Top Notes 
Arabian myrrh
Afghan saffron
Eritrean frankincense
Indian pink pepper
Moroccan petitgrain
Osmanthus absolute
Star anise
Swiss stone pine
Turkish galbanum
Amalfi bergamot
Lemon
Heart Notes 
American tobacco
English leather
Assam oud
Cedramber
Cistus creticus
Labdanum
Laurel
Ambergris
Arabian musk
Asian ginger
Balsam fir
Black pepper
Bulgarian juniper
Clove
Cumin
Egyptian jasmine sambac
Elemi resin
Gaiac wood
Hay
Honey
Indian nutmeg
Indonesian styrax
Nagarmotha
Opoponax
Patchouli
Spruce resin
Ambrette seed
Chamomile
French sage
Gardenia
Italian neroli
Base Notes 
Chinese musk
Balkans oakmoss
Blue cypress
Bourbon vanilla
Ceylonese cinnamon
Champaca
Eucalyptus
Frangipani
Geranium
Hyraceum
Indian oud
Russian birch tar
Sandalwood
Siam benzoin
Stone pine needle
Templin
Ylang-ylang
Civet absolute
Rosa alba otto
Ropanski2020
31 Reviews
Translated · Show original
Ropanski2020
Top Review
24
Not that great - lost in a swamp of notes
Serious perfume enthusiasts are keen not to settle into a comfort zone that prevents them from being open to new experiences. However, beloved fragrances should not be discarded too quickly; the times are too fast-paced for it to be worthwhile to jump on the first train just to feel like you're in the fast lane. Because: scents come and go, no matter how great their quality may sometimes seem.
Some fragrance pyramids pose riddles, and Palladium certainly represents a special case in this regard. Like a peacock during mating season, Palladium spreads its olfactory plumage widely; one wants to, but cannot get enough of it. It takes quite a bit of imagination and an incredibly fine nose to even detect a fraction of the supposed components.
The brave can expect a heavy scent with a significant amount of balsamic spice and a rather rough, animal-leather-like twist. It comes across as ash-gray and dry, almost disproportionately cool (in its aura), with a distinctly smoky base that has a biting to overwhelming density, as it is composed in a very high concentration.
At this point, speaking of complexity is accurate, but should not be understood as a seal of quality; a large part of the notes eludes olfactory perception. While the imagination may have free rein, the nose does not. Thus, it remains an overall theoretical awareness of the scent notes, which is at best abstraction.
What predominates noticeably is a certain disharmony, nuanced by a scratching discordant note in the base, which I have often perceived in other fragrances from the brand, significantly coloring the scent profile; no matter how extraordinary the selection of ingredients, the knowledge and experience of the perfumer may be, the spark just does not ignite.
To err is human - it is (almost) impossible to smell and/or evaluate something incorrectly from one's own standpoint. In reality, preferences and attitudes towards notes, scent profiles, etc. always resonate, occasionally breaking through like an undercurrent and disturbing the clarity of one's contemplation, which is just as important as the indulgent enjoyment itself.
I primarily want to understand and also develop joy (while testing); if not immediately, then at least after several attempts. And so, I hope I am not blamed for not being able to pay homage to everything that shines brightly as a niche or indie star in the earthly sky. No, Palladium does not reach my fragrance heart. What is to be recognized in this simply does not reveal itself to me. Thus, Palladium currently strikes me as a Chypre scent that has fallen out of character, trying to compensate for its missing floral bouquet with smoky odds and ends, drifting in a direction that reveals neither a concrete counterpart nor a harmonious line.
The perfumer clearly demonstrates: One can always put their knowledge and craftsmanship in the service of something beautiful, but the inconsistencies that arise from this cannot (on their own) be resolved into pleasure. It seems as if Methuselah himself has set a signature scent as a monument. Unbroken, shaped by time and space, but not mastered, just somehow different.
Anyone expecting a synthesis of greater style here may therefore be disappointed. At least I distance myself from this overly specific idea of a fragrance. Palladium’s doors did not want to open for me; a timid glance through the keyhole was enough to know that what lay behind did not appeal to me. The key - I pass it on with a clear conscience and continue my search elsewhere.
Some fragrance pyramids pose riddles, and Palladium certainly represents a special case in this regard. Like a peacock during mating season, Palladium spreads its olfactory plumage widely; one wants to, but cannot get enough of it. It takes quite a bit of imagination and an incredibly fine nose to even detect a fraction of the supposed components.
The brave can expect a heavy scent with a significant amount of balsamic spice and a rather rough, animal-leather-like twist. It comes across as ash-gray and dry, almost disproportionately cool (in its aura), with a distinctly smoky base that has a biting to overwhelming density, as it is composed in a very high concentration.
At this point, speaking of complexity is accurate, but should not be understood as a seal of quality; a large part of the notes eludes olfactory perception. While the imagination may have free rein, the nose does not. Thus, it remains an overall theoretical awareness of the scent notes, which is at best abstraction.
What predominates noticeably is a certain disharmony, nuanced by a scratching discordant note in the base, which I have often perceived in other fragrances from the brand, significantly coloring the scent profile; no matter how extraordinary the selection of ingredients, the knowledge and experience of the perfumer may be, the spark just does not ignite.
To err is human - it is (almost) impossible to smell and/or evaluate something incorrectly from one's own standpoint. In reality, preferences and attitudes towards notes, scent profiles, etc. always resonate, occasionally breaking through like an undercurrent and disturbing the clarity of one's contemplation, which is just as important as the indulgent enjoyment itself.
I primarily want to understand and also develop joy (while testing); if not immediately, then at least after several attempts. And so, I hope I am not blamed for not being able to pay homage to everything that shines brightly as a niche or indie star in the earthly sky. No, Palladium does not reach my fragrance heart. What is to be recognized in this simply does not reveal itself to me. Thus, Palladium currently strikes me as a Chypre scent that has fallen out of character, trying to compensate for its missing floral bouquet with smoky odds and ends, drifting in a direction that reveals neither a concrete counterpart nor a harmonious line.
The perfumer clearly demonstrates: One can always put their knowledge and craftsmanship in the service of something beautiful, but the inconsistencies that arise from this cannot (on their own) be resolved into pleasure. It seems as if Methuselah himself has set a signature scent as a monument. Unbroken, shaped by time and space, but not mastered, just somehow different.
Anyone expecting a synthesis of greater style here may therefore be disappointed. At least I distance myself from this overly specific idea of a fragrance. Palladium’s doors did not want to open for me; a timid glance through the keyhole was enough to know that what lay behind did not appeal to me. The key - I pass it on with a clear conscience and continue my search elsewhere.
Updated on 09/03/2023
31 Comments
ElAttarine
Seejungfrau
Eggi37
Floyd
Yatagan
Scentwolf
MonMedusa
Chizza
Käse
Hektor
