Ibisco L'Erbolario 2013

It seems to be the cheaper and lighter Shalimar's little Brother: it opens with citrusy-spicy notes and then it reveals its sweet flowery heart, warm and intoxicating . The base is sweet and very oriental : a light patchouli not at all earthy, an amber well balanced and not medicinal (very different from the one you can find in "Ambraliquida"),a light but pleasant musk touch. Unfortunately, it isn't so longasting and you must spray it many times to have a strong sillage. The bottle is maybe too minimal for the price (about 30€ for a 100ml size or 22€ for a 50ml size)and it could make think to a very cheap fragrance, but isn't so. I must remark that if you choose to but this scent you don't wrong: in fact, it's a "good" scent in every sense, because if you buy it you can help African people! Unfortunately it will be soon discontinued.What a pity that I didn't buy it on time!

Surely you know those puzzles where an original image and a corresponding "imitation" are depicted. The task is to find the differences between the original and the imitation. Usually, the deviations are easy to locate, but sometimes you have to look very closely.

And this is exactly what "Ibisco" by L'Erbolario reminds me of. In this case, "Ibisco" (from 2013) is the "imitation" and "Parfum Initial" (from 2011) or "Parfum Initial L'Eau" (from 2012) by Guerlain is the "original." I will simply define original and imitation based on the release of each fragrance.

If dear Dobbs had sent me the sample without a label, I would have sworn on a stack of Bibles that it was the Guerlain fragrance and definitely nothing else.

"Ibisco" starts off slightly green and with bergamot, followed by jasmine, iris, a bit of soft patchouli, and a pinch of vetiver. In the base, I primarily perceive vanilla, tonka bean, and light musk.

When I then look at the fragrance pyramid listed here alongside my impressions, I honestly understand little to nothing anymore.

I would describe the scent progression as "going from Parfum Initial to Parfum Initial L'Eau," or in other words, transitioning from the darker to the lighter.

Normally, I am not a fan of imitations, but this one is truly very well done! An absolutely convincing fragrance that appears valuable and of high quality. It settles on the skin, similar to Guerlain, not just resting on the surface but practically penetrating every pore. "Ibisco" is a warm and flattering scent that radiates an aura of elegance and exclusivity.

The packaging and bottle cannot compete with Guerlain, but ultimately, it’s the content that matters, and that is, so to speak, good and extremely affordable (50ml EDP for around €30).

It is probably now just a matter of personal preference whether it has to be Guerlain or if this affordable yet very good alternative is also acceptable.

Please do test it; I am sure it will find many fans!

The old Highlander saying "There can be only one..." is, for once, not valid here ;-)

Shalimar Initial was the fragrance that inspired me to delve deeper into perfumes back then. That's probably why it holds such a special place in my heart and why I suffered so much when it was discontinued. Only with a good portion of luck can one still get a reasonably priced original bottle today, and that's why I eventually accepted that I would have to cherish my last bottle like a little treasure and use it only sparingly.

So I was very pleased when I saw that Ibisco was indicated here at Parfumo as a scent twin of Shalimar Initial. Since I had recently received a bottle of Accordo Arrancia from L'Erbolario as a gift, I took the plunge and made a blind purchase.
As soon as I unpacked the beautiful red bottle, I proceeded to the test spray.
My first thought was indeed "Shalimar Initial!". However, my initial great joy quickly became relative. While Ibisco reminded me a lot of Shalimar Initial, something was different.

So a direct comparison was necessary.

Today I finally got around to it. The setup: On one wrist Shalimar Parfum Initial (a precious spritz for science), on the other Ibisco. On the desk ready: A few coffee beans to keep it fair.

Shortly after spraying, I can hardly distinguish between the two. Both start citrusy and very spicy for me. But just a few moments later, the first differences become apparent.
While in the Initial the bergamot takes the lead, a bitter orange stays more in the background.
Ibisco, on the other hand, comes across as fruitier. I mainly smell fresh lemon and sweet orange.

Pretty quickly, the flowers join in with Ibisco. While I can't initially pinpoint a floral scent, it soon differentiates. Subdued jasmine, delicate rose, and confident ylang-ylang. Hibiscus? Maybe. Like Pluto, I don't even know if hibiscus has a scent.
For a brief moment, vanilla steps forward, only to blend back into the other guests (the spice and fruitiness from the opening, as well as the slowly arriving base notes) after a short while.
Together, this creates a floral-fruity note, accented with a bit of green spiciness and probably a hint of powderiness from the iris butter.

