Bottle Design:
Kentaro Yamada

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Neandertal Dark Neandertal 2015

6.5 / 10 78 Ratings

A limited perfume by Neandertal for women and men, released in 2015. The scent is woody-spicy. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Woody

Spicy

Synthetic

Smoky

Green

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Hinoki cypress

Tomato leaf

Aldehydes

Tangerine

Violet leaf

Grapefruit

Pink pepper

Heart Notes

Gaiac wood

Frankincense Myrrh

Myrrh

Caraway

Leather

Ginger absolute Tobacco

Tobacco

Rose

Saffron

Base Notes

Labdanum absolute Musk

Musk

Oud

Cashmeran

Cedar

Amber

Patchouli

Sandalwood Vanilla

Vanilla

Vetiver

Perfumer

Euan McCall

Ratings

Scent

6.578 Ratings

Longevity

7.860 Ratings

Sillage

7.359 Ratings

Bottle

8.473 Ratings

Value for money

5.732 Ratings

Submitted by OPomone · last update on 01/12/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

100 pieces have been made.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Reviews

9 in-depth fragrance descriptions

12/12/2022

7Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Smellavision
205 Reviews

Smellavision

1

A floral leather, suitable for spring - not something you see very often...

Personally, when I smell this perfume I actually feel that I get the concept of the perfumer Euan McCall - based on the Neanderthals that lived in Asia and Europe until about 25.000 years ago and were smaller yet stronger than modern humans, before the latter probably outranked them. If I close my eyes, I can actually imagine sitting in a cave, dressed in deer hides (leather) while the bonfire (woods and incense) slowly heats up the cave (flint and rocks) surrounded by green foliage and pine woods.

The opening is a classic and slightly raw leather, leaning towards fresh hides without going all animalic. After approximately an hour it gently and smoothly morphs into a nice and not too sweet green floral scent with tomato leaf and a little incense, which lasts for about another hour and after that it again transitions into a nice smooth base of sandalwood, amber, patchouli and musk which lasts a couple of hours as a skin scent.

It's very strange to look at the note pyramid here, as the leather is supposed to be in the heart while I get it throughout all of the phases. Good projection and average longevity (about 4 hours). I must say I love the odd stoneware bottle design which really stands out.

03/19/2022

7Scent 9Longevity 8Sillage

LorenzoYann
36 Reviews

LorenzoYann

1

Mammoth Leather

This has a very bold and full leather profile, neither too animalic or fecal, neither too fresh and conventional, surely it has a modern blend to it which makes it really special. I don't like drawing comparisons because people might diminish one or the other subject but if you enjoy one of those deeper, heavier Electimuss fragrances like Black Caviar, Capua (I don't remember too specifically) you'll love this one. While these are very constructed, "Neandertal Dark" manages to convey a striking and decryptable smell right off the bat in the first sniff despite the long note listing. In my opinion it is a solid fragrance that has an intermediate sourness to it, the only aspect I didn't like.
To me the note listing should put more emphasis on (in decreasing order of concentration) : labdanum, violet, leather, cypress, tobacco, oud, cashmeran, tomato leaf.

06/10/2025

ClaireV
969 Reviews

ClaireV

1

Oily tarpaulin leather-oud

Aptly named, Dark is one of those oily, industrial-smelling concoctions that get you thinking both of (a) the fuel spills, rubber, tarpaulin, and black oil of a car repair shop, and (b) the oily black infestation at the core of a freshly-felled agarwood tree, i.e., the natural and unnatural intertwined so densely that one is undistinguishable from the other. It smells dank and oddly savory (umami), perhaps due to the seaweed note, which is more reminiscent of miso paste than of salt. Unlike Light, Dark is, well, the smell of closed-up spaces, of rot, of time v. infection.

Though unusual, its grungy industrial bent is not entirely unique – there are elements of what I am smelling here in both Nooud by Baruti and Black No. 1 by House of Matriarch. But in the drydown, Dark takes a very different turn, and this is where the paths diverge. The scent sees itself out on a long tail of pure, blinding metal. You know the metallic scent of orange juice that’s been spilled and left to dry? This is precisely that, minus any scent of orange. I don’t know if this is saffron, coriander, rose oxide, violet leaf, or some other metallic material, but the flash of metal provides a link to Light that I find interesting. Dark mixed with Light, by the way, provides for a compelling experience – the tart, metallic rhubarb and (salted) custard sparks against the oily, savory dankness of Dark’s oudy leather to yield a scent that feels as bright as an over-exposed photo and as grungy as mold.

11/25/2025

4.5Scent 10Longevity 8Sillage

Leevancleef
11 Reviews

Leevancleef

1

Wild. untamed. dark.

An aromatic, aquatic, smoky fragrance — challenging and complex.
It opens with a spicy kick of ginger and pink pepper, blended with a briny, water-logged scent of algae, as if you’re smelling rushing cave water in the dark.
In the heart, the sharpness of geranium stands out, giving a piercing, watery-rose impression reminiscent of damp, water-soaked cave walls.
Leather, burnt woods, evoke a primitive human taking shelter in a cave, keeping the fire alive for warmth, cooking, and protection.

The first time I tried it, it was extremely difficult to accept.
The second time, I started to understand it and could tolerate it a bit on paper. but on skin it’s still tough, the most challenging scent in the house.

And here as well, I can smell the similar DNA shared by Is and Was.

11/26/2025

7.5Scent 7Longevity 6Sillage

valhelsingv
304 Reviews

valhelsingv

Dark rubbery industrial tomato leaf

Now, I expected a killer of a fragrance here, the one that will just upset my nose and make me barf :D I am almost disappointed that this is actually a pleasant smoky and rubbery aromatic fragrance! Opens with smoky wood and spiced incense, the dry-down is very heavy on oily resins, rubbery leather, and tomato leaf. It's actually quite mild (for what it is)! Even the hinoki cypress doesn't bother me here. And it bothers me everywhere else! Good stuff. For true connoseurs of smoke, resins, and tomato leaf!

Quite metallic too! Almost forgot to mention this!

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