Aqaysos Pierre Guillaume 2017

A brief note in advance: Sorry for the long text, but this is a love letter, and nothing should be shortened ;) On the other hand, I have rarely been so speechless as with this fantastic fragrance. Perhaps such a simple scent progression doesn’t need words at all and just wants to be enjoyed?! I spent hours on this comment, which is dedicated with the utmost gratitude to our dear Norleans. He has already given me several great recommendations and samples for fresh scents, but with Aqaysos, he has truly hit the mark :)

So, let’s get to the description of the scent, which is somehow ambivalent. On one hand, its progression is anything but complex, yet I still find it difficult to outline its simplicity, as it shows a special brilliance to me:

Aqaysos starts off with maximum freshness, whose fruity tone seems familiar to me, but it also brings an unusually "modern nonchalance" that is immediately appealing. Of course, the familiar note is blackcurrant, which here finally appears like a berry and not as the usual mix of various ingredients that only aim towards blackcurrant, often infused with a sweet touch, yet at the same time slightly musty-dull and sour in the masculine fruity wood-Aventus blend. In other words, Aqaysos smells COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, namely fresh, radiant, purple :) And yet, it probably doesn't revolve around an exclusively natural blackcurrant. I found the following online:

"The uniqueness: All perfumes contain plant-based, natural ingredients of organic quality that unite with synthetic fragrance molecules - a synergy of natural, often organic essences and synthetic accords (Phytoparfumerie) … Each of the Black Collection fragrances contains only two to three essences, thus abolishing the classic fragrance pyramid. This results in an elegant and unmistakably clear identity."

And this is how I perceive Aqaysos. There is such a wonderful mix of soft, full, sweetened berry, a pinch of pepper, and a bit of fine (cedar?) wood in the background - all interwoven with musk, which is said to be "animalistic" here. Simply top-notch, because it is both special and pleasing at the same time! I also asked Norleans about this special coloring of the scent, which reminds me of something totally familiar. Perhaps it is reminiscent of skin(?), but not in the direction of sweat, so piercing, sharp, or acrid, but rather the opposite, pleasantly soothing, warm, breathing. Maybe the subtle hint of cocoa plays a role here, which can indeed be found in the pyramid? In any case, this fascinating note somehow creates a great closeness, has something peaceful, friendly, and familiar about it. However, I find the musk, which is very specifically combined with the blackcurrant here, more likely, while Norleans leans towards Iso-E-Super. I can somewhat understand that, as I have perceived Molecule01 at least as a delicate sweet-soft woody note...

What is actually natural and what is synthetic among these main ingredients, I cannot say, but you can always feel their contrasting yet unifying effect, which is incredibly attractive. I have rarely experienced synthetic components so smartly and subtly integrated.

The top notes of lime and bergamot play a rather subordinate role, although at least the former contributes a subtle fruity peak to the freshness of the scent. However, coriander seems to be only homoeopathically involved, as it wouldn’t fit in larger quantities. Because the main player is clearly the blackcurrant, which finally convinces me completely, and in combination with the musky tones, ignites a very appealing fragrance, whether slightly synthetic or not (for those who fancy a totally natural blackcurrant scent, they should check out Melisse2's comment on "Cassis" [Parfums Sven Pritzkoleit], which she titles "the blackcurrant scent of blackcurrant scents" :)

Regarding sillage and longevity, Norleans wrote that these probably won’t break records, as one often thinks, "the scent is gone, but the surroundings still perceive it clearly. If there really is Iso in it, this could trigger that "scent flickering," similar to Molecule01." I can only agree, as it clings to my neck for about 6-7 hours, but its initially noticeable sillage begins to become somewhat unstable after about 2 hours.

BUT: completely different on a shirt - YES, HE CAN!

Because here the Frenchman is now competing with my signature scent (Higher by Dior), which I also usually wear on shirts for better H&S. Both fragrances seem deeper there, intensifying their sillage by about 20%, projecting continuously and DOUBLING their longevity! And just like Higher, this beautiful berry scent is ideally worn from spring to autumn, in leisure and work, and also during sports.

According to my strict :) rating, Higher is my only 10/10 fragrance, Aqaysos currently stands at 9 (tending towards 10), and otherwise, I only have and know a handful of 8.5 or lower. In this fascinating Pierre Guillaume, I thus found my No. 2, to which I now have a similar "closeness" as to my signature scent.