In contrast, with the Initial, I quickly smell vanilla approaching, which also stays more in the background there. Along with the spiciness of the opening, rose and noticeably iris join in. As with Ibisco, the jasmine remains quiet here.
However, I do smell something smoky and bitter for a short time. Could that be the vetiver?
I would describe the Initial at this point as rather floral-spicy.

The spiciness lingers with the Initial for a long time. Additionally, Shalimar Initial gains a warm sweetness for me, thanks to tonka bean, vanilla, and caramel. Musk and patchouli add a darker, mysterious note to the whole thing.

With Ibisco, the floral-fruity note becomes more elegant over time, thanks to (white?) musk and patchouli. The spicy notes, which are still detectable here, fit very well. All of this is underscored by a bright vanilla, which, unlike in the Initial, comes across a bit woody (amber!), but still (or perhaps precisely because of that?) beautifully.

From experience, I know that the Initial will linger on my skin for a long time until only a dark, full vanilla remains (one of my favorite moments in the development of the fragrance).
Ibisco, however, easily lasts 6-7 hours. Here too, I smell vanilla at the farewell, but a clearer, brighter version.

When it comes to sillage, unfortunately, Ibisco cannot compete with Shalimar Initial and prefers to stay closer to me after an extravagant start.

Conclusion:
Ibisco is (unfortunately) not a substitute for Shalimar Initial for me. But it doesn't have to be. I still find it very beautiful. It is brighter and a bit fruitier than the Initial. I find the green spiciness here not quite as scratchy as with the Initial shortly after spraying.
I can even imagine Ibisco on a cool summer night, while the Initial is on wardrobe arrest during the summer.
So: Great fragrance! But for those looking for a substitute for Shalimar Initial: Better to try it out first.

ParfumAholic made my mouth water quite a bit with his description of Ibisco. So I thought it was time for a little more excitement in my fragrance life and ordered Ibisco on a whim. Meharees and Dolcelisir are already very successful scents for my taste, and by now I believe I can't go wrong with L’Erbolarios.

Yesterday my package arrived, and this time I didn't wait but immediately sprayed the fragrance. Ibisco starts moderately fresh, slightly sour with the lemon, and as the scent develops, it becomes very spicy, a bit green, warm, and gains more and more sweetness. Now the scent seems very familiar to me; I have a miniature of Shalimar Initial and find the similarity with this fragrance astonishing. I don't know Shalimar Initial L'Eau, but I think this is simply the lighter version of Shalimar Initial. My nose doesn't perceive it as floral; I don't know how hibiscus smells-does it even have a scent? I had several of these wonderfully blooming plants, but I don't remember a specific scent, and after all, hibiscus is the namesake of this fragrance. On my skin, the scent doesn't change much anymore; it remains warm and spicy and fades out after about four hours with a pleasantly woody note.

The sillage is rather moderate for me, and since Ibisco is quite sweet, I see it more as an autumn and winter fragrance. For me, it belongs in the category of light orientals; whether it's suitable for the strong sex, hmm, due to the sweetness, probably not. My husband didn't like it so much yesterday, but just now he said: Oh, not so bad at all, actually quite nice....

This is my third fragrance from L'Erbolario - and probably not my last.
This company really knows how to create beautiful scents.
The packaging lists the following notes:
Top notes: fresh-green (Orange, Lemon, Coriander, Elemi, Cardamom)
Heart notes: floral-vanilla (Jasmine, Rose, Iris butter, Vanilla, Ylang-Ylang, Hibiscus flowers)
Base notes: amber-mossy (Amber, Patchouli, Moss)
I don't notice the Orange and Lemon, I don't know Elemi, I haven't liked Jasmine so far, I can recognize Vanilla and Ylang-Ylang, Patchouli holds back - the combination is beautiful.
And unlike Méharées and Ambraliquida, I can't imagine this lovely scent on a man - it's just too floral for that. I don't perceive it as spicy or even woody.
I can easily imagine it being perfect for a summer evening.

Addendum: The longevity is good, but by no means as brilliant as with Méharées.
This may also be due to the fact that spicy scents tend to last better on the skin (my observation).