Caramel
Chestnut
Sandalwood
Tonka bean
Cedar
Clary sage
Mandarin orange
Mirabelle plum
Vetiver
Bergamot
04/04/2025
DAVID043329
37 Reviews
DAVID043329
3
The Short-Lived Scandal King
Scandal pour Homme and Scandal pour Homme Le Parfum were, in my opinion, somewhat unimpressive. They weren't bad, at least not Scandal pour Homme Le Parfum, but they didn't exactly meet my expectations and hence, I am not the biggest fan of their DNA. But could Scandal pour Homme Absolu redeem the Scandal line for me? Well, it could have, but it didn't.
And that's because the opening of Scandal pour Homme Absolu, the absolute best part of the whole fragrance, is short-lived. Immediately after I spray the fragrance, I am met with a very realistic and incredibly smooth and delicious chestnut, along with a small dose of citruses. The caramel note sweetens things up along with the tonka bean, and the signature Scandal clary sage starts pushing through just minutes after spraying. As for the Mirabelle plum note, I didn't get any of it, probably because I didn't even know how Mirabelle plum was supposed to smell like. After finding out it's supposed to bring a fruity, floral accord, I started feeling it, but I could hardly pinpoint it exactly.
As things settle down rapidly, the woody accords of sandalwood and cedar, along with a dosage of vetiver finish things off, which make the fragrance instantly reminiscent of its siblings, Scandal pour Homme and Scandal pour Homme Le Parfum. There's also some of that chestnut/caramel sweetness from the opening still present. But... here comes my main issue. That initial beautiful blast of chestnut, arguably one of the nicest openings of a fragrance I've smelt so far, fades away in less than two minutes, at least on my skin. And from there on, it just gets fainter and fainter, in the end leaving me with about 70-80% clary sage and sandalwood, and 30-20% of some smooth sweetness of tonka bean with some chestnuts sprinkled on top. If that chestnut lasted longer, this would've been a hit in my books. But hey, at least this is nowhere as synthetic as the original Scandal pour Homme.
I did have relatively high hopes for the longevity of Scandal pour Homme Absolu, seeing how its other siblings did quite well in this respect. And while it's far from terrible, it's just borderline decent. I get about 6, maybe 7 hours of longevity on my skin. I can live with that. But what I don't accept is such a soft projection. For the first hour or so, I got 1 feet at best of silage, after which it would settle down just as quickly as the chestnut accord did. Fair, I'm also to blame for my bad skin chemistry; many fragrances don't perform that well on my skin. But Scandal pour Homme Le Parfum, for example, actually held on for quite a long time, and so I just hoped that Scandal pour Homme Absolu would also last that long, given they both share the same DNA at the base. But nope, not on me. So personally, I'd go with 6-8 sprays.
For occasions, I'd say that Scandal pour Homme Absolu works quite nicely for more formal events, family gatherings for Christmas, or for winter parties/clubbing. If the fragrance performs any better on your skin than on mine, I believe that it could get plenty of attention (if that's what you're after).
Searching for the Scandal king, I have finally found it, but it does not wear the crown anymore. Scandal pour Homme Absolu has one of the most delicious openings of a designer fragrance that I have ever smelled. Caramel, tonka bean, some citruses, and a hyper-realistic chestnut, all aided by the classic Scandal clary sage, vetiver and sandalwood combination. It was all so close, so close to the throne. But lamentably, it was still out of reach. The chestnut rapidly fades after the first few minutes, becoming a beautiful memory somewhere in the background. And the projection of the fragrance, at least on me, is disappointing and quite soft after about an hour. All of these cons just do not justify buying a full bottle, as much as I hate to say it and as much as I love the opening. But keep in mind that I am speaking for myself here. For you, it can be a very different outcome. You might be able to get more projection and longevity out of Scandal pour Homme Absolu, and you might get some more of that chestnut in the opening, therefore fully justifying buying a full bottle.
In the end, the throne still awaits for its scandalous king, and the crown keeps collecting dust on a pedestal in an empty hall. But there might be another entrant, another contestant for the throne... Might Scandal pour Homme Intense be the much-awaited king?
Overall Rating: 6.5/10
And that's because the opening of Scandal pour Homme Absolu, the absolute best part of the whole fragrance, is short-lived. Immediately after I spray the fragrance, I am met with a very realistic and incredibly smooth and delicious chestnut, along with a small dose of citruses. The caramel note sweetens things up along with the tonka bean, and the signature Scandal clary sage starts pushing through just minutes after spraying. As for the Mirabelle plum note, I didn't get any of it, probably because I didn't even know how Mirabelle plum was supposed to smell like. After finding out it's supposed to bring a fruity, floral accord, I started feeling it, but I could hardly pinpoint it exactly.
As things settle down rapidly, the woody accords of sandalwood and cedar, along with a dosage of vetiver finish things off, which make the fragrance instantly reminiscent of its siblings, Scandal pour Homme and Scandal pour Homme Le Parfum. There's also some of that chestnut/caramel sweetness from the opening still present. But... here comes my main issue. That initial beautiful blast of chestnut, arguably one of the nicest openings of a fragrance I've smelt so far, fades away in less than two minutes, at least on my skin. And from there on, it just gets fainter and fainter, in the end leaving me with about 70-80% clary sage and sandalwood, and 30-20% of some smooth sweetness of tonka bean with some chestnuts sprinkled on top. If that chestnut lasted longer, this would've been a hit in my books. But hey, at least this is nowhere as synthetic as the original Scandal pour Homme.
I did have relatively high hopes for the longevity of Scandal pour Homme Absolu, seeing how its other siblings did quite well in this respect. And while it's far from terrible, it's just borderline decent. I get about 6, maybe 7 hours of longevity on my skin. I can live with that. But what I don't accept is such a soft projection. For the first hour or so, I got 1 feet at best of silage, after which it would settle down just as quickly as the chestnut accord did. Fair, I'm also to blame for my bad skin chemistry; many fragrances don't perform that well on my skin. But Scandal pour Homme Le Parfum, for example, actually held on for quite a long time, and so I just hoped that Scandal pour Homme Absolu would also last that long, given they both share the same DNA at the base. But nope, not on me. So personally, I'd go with 6-8 sprays.
For occasions, I'd say that Scandal pour Homme Absolu works quite nicely for more formal events, family gatherings for Christmas, or for winter parties/clubbing. If the fragrance performs any better on your skin than on mine, I believe that it could get plenty of attention (if that's what you're after).
Searching for the Scandal king, I have finally found it, but it does not wear the crown anymore. Scandal pour Homme Absolu has one of the most delicious openings of a designer fragrance that I have ever smelled. Caramel, tonka bean, some citruses, and a hyper-realistic chestnut, all aided by the classic Scandal clary sage, vetiver and sandalwood combination. It was all so close, so close to the throne. But lamentably, it was still out of reach. The chestnut rapidly fades after the first few minutes, becoming a beautiful memory somewhere in the background. And the projection of the fragrance, at least on me, is disappointing and quite soft after about an hour. All of these cons just do not justify buying a full bottle, as much as I hate to say it and as much as I love the opening. But keep in mind that I am speaking for myself here. For you, it can be a very different outcome. You might be able to get more projection and longevity out of Scandal pour Homme Absolu, and you might get some more of that chestnut in the opening, therefore fully justifying buying a full bottle.
In the end, the throne still awaits for its scandalous king, and the crown keeps collecting dust on a pedestal in an empty hall. But there might be another entrant, another contestant for the throne... Might Scandal pour Homme Intense be the much-awaited king?
Overall Rating: 6.5/10
DAVID043329
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