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From the archives
This might be a part of my 2026 coverage, but a lot of these thoughts actually date back to February 3rd since I've now had this unreleased fragrance in my hands for more than 2 months. In what appears to be a pivot for French niche brand Initio, the brand has released a new collection with two launch products: Wild Rush and Sugar Blast. While the decision to alter the bottle design has already received plenty of negative coverage, not many are currently aware of the contents within which are worthy of coverage far more negative. That is because Sugar Blast, in many ways, perfectly encapsulates one of the primary criticisms of the modern niche genre: the releasing of generic product at a premium price point.
As of the time of review, I've worn this fragrance 3 times with a tester bottle I acquired for what I assume is 1/3 of retail (shoutout Mathis). On my first wear, I did 2 sprays and the scent opened with a lot of vanilla in the top. Sweet-creamy-gourmand, very linear execution with light spice. It was instantly very obvious that Sugar Blast is either an alternative or a competitor to fragrances like Bianco Latte, Tihota, Vanilla | 28 Eau de Parfum and other simple daily-wear fragrances targeting either a teenage or early 20s female audience.
I've obviously worn the fragrance a few more times thereafter and there are some aspects here and there that add depth. Specifically, alongside the vanilla there is a prominent dose of white musk. Furthermore, when you smell the fragrance on-skin, I do get light berry-like nuances, albeit that note is only listed for the other fragrance in the collection (that being Wild Rush). Overall, the structure clearly has parts that most would associate with a solar fragrance, but for me, the vanilla & white musk combo isn't accompanied by any floral tones and the listed coconut note doesn't smell prominent to my nose (it might still be there though). I do get touches of sandalwood in the base which did make me compare this to a fragrance like Matière Première's Vanilla Powder Eau de Parfum in one of the wears, but the overwhelming presence of the gourmand vanilla and white musk doesn't make me believe much in that comp.
Final accords: sweet-gourmand-creamy-spicy-woody
All-in-all, Sugar Blast is perhaps the most blatant cash grab from Initio after American private equity firm Advent International acquired a majority of the brand in June 2023. I haven't seen the retail price yet since I'm writing this review on the 4th of April and the release is on the 7th, but assuming it's going to be €290/90ml, the valuation relative to the product is pretty offensive. The scent might not be overtly synthetic, but given the overall composition and the product that this will be compared, I suspect we're looking at an early entry for this year's bottom 10 releases. Performance is average with sillage perhaps leaning slightly below.
As of the time of review, I've worn this fragrance 3 times with a tester bottle I acquired for what I assume is 1/3 of retail (shoutout Mathis). On my first wear, I did 2 sprays and the scent opened with a lot of vanilla in the top. Sweet-creamy-gourmand, very linear execution with light spice. It was instantly very obvious that Sugar Blast is either an alternative or a competitor to fragrances like Bianco Latte, Tihota, Vanilla | 28 Eau de Parfum and other simple daily-wear fragrances targeting either a teenage or early 20s female audience.
I've obviously worn the fragrance a few more times thereafter and there are some aspects here and there that add depth. Specifically, alongside the vanilla there is a prominent dose of white musk. Furthermore, when you smell the fragrance on-skin, I do get light berry-like nuances, albeit that note is only listed for the other fragrance in the collection (that being Wild Rush). Overall, the structure clearly has parts that most would associate with a solar fragrance, but for me, the vanilla & white musk combo isn't accompanied by any floral tones and the listed coconut note doesn't smell prominent to my nose (it might still be there though). I do get touches of sandalwood in the base which did make me compare this to a fragrance like Matière Première's Vanilla Powder Eau de Parfum in one of the wears, but the overwhelming presence of the gourmand vanilla and white musk doesn't make me believe much in that comp.
Final accords: sweet-gourmand-creamy-spicy-woody
All-in-all, Sugar Blast is perhaps the most blatant cash grab from Initio after American private equity firm Advent International acquired a majority of the brand in June 2023. I haven't seen the retail price yet since I'm writing this review on the 4th of April and the release is on the 7th, but assuming it's going to be €290/90ml, the valuation relative to the product is pretty offensive. The scent might not be overtly synthetic, but given the overall composition and the product that this will be compared, I suspect we're looking at an early entry for this year's bottom 10 releases. Performance is average with sillage perhaps leaning slightly below.
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