Being a fan of important, landmark fragrances, I knew Fougere Royale would need to make it's way into my collection at some point. After all, Fougere Royale is oftentimes considered one of the earliest examples of a 'modern' perfume. So, with this in mind, I expected to be blown away as I was with other legends such as Jicky or No.5, but in all honesty I was a bit stumped. Although I find this fragrance to be wonderful, and certainly something I will wear often, I didn't fine it to be quite as 'legendary' as I would've expected given the following it has.
The fragrance opens up with a potent combination of bitter citruses, chamomile and herbal notes. It's quite loud at first, and very strange. There is virtually no sweetness in the opening which creates this very dense, green and raw feeling that is characteristically fougere. The heart of the fragrance keeps up the pace, but substitutes the bitterness for a more vegetal, earthy feeling. The geranium and carnation are in the spotlight here, with the cinnamon providing the slightest bit of spice, but still without any sweetness. It's also worth noting that despite there being quite a few floral notes listed here, there isn't really anything floral about this fragrance, but rather a more raw, plant-like feeling in general. The dry down softens up quite a bit, leaning into a slightly richer, amber-patchouli accord that, while still not overly sweet or warm, tones the harshness down a little bit, while keeping the earthy side of the fragrance alive. The overall result of this fragrance is definitely very fern-like, even if ferns don't really have much of a smell. In this context, I think it's an expertly done fragrance, with a DNA that has come to be quite important in a plethora of men's fragrances over the years. I do find the opening to be every so slightly harsh, but in a good way that helps it set itself out from the crowd.
Overall, while this fragrance didn't manage to make it into the category of other legendary/benchmark fragrances for me, I can appreciate the importance of this fragrance, especially in both the realm of men's fragrances, and the role it played in the formation of the fougere as a genre. Perhaps it will find it's way into that category over time, but for the time being I'm still glad that I picked it up, and I definitely see myself wearing it often!
