Perle Rare Ambre Carthage

L'Ambre de Carthage

Panouge 2011

I was totally obsessed with L' Ambre de Carthage when it first came out, as a result
I ordered a big decant spray to enjoy, and trust me, I am a woman who adores ultra feminine perfumes.
This juice is so alluring, I can see a good looking, adventurous man in a white linen shirt , walking relaxed and joyful on the beach, enjoying the sunset, while waiting for his big love to appear, before the sun disappears. I can not describe how mesmerizing the trail of this scent is. I have no idea whether this has been reformulated or not nowadays, but my 10year+ decant spray smells amazingly, so high quality ingredients, and a dry down TO DIE FOR.
Only be aware not to stain your clothes, it takes time for the magical orange oils to dry up.
We have a Greek saying: " Τον σέρνει απο την μύτη " and this stuff
is doing this exact thing!

L'Ambre de Carthage opens on a much fresher note than I'd expect from an amber forward fragrance. The opening quickly makes way for an unexpected fruity note! Before this, I did not know any fragrance that involved osmanthus. Knowing now what osmanthus can do in a fragrance, I can say I'm a fan! The osmanthus is the definitive star of this composition. It works exceptionally well together with the labdanum and the sandalwood.

At first, the rather sweet osmanthus brings a peachy and milky facet to this labdanum heavy fragrance. Then, in the dry down, the osmanthus, together with the sandalwood, makes the fragrance move in a creamier direction. Surprisingly, it's at this stage that I can best detect the tea. To my nose, the tea here is somewhat like the representation of tea in the Serge Lutens fragrance Five o'clock au gingembre. In fact, this whole composition reminds me of that fragrance in specific and the Serge Lutens DNA in general.

Other than that, I can't say I notice either the patchouli or the olibanum. The performance is outstanding, though. It lasts a long time on both skin and clothing.

I will cherish my sample of this perfume. On the little box that came with it, it says 'Isabey', which hasn't been producing this fragrance for some time. I hope Panouge has been gentle on this lovely perfume and has kept the formulation the way it was when Isabey handed it to them. If you're a fan of Serge Lutens fragrances like Ambre sultan Eau de Parfum and Five o'clock au gingembre, you might like this one.

L'ambre de carthage is a tinted cellophane amber, a balsam breeze, steeped osmanthus blossoms and frankincense infused tea. It is a delightful diversion from typically dense, sticky ambers, with a dry sweetness and a sliver of bitter cola myrrh. There's a woodiness that does not scratch the sinus, like a tender cedar enveloped in lightly smoked patchouli.

It evokes a sumptuousness without coming off as forced luxury, which goodness knows we have a surplus of that gold-plated flash and glamour encasing bilge that leaves a sour taste. This is smooth and satisfying.

‘L’Ambre de Carthage’ was once again one of those impulse buys - I didn’t really want to, but there I was again in front of the shelves, and I had no idea what I was looking for or should test. The lady assisting me, after several ‘I already know that’, ‘I already have that’, ‘that’s not really my thing’, etc. was at her wit's end and left with the words ‘if you need me, just let me know’. Two fragrances did catch my interest, one of which even made its way into my bag: ‘L’Ambre de Carthage’.

I’m not really a big fan of amber - most of them, like many musk or patchouli scents, are too hippie-like for me, and I’ve also grown quite tired of the eternally same, resinous-sweet amber-vanilla combo.
But there are exceptions: ‘Ambre Fétiche’ by Annick Goutal is one, or ‘Ambre 114’ by Histoires de Parfums - amber scents that offer a twist into the unusual: the first is dry-leathery, the second spicy-refined.
‘L’Ambre de Carthage’ is yet another one, this time with a significant twist into the fruity-floral.

However, the name of the fragrance might initially suggest an oriental heavyweight like ‘Ambre Sultan’, but that’s far from the truth. Sure, the amber is there, from the beginning to the end of the scent’s progression, but its aromatic-resinous aroma carries nothing heavy or excessively sweet - it is light, almost transparent, and harmonizes wonderfully with the woody nuances of patchouli and sandalwood. What is truly special, however, is the combination with the osmanthus flower, which is primarily found in Asia. Its fruity-floral accord - reminiscent of ripe white peaches, but also of Hermès’ ‘Osmanthe Yunnan’ with its tea nuances - takes away all the burdensome, dark, and oily aspects of the amber (a mix of spicy-aromatic resins; not to be confused with ‘grey amber’ or ‘ambergris’, the sperm whale secretion) and provides bright colors and a fresh breeze. Some slightly bitter-citrusy bergamot, as well as a fine tea note (reportedly jasmine tea), contribute to a nice breeze and plenty of sunshine flooding the hippie shop - it feels good, really good!

