Ganymede Marc-Antoine Barrois 2019 Eau de Parfum
2
Moon river, wider than a mile, I'm crossing you in style some day
The opening is captivating, with lots of citric and spicy impressions. The saffron note is very interesting, because saffron changes connotations depending on the recipe it is used in. In this case, I am reminded of a certain Nordic bakery product that includes saffron and succade (candied citrons).
It only takes half a minute for the suede impression to establish itself, and after another minute the mineral qualities are prominent, accompanied with a nice freshness that I suppose others refer to as "ozonic" and/or "airy". It is as if the spices and citrus recedes a bit and lets in a whiff of air, absolutely. After a few hours of dry down, the suede impression slowly transforms into rather woodiness, so I would say the development has three nicely integrated stages from citric-spicy to leathery-metallic into woody-spicy in the end.
It is impossible not to think about Encre Noire, since Ganymede is a very similar concept in terms of highly modern minimalism and leather-earthy allusions. But where EN to me alludes to leatherbound books, libraries, book shops and conifer woods, Ganymede rather represents a technological context that can be anything from a luxurious hotel lobby, or your home office desk as you open the box of your new laptop whilst you are fresh out of the shower. Or it can be a new car interior, the memory of embarking an international flight for the first time as a child – everything depending on your experience. However, I must say that I find it not sharp at all, and I think there are some naturalistic enough essential oil impressions that balances out very nicely. The challenge with modern perfumery is often harsh paint solvent or petrochemical notes that not everyone will perceive – or they will at least not perceive them negatively. Terre d'Hermès is a prominent example of a scent I liked but could never get comfortable with, whereas Ganymede is only pleasant to my nose.
Furthermore, to continue a bit with the Encre Noire comparison: The mineral qualities are not earth, but stainless steel and copper; citric woodiness is not cypress and vetiver, but citrus peel derivates with a woodiness that has a dusty aspect I recognise from natural immortelle and violet leafs. On top of that, as mentioned, there is a subtle spicyness I really like. It is therefore softer and more unisex than EN.
So who can wear this? I would not mind Ganymede on a woman in public spaces, but I would not love it on someone I was intimate with. To be more specific, I must say I would not perceive it as "butch" or anything on a female colleague, but, for some reason, in private use I still think it leans a lot more masculine. That should make it a nice, professional office/daytime scent for anyone. But I do recommend trying it first for both women and men and maybe let your special someone get a whiff and give their opinion before you buy – it is quite unique I think.
A thought on this: I think it would be sad if everything at the workplace was to be de-sexualised. But it is also clear that most workplaces would benefit from less distinct sex based stereotyping and perfumery can be seen as a symbol of that evolution, which in sum is a good thing for everyone. Most of us both need to have and actually have different arenas in our lives, and those who use perfume should maybe more often think about the impression they wish to project to others in different contexts. In this perspective, I think Ganymede is a great example of pleasant but quite unique scents that has just enough of everything to make them "sexually versatile" whilst maintaining some power of allusion for those who reflect a bit on what they smell around them. Being innovative/"modern" is therefore an advantage, because that means people will be less burdened with preconceptions and associations with one or the other gender.
On my skin, the performance is good. Tenacity is approximately 8 hours which I like; projection and sillage above average in the beginning, but fortunately not too intrusive.
Absolutely recommended you try this!
It only takes half a minute for the suede impression to establish itself, and after another minute the mineral qualities are prominent, accompanied with a nice freshness that I suppose others refer to as "ozonic" and/or "airy". It is as if the spices and citrus recedes a bit and lets in a whiff of air, absolutely. After a few hours of dry down, the suede impression slowly transforms into rather woodiness, so I would say the development has three nicely integrated stages from citric-spicy to leathery-metallic into woody-spicy in the end.
It is impossible not to think about Encre Noire, since Ganymede is a very similar concept in terms of highly modern minimalism and leather-earthy allusions. But where EN to me alludes to leatherbound books, libraries, book shops and conifer woods, Ganymede rather represents a technological context that can be anything from a luxurious hotel lobby, or your home office desk as you open the box of your new laptop whilst you are fresh out of the shower. Or it can be a new car interior, the memory of embarking an international flight for the first time as a child – everything depending on your experience. However, I must say that I find it not sharp at all, and I think there are some naturalistic enough essential oil impressions that balances out very nicely. The challenge with modern perfumery is often harsh paint solvent or petrochemical notes that not everyone will perceive – or they will at least not perceive them negatively. Terre d'Hermès is a prominent example of a scent I liked but could never get comfortable with, whereas Ganymede is only pleasant to my nose.
Furthermore, to continue a bit with the Encre Noire comparison: The mineral qualities are not earth, but stainless steel and copper; citric woodiness is not cypress and vetiver, but citrus peel derivates with a woodiness that has a dusty aspect I recognise from natural immortelle and violet leafs. On top of that, as mentioned, there is a subtle spicyness I really like. It is therefore softer and more unisex than EN.
So who can wear this? I would not mind Ganymede on a woman in public spaces, but I would not love it on someone I was intimate with. To be more specific, I must say I would not perceive it as "butch" or anything on a female colleague, but, for some reason, in private use I still think it leans a lot more masculine. That should make it a nice, professional office/daytime scent for anyone. But I do recommend trying it first for both women and men and maybe let your special someone get a whiff and give their opinion before you buy – it is quite unique I think.
A thought on this: I think it would be sad if everything at the workplace was to be de-sexualised. But it is also clear that most workplaces would benefit from less distinct sex based stereotyping and perfumery can be seen as a symbol of that evolution, which in sum is a good thing for everyone. Most of us both need to have and actually have different arenas in our lives, and those who use perfume should maybe more often think about the impression they wish to project to others in different contexts. In this perspective, I think Ganymede is a great example of pleasant but quite unique scents that has just enough of everything to make them "sexually versatile" whilst maintaining some power of allusion for those who reflect a bit on what they smell around them. Being innovative/"modern" is therefore an advantage, because that means people will be less burdened with preconceptions and associations with one or the other gender.
On my skin, the performance is good. Tenacity is approximately 8 hours which I like; projection and sillage above average in the beginning, but fortunately not too intrusive.
Absolutely recommended you try this!
Lanatra
