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Top Review
13
Deep down in tradition
The brand name: Born to stand out (BTSO). The bottle color: Maximum contrast (red and white). The perfume name: Naked Neroli. This comes across as very self-confident and is not normally my cup of tea. It's also quite unusual for an Asian (in this case South Korean) brand, just to reach into the cliché box. The latter characteristic (Asian brand) would definitely have made it more appealing to me if I had known about it at the time of testing. I only tried it because I am generally very interested in citrus-dominated fragrances - as the name suggests. However, there was a fair amount of skepticism involved.
But surprise: it's good! The sound system is very different from what the brand suggests with its slightly shrill appearance. Behind all the marketing bling bling - although I really like the bottle shape in the form of old apothecary bottles - there is a strong, neroli dominated fragrance that is strongly anchored in the classic eau de cologne tradition. I only noticed this after wearing it a few times, I was so influenced by the external effect and the - let me reveal this much - concise musk base.
Basically, it is a variation of the - for me - eau de cologne reference fragrance 'Eau de Cologne Imperiale' (1853) by Guerlain. In my opinion, this almost timeless masterpiece has been modernized here with a slightly acidic (aromachemical?) addition in the multi-faceted citrus note - with dominant lemon -, a more accentuated, soapy neroli, a very clean, ethereal, fresh and herbaceous basil note - almost like a clean leafy vetiver - and a musk that makes the fragrance appear denser. Fortunately, the latter is not creamy and opaque, but merely thickens the texture somewhat. Although the classic EdCs are more permeable, more complex and more subtle, their roots are still recognizable. More comparable, for example, with Thierry Wasser's 'Cologne du Parfumeur' (his contemporary interpretation of the house classic). The latter makes quite generous use of a creamy, powdery musk base, which clearly envelops and smoothes the fragrance. In comparison, Wasser's fragrance is somewhat overpowering for my taste, while Naked Neroli remains slightly sharper. However, Tom Ford's 'Neroli Portofino' seems to me to be the most similar fragrance, which could easily be mistaken for this one, but for me it doesn't radiate quite as brightly as 'Naked Neroli', which I attribute to the use of basil. I personally like it better, but the Tom Ford fragrance maintains its citricity until the end and remains surprisingly differentiated, which I prefer about it. The BTSO fragrance doesn't quite manage that.
All in all, I think Daphné Bugey has created a very balanced, contemporary, pared-down eau de cologne without falling too much into the aroma chemistry trap. And yet he has given it considerably more staying power than the traditional models. For me, this makes it one of the most successful modern colognes.
So you shouldn't be fooled by the brand's presentation or be disappointed to encounter a fragrance so rooted in the perfume classic. For all those who find Neroli Portofino too expensive, this could possibly be an alternative of equal quality that is easier on the wallet, even if it is not quite cheap either (for the same price - €165 - you can currently get 50ml of the BTSO or 30ml of the Tom Ford fragrance).
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