Osmanthus The Different Company 2000

This is by far my most anticipated perfume acquisition of 2021. Partially because I grew more and more intrigued by the osmanthus accord in perfumes, but most of all because it took the (grey market) retailer a staggering three months before shipping it. I had to send numerous emails, reminders, questions, requests. All were replied with kind manners, but again and again promises regarding delivery date were broken. In fact, I already prepared a case file to revert my payment. But when I finally received the parcel today, all frustration was forgotten.

TDC's Osmanthus is a crisp floral, carried by a light-brown musk. It starts off with a bright citrus, that feels sharp but not exactly tart. More orange than yellow, I suppose. Soon after that the scent turns floral and the different facets of the osmanthus accord appear: buttery, fruity and even vaguely leatherish at times. It has a typical glassy vibrance during its relatively short lifespan.

Overall a nice scent that has a clear TDC signature: bright, clean and subtle. As easy-going, uncomplicated as an osmanthus accord can get. Although this perfume seems to be made for spring, I'm happy to wear it in december. Given all the frustration it caused earlier, I now consider it an early Christmas gift.

You say you want your osmanthus pure? Are you sure? Well, here you go then. For better or for worse, this is probably the purest rendition of osmanthus out there, and yet, after an hour of it, you’ll be so bored you’ll wish the perfumer (Ellena) hadn’t stuck quite so rigidly to his brief. We all say we want purity until we get it, and we see we’ve been sold the glossy dustjacket to an empty book.

At first, it is all green, rustling leaves – the scent that blooms from a cup of loose green tea at the precise moment the stream of boiling water hits. The sunlit apricot skin and brown paper loveliness of osmanthus is there alright but curled shyly in the veins of the dried tea leaf, slightly unripe and waiting to take shape. A whisper of suede makes my ears perk up, and I listen carefully, but when focusing this hard, all I really pick up is the scent of hands that have been washed three or four times in a row by someone excessively concerned with hygiene.

If this is osmanthus – and by all accounts, this really is a true osmanthus – then osmanthus must be a flower carved from a piece of green guest room soap, the very hard, pure kind whose looks out-strip its function. I am positive this would have worked better as one of the Bvlgari tea series. As it stands, there’s not much to justify the price jump between this and something like Roger et Gallet Fleur d’Osmanthus, which I greatly prefer.

I smell your skin through something semi-transparent white, pushing the fabric aside to be on your yielding, warm body dress. It is so milky pale, so rosy pure. And I am on a journey. With nose, mouth, and lowered eyelids.
It is the delicate, dried sweat of your day that makes me intrusive, that guides me. From above down and back up again, to where I will linger - on your neck.
Here, your skin scent merges with the light odor of a nature-inspired cosmetic. Something soapy-creamy balances out with what makes wild. Something lightly applied, floral-light - let’s call it osmanthus. The veil over what Jean-Claude Ellena really created here.

A women’s fragrance. Or the accompaniment for a man, so sensitive that he maintains grace during the animal play.

Strike "uni", replace with "sex"!

Osmanthus is a fragrant flower, and occasionally we encounter something of this name in the pyramids of certain perfumes. In specific combinations, Osmanthus is involved in a dried fruit accord (e.g. Frankfurt Kitchen by Social Creatures), but in the case of Osmanthus by The Different Company, it presents an indeterminate, unfamiliar floral note - I'm just not a gardener!

At its core, this Osmanthus is a powdery-soapy musk scent, a direction that I generally do not prefer. Like some other musk perfumes, the fragrance does not reveal its beauty on the skin, but rather a few inches away, becoming pleasant and a bit sexy. However, in its powdery softness, I see Osmanthus leaning more towards the feminine side.

For me, this is nothing special, and I can imagine more exciting options for women as well. Yet this direction, which is so reminiscent of the scent of many creams and soaps, is indeed popular. Many fragrance enthusiasts find it pleasant. Good for them, there are certainly worse representatives of this genre. Osmanthus strikes me as simple and lacking much development. This is not always necessary - it is perfectly acceptable if an accord is particularly well-composed. It can then stand on its own, as with Osmanthus. So, those who enjoy powdery-soapy scents will surely find joy in Osmanthus.

Thank you for sending the sample!

Since I received a sample of Osmanthus from Turandot (thank you), I have been enchanted by it.

In southern Spain, in Andalusia, there are trees that open their small white flowers at night and emit a beautiful, strong, intoxicating scent. They are called Dama de Noche (Cestrum Nocturnum). This scent is very similar to that of Osmanthus fragrans, from which the perfume essence is derived.

The moment I applied Osmanthus by TDC, I was lost. MY Dama De Noche! Oh how I love this scent. It has a freshness and at the same time creaminess, is sweet, but by no means cloyingly sweet or overpowering. Nothing of honey or sugar, just the nectar sweetness of the flower, whose scent is unlike any other I know.

Right upon spraying, a bit of green freshness is released, which quickly gives way to the flowers, allowing them to unfold fully despite their delicacy.

Admittedly, the scent is quite one-dimensional; I could not perceive any other notes apart from the application, just the Osmanthus. And it remains present until the end. But for me, it is an absolute dream scent, something that reminds me of warm southern nights, surrounded by a paradisiacal floral fragrance.

The sillage could be a bit better, as after Osmanthus develops, it becomes very intimate, but the longevity is good and I enjoy this scent for a long time.

It is now a part of my collection and I will treasure it like a gem.