Promise is an absolute masterpiece from Dominique Ropion and Frederic Malle. This perfume belongs to the Desert Gems Collection from Frederic Malle, where the perfumers interpret Middle Eastern culture and its nature using the olfactory space. Frederic Malle website describes Promise variously as an amber perfume, an oud perfume and a rose perfume at different spots. We can easily debate any of these characterizations, but they are all true to some extent. Such is the mastery of the perfumer in this perfume. This review was originally written for a 10 ml bottle that is part of the 3 Roses set from Frederic Malle. I recently bought a 50 ml bottle.
What I report here are the notes that I perceive, steering clear of the marketing propaganda and the overwrought enthusiasm of many reviewers. The opening is a beautiful blast of oud-like splendor, which alone requires a longer conversation. It is clearly not oud, though it reminds me of some oud perfumes like Oud for Greatness. There is a hint of apple, but it is not a fruity apple. You can also get some rosemary here, though not much of the pink berry. I surmise that Ropion creates this oud-like accord by delicately combining cypriol, clove, labdanum and patchouli. The end-product is a gorgeous feeling, not a blend of notes. Once we move into the heart notes, the rose accords emerge. But these rose accords - Bulgarian and Turkish according to the website - are very subdued, happily playing second fiddle to the overall Middle Eastern incense-oud vibe. The base notes maintain the same vibe though at a much softer level, but the labdanum is slightly more prominent in the end. The dry down is intimate, but still very exciting. Please note that the olfactory pyramid is not very demarcated, so do not expect new notes to emerge at a later point.
The success of Promise is built upon the Middle Eastern oud-like personality without using real oud. Using this strategy, Ropion extracts the amazing woodiness of oud, while avoiding the mild sour note associated with natural oud. In summary, Promise is an amazing monolith that cannot be split into component parts. That is why the aforementioned descriptors - amber, oud and rose - fail to pigeon-hole this classic.
The performance of Promise is nothing short of exceptional. It lasts 8-10 hours as a solid scent on my skin, and a few hours more as an intimate woody dry down. The sillage is very long, lasting for many hours. These aspects may make Promise a less office-friendly perfume, unless you spray it small doses a few hours before you get there.
I recommend Promise over most other oud perfumes I have come across even though it is does not contain any oud. It is one of the most expensive perfumes in the Frederic Malle catalog, though it well worth the price. I would recommend a sample or a 10 ml bottle to start with. Promise will survive time as one the best creations by Dominique Ropion. I give Promise a perfect ten.
