Sandflowers Montale

Montale SANDFLOWERS evokes immediate memories of Comptoir Sud Pacifique AQUA MOTU. Something about the algae and the sea water. In waves, SANDFLOWERS has a strange oriental vibe to go with the muskiness. AQUA MOTU is even muskier and perhaps more musky than aquatic. The biggest difference between the two is the juniper in SANDFLOWERS, which is quite marked especially the opening, making this creation seem rather aromatic and the algae very mossy and green.

My understanding is that Pierre Montale was formerly associated with Comptoir Sud Pacifique, I presume as the perfumer. The similarity between SANDFLOWERS and AQUA MOTU may not therefore be my imagination! The bottles are similar, except that the Montale version of the aluminum can ends up looking sleek and niche, while the Comptoir Sud Pacifique version imparts the decided impression of being some kind of budget drugstore body spray. Is it just the trinket on the Montale that makes the difference? I don't know exactly why, but I really like the Montale bottles and really dislike the Comptoir Sud Pacifique bottles.

I am not much for aquatic fragrances, so SANDFLOWERS is not really my kind of thing, but anyone who likes AQUA MOTU is bound to like this composition, which is unisex and even leaning a bit toward the masculine side. I consider this to be an atypical perfume for Montale. It seems more like a vacation scent to me. Maybe it should be called SAND DOLLARS?