Raku Les Bains Guerbois 2023
3
Helpful Review
Is it you??
I had fond memories of Raku - tested for the first time in a small boutique in Barcelona. Back then, I was immediately taken with it: fresh, green, soft, somehow clean and creamy at the same time. As many have written before: milky creaminess meets grassy woods. And yes, that's exactly what I smelled there. Maybe it was the vacation mood, maybe the air in Barcelona - but I was thrilled. If pure milk were to flow through streams, it would probably smell like this.
Now, at home and tested as a sample from Pafory, the picture is different.
The opening is okay: citrusy, green, slightly peppery. You can immediately tell that there’s a bit of molecular DNA in play - musk, Ambroxan, that typical clean softness. So far, so good. Since I perceived the scent as linear back then, I thought nothing more would come. In the drydown, I remembered it as a creamy skin scent.
But then something strange happens. The scent takes a turn halfway - towards metallic, almost medicinal. Something between clary sage, cedarwood, and a strangely medicinal-cold tone. Confused, sniffing at my wrist, I sense something ominous. This note stands out, lurking underneath and lingers quite a while through the middle part. For me: absolutely disturbing.
Then I realize what this note reminds me of. The whole thing somehow reminds me of the DNA of Cloud by Ariana Grande. I ponder further and notice how an association spreads: Baccarat Rouge. I am confused … did I receive a wrong sample? Was the bottle filled differently before? This incredibly pronounced note sticks to the musk.
And that’s annoying. Because it doesn’t fit together.
I remembered Raku as distinctly softer and more neutral - almost like an elegant everyday fragrance. Now I perceive it as significantly more masculine, angular, and unfortunately also more synthetic than it should be. The lovely green freshness is really sabotaged by this strange undertone. The question remains: Is this Raku?
Now, at home and tested as a sample from Pafory, the picture is different.
The opening is okay: citrusy, green, slightly peppery. You can immediately tell that there’s a bit of molecular DNA in play - musk, Ambroxan, that typical clean softness. So far, so good. Since I perceived the scent as linear back then, I thought nothing more would come. In the drydown, I remembered it as a creamy skin scent.
But then something strange happens. The scent takes a turn halfway - towards metallic, almost medicinal. Something between clary sage, cedarwood, and a strangely medicinal-cold tone. Confused, sniffing at my wrist, I sense something ominous. This note stands out, lurking underneath and lingers quite a while through the middle part. For me: absolutely disturbing.
Then I realize what this note reminds me of. The whole thing somehow reminds me of the DNA of Cloud by Ariana Grande. I ponder further and notice how an association spreads: Baccarat Rouge. I am confused … did I receive a wrong sample? Was the bottle filled differently before? This incredibly pronounced note sticks to the musk.
And that’s annoying. Because it doesn’t fit together.
I remembered Raku as distinctly softer and more neutral - almost like an elegant everyday fragrance. Now I perceive it as significantly more masculine, angular, and unfortunately also more synthetic than it should be. The lovely green freshness is really sabotaged by this strange undertone. The question remains: Is this Raku?
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