The downfall of BDK as a brand needs to be covered with an in-depth video, because this brand continues to alienate the few fans they have left. After the successful come-up off the back of YouTube's perfume godmother Demi Rawling with the original
Gris Charnel Eau de Parfum, cracks first started to form in 2022 with the release of
Ambre Safrano. Those cracks were smoothed over when
Gris Charnel Extrait brought a brilliant twist to the brand's hero franchise, yet subsequent to that release, the brand was 0-for-2 and now 0-for-3 as designer copycatting and unoriginal product pull the catalogue down alongside the embarrassing price increase enacted by BDK just to support the release of their boutique in Paris which is aptly located at... you guessed it, 312 Saint-Honoré.
It should come as no surprise that
312 Saint-Honoré instantly feels quite boring. The fragrance opens with a prominent 1-2 of white florals and white musk. The combination of the white musk and the tonka give it this fluffy sensation with a touch of sweetness as the white florals have a somewhat elegant feel to them. Up-close
312 Saint-Honoré has a very unexpected spicy-green twist with the on-skin blending really struggling to work. No patchouli is listed, but the feeling here is similar to the spicy kitchen pantry feel you get in Amouage's
Lineage. I believe the pink pepper leaf top note here accomplishes the same vibe that the fenugreek and the peruvian pepper tree achieves in the Amouage. Another scent offering this type of feel is The House of Oud's
Hidden Shades. In terms of feel, THOO and Masque Milano are likely the two houses that make similar product to this. In the ultimate drydown, the accords even give me some tropical hints with the musk, tonka and florals smelling a bit like a solar floral.
To me, floral and spicy are the top 2 accords. This scent doesn't feel powdery and I could not separate iris in its standard form no matter how I smell the scent as the white florals, white musk and pink pepper leaf dominate the wearing experience. While the scent isn't synthetic to my nose, the hodge-podge of notes and accords is extremely puzzling. I get average longevity in the 7-8 hour range on mostly a weak-to-average sillage. With BDK now being €190/100ml retail, the brand's value proposition is completely gone. But luckily, instead of shopping at BDK's boutique, you can go shop Initio, Nishane, Serge Lutens, even Le Labo and Byredo all within a 200 meter radius.
Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
NicheOnly