Conclusion: Aqaysos is a fresh fruity fragrance that depicts an overly fresh sweetly pronounced blackcurrant for the first 1.5 hours, which comes across slightly sharpened but still warm, neither sour nor bitter. After that, the sweetness reduces, and a special musky tone increasingly comes to the fore, making the scent unusually "approachable." You almost become one with it, while the fruit slowly fades in a rather linear progression. Yes, this berry fully exploits its charm and draws me completely into its attractive allure. Thus, for the first time, I am inclined to speak of something like an "intimate" (freshie) scent, or let’s say it outright, I am

head over heels in love :)

...if you read the fragrance name too quickly (like I just did)..."Aquasos"...which somehow sounds like a Greek sea and water god...but he was called something else entirely. Unfortunately, I couldn't detect much aquatic in the new Huitieme fragrance. Instead, there is a lot of blackcurrant. As a central note, I find it very challenging; similar to fig, if it comes across as intensely dominant, it can quickly become annoying, or the fragrance takes on too fruity-feminine a touch, with Berlin in winter, Aqua Celestia, or Aventus for her being good examples of this.
Speaking of Aventus for her, Aqaysos starts off just as lightly medicinally sharp-stinging and ambroxan-like for me. The sharpness also slightly reminds me of a medicinal alcohol, like Voltaren, which sounds strange-but it’s really delicious. I liked it in Aventus for her and in White Spirit, but it could also very well be white flowers soaked in alcohol.
Then comes the blackcurrant army, rolling over everything. While it is deliciously fresh-fruity-sour, it is still very dominant. It’s not exactly a whispered summer dream, but the fragrance does have something refreshing about it. Aqaysos is aided by a note in the background that I can't clearly identify; spontaneously, I would describe it as ambroxan-tuberose, since I can't perceive any of the other listed fragrance notes above. It smells somewhat floral, but it could just as well be salty wood...I suspect PG has withheld some fragrance notes from us.
It doesn’t matter at all, because Aqaysos has won me over on the third try and has really impressed me, which no other fragrance with this note has managed to do; I found Soul of the Forest at most "nice".
Just when the first blackcurrant tsunami recedes, the fragrance opens a tiny gap for other notes, for me these are the slightly masculine woods, which, however, do not remind me of any forest or lumber mill. This could be the crucial nuance that makes Aqaysos not annoy me quickly in everyday life, but rather wonderfully wearable. Only at the very end does a mild fruity sweetness reveal itself. I prefer to wear it in spring and on summer evenings; during the day in the sun and/or in the office, it could possibly be too powerful...and also perhaps too unusual for an untrained office nose. A lovely season could also be the slowly fading summer, which is already slightly transitioning into autumn; that should harmonize very well with the spice.
The longevity of this fragrance is completely okay at 7 hours; more would probably not be good, the sillage is just right, very decent but not overwhelmingly strong. I find the €110 for 50ml to be appropriate for this very interesting and unusual fragrance. Unfortunately, I still lack an online source, after all, you don't go to Hamburg every day, even if the temperatures there are currently very pleasant.
Aqaysos is a first highlight in 2017 that not everyone or not everyone will like at first!
I find it absolutely wonderful and will certainly acquire it in the coming weeks.

In search of new fragrance experiences, it's like with black jeans: they are my first choice for casual pants, they almost always fit stylistically, my closet is full of them, and I keep buying them because I think I still don't have enough. Accordingly, when looking for a new summer scent, if you don't want another black jeans in perfume form, you shouldn't ask for one in the store either. My black jeans in perfume form are my citrus summer refreshers, I love them, but I'm currently satisfied with that. So, I made a brief announcement to the staff I trust, with one request: please don't pick out a black jeans for me. Said and done.

In front of me are a few modern-looking, not really sharp-edged, yet quite striking bottles that look as if they are filled with motor oil. Black. Fragrances by Pierre Guillaume, French fragrance prodigy, chemist, perfumer, and free spirit, a modern, urban type of his trade, who has been creating perfumes for a little over 15 years, equally at home in science and his craft. An exciting guy.

One of the candidates presented to me stands out in particular. The opening is alcoholic, medicinal, bitter; the comparison to Voltaren ointment from Dave Gahan fits perfectly, the nose immediately latches onto it because surprisingly it smells appealing, but already a bitter, dark citrus note mixes into the picture. Lime. Not a tropical cocktail lime, but a bitter, sour lime that reminds me more of grapefruit and bergamot, even though none of that is listed among the ingredients. The impression is firm, matte, a dark, defined tone that is additionally toned by coriander. I can't isolate coriander, so there's no contrast; it lies over the lime like an additional layer of varnish, giving it even more firmness and edge.