Interestingly, ‘L’Ambre de Carthage’ is labeled as a ‘Parfum pour Homme’ (though one can safely forget the ‘Homme’ - it is just as much ‘Pour Femme’), so neither ‘Eau de Toilette’ nor ‘Eau de Parfum’, but actually ‘Parfum’. Another indication, namely that the fragrance has an 80% alcohol content, suggests that the perfume oil content is around 16%, which would indeed allow for the designation ‘Parfum’, although one would rather have to speak of an ‘Eau de Parfum’.
Whatever the case - ‘L’Ambre de Carthage’ is quite highly concentrated, and you can tell: top, heart, and base notes all develop a similar volume, which stands in stark contrast to loudly appearing but quickly weakling ‘Eau de Colognes’ or some ‘Eau de Toilette’.
Thus, the rather moderately fresh, floral-fruity opening is not really room-filling, but at the latest in the darker and resinous middle part, and especially during the infinitely long-lasting dry down, you feel the immense power of the fragrance, a power that lies more hidden than it displays itself ostentatiously.

Ultimately, a opulent, woody, and warm aroma remains on the skin, revealing distinctly smoky nuances. This beautiful and sensual mélange finally has something vaguely masculine, ‘finally’ because the fragrance up to that point exhibits nothing typically ‘masculine’. Now, however, in its last seemingly everlasting phase, it reveals a somehow well-groomed-old-fashioned, virile character that reminds one of such famous creations from the pre-war era as Caron’s ‘Pour un Homme’, ‘Knize Ten’, or even ‘Zizanie’ - this woody-powdery warmth, this smoky-leathery aura. But it is less the scent itself that connects to these classics of perfume history; it is more its attitude: tailored suit, flower in the buttonhole, Adolphe Menjou mustache, cigarette tucked in a short tip - classic male elegance with a touch of dandyism, far removed from puritanical post-war austerity or wild-lustful 70s machismo.

Reintroduced in 2011, today’s ‘L’Ambre de Carthage’ likely has little more than a loose kinship with that namesake fragrance from the 1920s. Rather, it seems to be a fairly free reinterpretation of the old fragrance concept, comparable to the revival of ‘Sycomore’ - albeit without reaching its class.

A good fragrance, but not an outstanding one.

After an excellent consultation at Mannheim's Kurfürsten Parfümerie (aka Online Shop Essenza Nobile) and the words "I have something very special in stock..." a test strip sprayed with L'Ambre de Carthage was held under my nose, and my olfactory ears perked up.
You know how it is. With about 1 out of 28 test strips, you think "hm, yeah, okay," but only with 1 out of 72 do you exclaim delightedly throughout the store, "I’ll buy them all!" That’s how it was for me with L'Ambre de Carthage.

Amber as a building block in fragrance pyramids is well known to us. And there are also many scents with amber as the main theme. Often, they are too hipster-ish, overly sweet, sometimes "cheap," can be cloying, or fall victim to the overused oud-incense trend.
Where Armani with Ambre Orient, Tom Ford with Amber Absolute, or Serge Lutens with Ambre Sultan succumb to current mainstream trends, where Montale's Blue Amber has a challenging cool-metallic opening, where Histoires de Parfums with Ambre 114 quickly fades into a monotonous light sweetness, and where Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier spreads a sweet chocolate-amber bouquet with Ambre Precieux, L'Ambre de Carthage, in contrast, shows an astonishing restraint. This is precisely what I would call an understatement of elegant upper class.

L'Ambre de Carthage is not about the loud bazaar filled with spices, sweet treats, and smoky musty scent clouds, but rather about the relaxation after a strenuous desert ride in a shady oasis with cool drinks.
Thus, the opening is also unobtrusively sweet and fresh. A watery jasmine tea defines the top note, which fades only slowly. As it develops, the heart becomes slightly more balsamic, without labdanum or patchouli dominating. The transition to the base corresponds to the beginning of a cooler desert evening, where warm, soft oriental scent clouds linger long, allowing one to recover extensively after traveling in the scorching sun. You won’t find spices or a classic pronounced "masculine note" in this oasis.

Overall, the scent is very bright, soft, and shows a cautious sweetness that can be worn unrestricted in everyday life. It is anything but intrusive; you sense it more than smell it. The longevity is above average for my nose. Despite the label "Homme," it is clearly unisex.

Produced by Isabey as an exclusive fragrance back in 1924, disappearing from the market during the war turmoil of the 40s, and having been resurrected since 2006, we certainly do not have the original formula under our noses. Compared to perfumes from the 20s or 30s, e.g., from Chanel, Guerlain, etc., those definitely have more punch.

With its jasmine-amber composition, L'Ambre de Carthage is a fine, unobtrusive, very elegant gentleman's scent. Even if one does not want to categorize it into men's, women's, or unisex fragrances, it definitely deserves a heightened level of recognition!