Nº 4 Jil Sander 1990 Eau de Parfum

Normally, I steer clear of comments about my hate fragrances. I struggled for a long time before I finally decided to write this comment, because I can't say anything good about this scent. Sorry, sorry, sorry to the lovers of this fragrance. I know, for every scent there is the right wearer who truly makes it smell good. Unfortunately, I haven't found such a wearer in this case yet. I just find the stuff terrible. However, since it is quite popular and still on the market after so many years (unlike many other, better fragrances), I give it a new chance every few years. I always thought maybe I wasn't ready for this scent yet. But now I am 45 years old and feel like I am still about 300 years too young for it.

Ultimately, I was able to muster the courage to write this comment after reading Turandot's comment. Turandot wrote: "Heavy, sweet, loud, old-fashioned. Admittedly, this scent is more suitable for older ladies, like me, but why does it have to be old-fashioned?? Does a fragrance get negative points just because it’s not for young girls??"
The answer is quite clear, dear Turandot: NO!
In fact, a fragrance gets negative points from me primarily when it is only for young girls.

There are so many fragrances that are actually only for older wearers, and I love almost all of them. They are even the scents I cherish the most. Even if they don't quite fit me yet - they are a reason to look forward to getting older. Especially Turandot's collection is like the holy grail for me, which I still need to earn with a bit more life experience.

But back to No. 4:
Why do I find it terribly old-fashioned? No, not because it is more suitable for older ladies. Absolutely not. I find it old-fashioned because I associate it with a time when people powdered their faces white and shoved a wooden stick under their lavish wigs to scratch their eternally unwashed scalps underneath. Hygiene was generally considered overrated at that time. People didn't wash, they powdered and perfumed themselves. The motto was scratching instead of washing. Unfortunately (or rather fortunately), I don't really know how people smelled back then under their towering wigs and pompous robes. But when I smell No. 4, I can easily imagine that they perfumed themselves with it. Above all, it would have been strong enough to cover up the odors that were in the air at that time.

Still, I give this fragrance 40%. No. 4 is a high-quality and balanced perfume. I just find the scent a bit too medieval. I will certainly give it more chances. One in 5 years, the next in 10..... but I have little hope that I will ever like the scent. Neither on me nor on anyone else. The last time I tested it was 2 weeks ago before we met friends at the Christmas market. I thought the Christmas market would be a good opportunity for such a heavy scent. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Our friends were horrified because I "smelled like pestilence," and my husband wanted to kick me out at night because this (direct quote) "medieval stench" wouldn't go away even after showering.

I apologize once again to the lovers of this fragrance. I still hope to meet one of them on whom No. 4 smells good. I don't understand it myself. According to the fragrance pyramid, No. 4 should fit my preferences perfectly. But with this scent, I just don't get it anymore. Above all, I don't understand why this perfume still exists while my beloved Woman Two was taken off the market.
Woman Two was also a bit old-fashioned. Or let's say - it was more for older ladies. But it was my first real perfume. I was 14 years old and I loved it. And so did my sniffing entourage hanging around my neck. Sob....

There is no "too young" or "too old" for this or that perfume. There is only "fits" or "doesn't fit."