Kenzo Power Kenzo 2008 Eau de Toilette

Kenzo fragrances tend to have a certain minimalist Japanese aesthetic. Kenzo Power is pushing that aesthetic up a notch - with many powerful ingredients but still maintaining that ethereal weightlessness. Effervescent, right off the bat. It sparkles, literally! Aldehydes, perhaps? A generous dose of bitter, green, floral Bergamot, boosted with some zesty, green Lemon, makes for that vibrant opening - add to that a dash of spicy, fresh, green Coriander & terpenic, green Cardamom oil - maybe a drop of Jasmine Abs, or something similar, with a little push from floral, fruity Hedione & green, fruity, woody Verdox and it feels like a fruity-green "tea" accord at the top. The cinnamic shades from the Tolu Balsam resin and sharp & dry Cedarwood in the base make this "tea" feel drier, and more earthier/brown over time. The combination of Cinnamon (from Tolu balsam) with Coriander, Lemon, Neroli is responsible for the Coca-Cola feel - those 4 ingredients plus a few others are part of the Coke recipe.

The heart feels like an abstract woody-floral block, leaning mostly white, with passing shades, to keep it interesting - green, floral Neroli + extremely fresh, Rosy-metallic Coranol + Freesia-like Ethyl Linalool + some Muguet notes (Lilial/Lyral/Florol) + shades of Rose/Geranium (Phenethyl alcohol/Geraniol/Citronellol) + woody, violet-y, dried-fruity Isoraldeine + berry-like, violet-y, woody Beta-ionone + Iso E Super, provides the discreet sillage. There's also subtle Osmanthus/Apricot hints beneath the tea & white flowers.

There's some creamy, almond-y, cherry-pit Heliotropin & powdery, sweet Coumarin in the base, probably in small amounts. Labdanum, in trace amounts, can convey an ambery, fruity-tobacco feel. Musks would almost be mandatory in formulations like these - I sense, seed-y, berry-like Ambrettolide and powdery-vanillic Musk-T to sweeten, and smooth out the whole thing and accentuate key facets.

It has a passing resemblance to Declaration (Jean-Claude Ellena) by Cartier, from 1998 - similar theme - airy-abstract floral with a strong emphasis on Cardamom & Tea. Polge's minimalistic rendition, Kenzo Power, also deserves as much attention. It's a beautifully abstract, unisex, fresh, fruity white floral. Meditative & weightless - absolutely delightful to wear, especially on hot days - extremely refreshing and uplifting. A discontinued gem, from Kenzo.

9/10