Another facet unfolds now as the scent develops: blackcurrant, accompanied by a matte, dry light musk. Whenever berries and musk play central roles in a fragrance, I tend to fall into an inner fight-or-flight state. The range in which both are used in fragrances is enormous; from animalistic-sweaty to clean-dry, musk has it all, and I like both depending on the environment, sometimes more, sometimes less. Berries are trickier. In such beautiful and proven contrasts as raspberry/leather, they occasionally excite me, but in synthetic-sweet bludgeoners with a happy-berry grin on their face, they drive me up the wall. Here, however, is blackcurrant, diamond-black, completely unsweetened, aromatic, slightly smoky, and heavily peppered, presented in a dry, matte version of musk. A cool, bright wood note is also hinted at, but only subtly at first.

What a grand idea. The scent now feels like driving through a pine forest in a convertible at dusk after a hot day at the beach (in my case, I would wish for a Jaguar E-Type, appropriately black). A cool, misty breeze comes from the Pacific. During the day, you have sweated, but now you feel a slight chill while your skin still burns from the sun. This slight dry-sweaty feeling is also present in the scent; I lean out the window far enough to attribute it to the animalistic musk part, which does not come across as unpleasant or repulsive, but rather just perceptibly vibrates and enhances the allure of the impression, and that's how it should be. In this phase of cooling down, the scent remains for quite a while, berry, musk, pepper, citrus, wood, all present and polished into a very harmonious overall picture.

The fragrance slowly cools down more towards the base, becoming brighter, almost menthol-green and resinous-woody, the bright, I think synthetic wood tones become more prominent, while the dark green citrus from the opening, the blackness of cassis and pepper continue to resonate for a long time.

Aqaysos is an exciting, atypical dark yet cool-fresh fragrance for summer, creating a coherent image from unusual components. It feels completely modern to me; I locate it firmly in the here and now. It takes its own path for a fragrance that fits perfectly into the hot season and will hold a special place among my summer scents in the upcoming season with its edgy-cool richness of facets.

“Aqaysos” sounds like a Greek demigod, but it is my souvenir from and my memory of a wonderful city trip to Vienna. It simply jumped into my nose as a spring companion, something that is rarely experienced. Love at first sniff, there’s no other way to express it. Pierre Guillome has once again outdone himself. “Aqaysos” is a creamy-juicy blackcurrant scent with enough depth and delights to never become boring and to keep one engaged for days. A bittersweet-green fruit that I can’t get out of my head...

A bit of cassis, a bit of musk, a bit of dry grasses, and a bit of radiant sunshine - and a true work of art is complete. Not the prettiest blackcurrant of all time, because it is so much more than that. It is not a monothematic fragrance. Much more, it creates a painting, an impression that cannot be replaced or described. Purple, green, yellow, brown. Airy, complex, aromatic, and light-footed. A gentle breeze, cool hay, early-ripening berries, sparkling mineral water. And all of this on a hint of cocoa, which you almost miss at the end if you blink. Because that is the Achilles' heel of this hero - it doesn’t honor you forever, to put it kindly... Overall, however, an exceptional fragrance. A perfumed van Gogh.

Bottle: thick glass, black, fits well in the hand, stylish, great sprayer - nothing to complain about!
Sillage: a delicate little blackcurrant plant.
Longevity: a small downside - “only” 5 hours.

Conclusion: this is exactly why we love and pursue our hobby for such olfactory mini-orgasms. Perfume in all its beauty. Refined, high-quality, special. Something similar will never be found off the shelf at a Douglas. Spring can come!

The niche and I: We're only semi-good friends! Whether it's Amouage, Creed, Montale, M.F.K., Nasomatto, Tom Ford, or Xerjoff - usually everything is a bit too extreme for me (and of course, especially too expensive). Suddenly, you smell like secondhand clothes, Indian curry, a visit to a brothel, or wet asphalt. Sometimes also like marzipan potatoes or furniture polish, like grandpa's apartment or the inside of a new car! ;-)

I actually stumbled upon Pierre Guillaume through an offer to order some fragrances for testing, namely Aqaysos, L'Eau Guerrière, Indochine, and Rivages Noirs. The surprising thing: I like ALL four! Because they are balanced and harmonious to a degree that (in my opinion) most niche brands lack!

Aqaysos is my favorite (as in the community). Fruity, woody, and fresh in one. I quickly forget all the Aventus clones along with the pineapple. Because here, everything forms a perfect liaison, strong enough but not too intrusive, with clearly noticeable blackcurrant that gives the woods a bit more space in the drydown, without the citrus top notes completely disappearing. And yes: The musk encourages continuous sniffing!

For me, it's balance par excellence. I like the original, but not the extreme. I keep up with the times, but not with fashion. For once, I think I could sustainably invest in the niche with Pierre Guillaume! :-)