I am the second opinion on this fragrance, the verifying nose, so to speak. A kind of sniffer detective on the hunt for the culprit: is the indolic jasmine really responsible for the narcissus scent? Which brings us to the first riddle, because the black narcissus has no narcissus listed in its fragrance pyramid, well then! A phantom then.
Previous clues in the form of scent statements gave no clear indication of the culprit, only a solitary message gave rise to the suspicion that a nasty stinker might be on the loose. Are we dealing with a case of fraudulent deception where a pretty bright bottle feigns innocence?
Only a closer inspection will help, evidence A (fresh manufacturer's sample) is boldly tested directly on your own skin. If the poison is absorbed through the skin, that's probably it for me, dear readers.
Narcisse Noir (2021) is greeted with a tanker of neroli/orange blossom, flanked by a disruptive note that lies somewhere between old-school hair dye and a small animal cage in urgent need of cleaning. In German: ammonia!!!?!?!
At this point, it should be briefly mentioned that this fragrance is not exactly in the low-price segment. Do I want to smell like this for >4€/ml? Do I even want to smell like this? I'll leave the question unanswered. In my mind, I rate it a 2 and consider going to the sink soon. Jasmine also joins the fray and I can't say exactly which of the three is the culprit. Perhaps we're dealing with the infamous Indol gang? There's no sign of Rose to the rescue, by the way.
Quick online research (if we have "real" chemists here - please correct me if I'm talking garbage!): Orange blossoms contain up to 10% 2,3-benzopyrrole aka indole. Neroli is extracted from the blossoms of the bitter orange, Watson correctly concludes: yup indole on board. Jasmine? Yes, we already know. In higher concentrations, indole, as a degradation product of the amino acid tryptophan, along with skatole (3-methylindole), is the cause of the typical stench of excrement. A typical case of "the dose makes the poison"? There are certainly noses here that are into it, I am DEFINITELY not one of them and am always very happy when appropriate warnings can be seen in the reviews/statements. Then I give the dark park a wide berth ... For all NON-Indol fans: that was your warning, by the way!
After about 30 minutes of perseverance and suppressing the urge to wash up, the disturbing note slowly fades (pun...) and the fragrance moves towards "beautiful" neroli, not a room freshener. Inspector van Kernseife arrives late at the crime scene and takes over the entire investigation. However, the perpetrators are long gone. Since I like clean/soap fragrances, I would now be persuaded to give it a gracious 5 (= mediocre, doesn't bother me, but doesn't have to be). But how do you rate the overall impression in this case? The victim was only "beaten up a bit"? He didn't mean it like that, did he? Let's agree on a 4 (=has the potential for more but something about this fragrance is not right)... I'm sorry, maybe I'm too inexperienced or whatever but I can't understand the 8.5-10(!) ratings so far. Or eau de litter box is not quite my cup of tea.
incidentally,
Narcisse Noir (2021) proves to be quite resistant to repeated hand washing, but the stuff lasts very well.
PS: Oh yes, and how did I come across the glasses ad? There was a famous Apollo ad with daffodils at the end of the 90s. Unfortunately it didn't run for long, there was probably too much complaining - I still thought it was funny and since then they've just been called K*tzblumen in our house :) If you don't know it, you should still be able to find it on YouTube.
Jasmine
Neroli
Orange blossom water absolute
Musk
Mysore sandalwood
Rose
Haitian vetiver
Petitgrain
Galvanized Teaspoon
