annick Goutal LE CHEVREFEUILLE, this seemed like the optimum time to take up the Creed again.

My conclusion: the samples were of the very same perfume, perhaps even drawn from the same vat! This is a very bright citrus green perfume! I like it, but anyone who is looking specifically for the girlish scent of honeysuckle is apt to be disappointed, and guys might easily overlook this excellent scent, thinking that it must be a soliflore. It's definitely NOT that!

Creed CHEVREFEUILLE is an olfactory neighbor of Bond no 9 CENTRAL PARK, a powerful citrus green which I happen to love, but some people do not. There is no question that it's a distinctive mix of bitterness and greenness. CHEVREFEUILLE is a bit more citrus and less bitter but still quite green. I like it a lot and recommend it for testing by anyone who likes bracing citrus colognes.

I feel that I am detecting vetiver in this mix, though it's not listed among the notes, and the ambergris is light but it's definitely there holding everything together. This is a good perfume, and absolutely unisex, if not ever-so-slightly masculine in character.