In a widely known online encyclopedia, it states: “An appeal, also known as an Appellation, is a legal remedy against a judgment of the first instance.” I am appealing my own initial judgment on Cargo de Nuit. Just a few weeks ago, I rated it a seven and a half, accompanied by the now-deleted statement that it borrowed certain elements from White Musk (Bodyshop, a tenth of the price), but unfortunately did not show much more than that. I blindly signed off on the weakness that is often noted.
Then my vacation got in the way. Milan. A city full of temptations for fashion enthusiasts (not me) and fragrance fanatics (a bit me). A city that sucks in money and makes it disappear into nothing with the entry of a four-digit PIN. At the end of August, a relatively empty (summer vacation), sweltering hot place. Off to the air-conditioned perfumeries and department stores! There was so much to discover …
… including the Olfactories line from Prada, priced high like the Parco Palladiano line from Bottega Veneta or the La Collection Privée Christian Dior. Hmm, there was something, I thought to myself. And there it was, Cargo de Nuit, that fragrance I had rated as mediocre with the ringing, strange, intriguing name, of which I still do not know whether it alludes to a French hit from the 80s - by a certain Axel Bauer - or has any connection to Midnight Train and Moonlight Shadow from the same line. “Freight Ship of the Night” - or how should one translate that? Sounds a bit like McDonald's naming a new burger “Melancholy of the Pampa Beef”; one could philosophize about that for a long time. Be that as it may.
After my first acquaintance via Parfumo sharing (thanks to Niklas), I wanted to give the night freight ship a second chance. In the basement of a large perfumery, which also creates its own scents and is known, among other things, for an Aventus “clone,” I was able to test Cargo de Nuit again on my skin and my shirt, as well as on a paper strip. First at 22, 23 degrees, then outside at 32, 33.
Yes, I still perceive a dominant musk impression, which likely comes from the ambrette seeds (Bisameibisch, Abelmoschus), which according to research are often used as a substitute for animal musk. For me, however, this has nothing animalistic about it, but rather something pleasantly soft. I personally would not describe it as “clean” like, for example, Infusion d’Iris Cèdre, although I understand why this association might easily arise. By the way, Prada itself lists musk instead of ambrette seeds. Complete: musk, aldehydes (very generic), woody and mineral notes (very generic), amber, ambroxan (which does not make sense to me at all), coumarin. Again: be that as it may. It’s all about the scent - and it can be “realized” in various ways, just as the fragrance notes usually seem to be more associations than necessarily ingredients.
Many here have a woodruff association, which likely comes from the coumarin. I am a bit torn on that. In a nearby herb garden, I picked a handful of woodruff and compared it several times with Cargo de Nuit: fresh, after about an hour, after six, half a day … My impression: This slight sweetness, “floating,” not at all harshly spicy quality in Cargo de Nuit may be coumarin, but not woodruff. However, I admit that I once smelled the fragrance with a half-stuffed nose and then suddenly thought of woodruff (I find it fascinating how differently, almost strangely and newly, scents can smell then). Nevertheless: Those looking for woodruff should rather continue their search elsewhere. But a dominant note of this perfume at least heads in that direction.
The mentioned coumarin note can also be detected in Luna Rossa Black, although there it is, in my opinion, dressed in too much distracting intense woodiness (?).
In Cargo de Nuit, Daniela Andrier weaves primarily these two fragrance notes - something musky and something coumarin-like - into a quiet, subtle scent sound, which likely failed to impress me at first because it is completely unspectacular and unobtrusive, and only becomes not just “nice,” but truly beautiful when one smells it very closely and surrenders to it. Cargo de Nuit is then (at least for me) a wonderful, soulful, cozy fragrance, a scent mist in the forest, so delicate that it resembles a transparent, soft green powder cloud. Yes, it envelops, yes, it makes blissful. And yes, it is absolutely not loud. With, for example, Infusion d’Iris Cèdre, it shares subtlety and seriousness, but is warmer, more approachable, while the latter fragrance, in my opinion, seems a bit more artificial and distant (which I find very nice there).
All of this makes Cargo de Nuit for me a fragrance that can be wonderfully worn at work, especially when one has a lot of contact with other people. This functionality is indeed characteristic of many Prada fragrances (e.g., numerous Infusiones or L’homme). Cargo de Nuit fits almost always. At work, in leisure, on a date. Only for a “loud night out” would it be too quiet. I also find it, compared to many “infusions,” truly unisex, or let’s say: gender-neutral.
Once, on a cool summer evening, I sprayed it on a cozy-soft sweater. And there, a whole new magic emerged. For me, Cargo de Nuit is quite fleeting on the skin (or I adapt too quickly), but on clothing, it is oddly like a persistent, gentle cotton candy cloud, delicious and unobtrusive, softly sweet yet entirely ungourmand. A dream, albeit not one with the greatest longevity. Despite all the joy from the abundant sunshine, I am already looking forward to the fresher, cooler days when this fragrance will magically create an impression of coziness, comfort, snugness, cosiness, hygge, or however one might call it.
Is it worth its elevated price? Standard answer: That’s something everyone must decide for themselves. I must honestly say: Probably nine out of ten interested parties will be disappointed after a thorough test because they would have expected “more” for the money. I understand that. Only for me, it unfortunately fits quite well. It is not spectacularly loud, no wonder of the world, no work of art. But it is simply very well made - and with the necessary patience, it showed me its entire gentle subtlety. I will gladly wear it, especially in autumn and spring, at work or afterwards to relax, to be cozily scented.
Top Notes 
Musk
Aldehydes
Heart Notes 
Mineral notes
Woody notes
Base Notes 
Coumarin
Celsa
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