Upcycled Mandarin Liquides Imaginaires 2025

I had to try this one since I love mandarin in every shape and form. When I ordered the sample, the rating here on Parfumo was still quite good, but that seems to have changed somewhat in recent months. The scent initially smells quite pleasant of synthetic lab mandarin and a hint of spices, but over time it becomes less fresh and somehow musty, slightly chemical, and overall unfortunately not very pleasant. Longevity and sillage are good, but probably at the expense of a good smell. However, I can't really identify in the fragrance pyramid here on Parfumo where this musty or chemical scent could be coming from. My wife independently expressed exactly the same opinion, so it probably doesn't just lie with my nose. Perhaps it has to do with the "upcycled" ;-) or that the sillage and longevity for a mandarin scent are indeed exceptionally good; somehow the manufacturer must have managed to achieve this or bought it through the ingredient list of the fragrance, maybe through this type of production with various lab ingredients that also bring disadvantages. By the way, I don’t smell any pink pepper or vanilla at all; I rather detect something musky, which also doesn’t smell pleasant. Fortunately, I only received a small amount as a sample and would definitely not recommend purchasing the scent. Please test it thoroughly before developing an interest in this bottle; the scent is quite specific and may not meet the expectations of the buyer that are raised by the fragrance pyramid. I hope my review can prevent a few disappointed noses that might be magically attracted to the word "mandarin," like I was. But maybe it’s just my nose or my wife's; I’m curious about the next reviews for this fragrance. In this sense, Edgecrusher 8.