Edit: I originally wrote this review in mid-October 2022, around 2 weeks after Paragon was first revealed by Initio. What I have since found is that the experience previously described in this review did not align whatsoever with my full bottle experience. As such, I revised this review in March 2023.
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As somebody that's fairly deep in the hobby now, I typically start off thinking about the accords, notes, and comparables. "Paragon" opens feminine-aromatic and sweet, most resembling women's hair products or something among those lines as it has that known (well-recognizable) musky-type sweetness. But the opening and top notes don't tell the story of Paragon. In the instant drydown, you get a lot of aromatic-woody tones with a considerable amount of smokiness from the palo santo in the base. It's definitely not Amouage type smoky, but it is noticeable.
For scent comparables, objectively speaking I don't think there are any. The opening has resemblance to the musky tones found in "Musk Therapy | Initio", a different scent in the Hedonist collection. The opening has vibes resembling scents like
Dear Polly Eau de Parfum and
Gris Charnel Eau de Parfum, but that is more-so to describe the accords of Paragon and not the scent. In the deep drydown, I find some resemblance to
Imperator which is a creamy sandalwood fragrance.
My experience differed between the sample and the bottle as the sample had a lot more of the fruity-musky opening tones relative to the aromatic-woody-smoky tones that are in majority with my full bottle. As such, the scent that I previously found to open feminine and dry leaning feminine is now a leaning feminine open into a leaning masculine drydown. However, the other 2 Hedonist collection scents are more clear as Musk Therapy has a clear feminine lean and Rehab has a clear masculine lean.
Initio has subsequently to the release raised the price of the 90ml from €245 to €250, with US customers getting hit even harder. To me, Paragon is a spring aromatic and gets moderate sillage for up to 3-4 hours, with longevity between 8-10 hours. The scent is worth a look for somebody looking for a fairly unique smelling spring-fall fragrance. Scent does not perform well in winter weather and isn't the most fitting for summer.
White sage
Lavender
Palo Santo
Sandalwood
Bergamot
Black pepper
Oud
Topfpflanze3
concerning
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