Palais Bourbon Memo Paris 2023

Palais Bourbon is one of those fragrances where you swear it reminds you of something, but it's actually quite unique. A beautiful spicy opening with cardamom and black pepper leads into the main body of vanilla. Benzoin and labdanum provide a deep resinous bed for the vanilla, and all of it is wrapped up in a warm creamy sandalwood embrace. Lavish and palatial.

The name is a play on the fact that Réunion, an island where a lot of vanilla is grown, used to be called Île Bourbon, shares a name with the meeting place of the French National Assembly. Vanilla from Réunion is called "bourbon vanilla" because of this, which has led to a lot of confusion, particularly that I've seen with fragrance fans, of people thinking that this somehow has to do with bourbon whiskey, which is probably named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans, which also goes back to the French Bourbon Dynasty.

The funny thing about fragrances with a fairly unique take on a common genre (vanilla-benzoin-labdanum woody amber in this case) is that everyone seems to think it is so similar to something else and they're laughably wrong. Palais Bourbon smells NOTHING like "Safran Secret / Ingredients 072012 | Maison Crivelli" which is the highest in the "smells similar" section at the time of this review. Nor does it smell anything like Fragrantica's two highest rated similar scents, Boss Bottled Absolu (much more smoky and sweet) or Lustre (no cola vibe here like in that one), or any of the other fragrances mentioned in the reviews that I've tried, African Leather Eau de Parfum (lot less spicy and a lot more sweet), Angels' Share Eau de Parfum (no booziness here at all, despite "bourbon" sharing the same name with the whiskey), etc.

The first time I smelled Palais Bourbon, absolutely nothing happened.

I remember thinking, Okay, another vanilla fragrance.

And I moved on.

About seven months later, I was traveling in Bucharest and walked into a perfume store with no particular fragrance in mind. I found myself at the Memo Paris section, reached for Palais Bourbon again and sprayed it.

This time, something happened.

Suddenly I was excited. Genuinely excited - the kind of excitement that makes you feel like a kid in a candy store.

How did I miss this the first time?

Because Palais Bourbon isn’t just another soft, comforting vanilla.

To my nose, this vanilla has sensuality, masculinity and a slightly rugged character. There’s something about it that makes me imagine the inside of a cognac barrel - warm, woody, boozy and textured.

That completely changes the personality of the vanilla for me.

Instead of becoming overly soft or simply sweet, it has backbone. It’s seductive without becoming too polished, and masculine without losing the addictive warmth that makes vanilla so enjoyable in the first place.

I was so impressed by that second encounter that there wasn’t much deliberation involved.

I bought the bottle immediately.

And now that I have it, what also impresses me is how easily I can imagine wearing it.

A romantic date? Absolutely.
Dinner at a good restaurant? Perfect.
Something more casual during the day? I can see that too.

It’s sensual enough for intimate situations but not so dramatic that it needs a special occasion every time you spray it.

Palais Bourbon also reminded me of something important:

Sometimes a fragrance doesn’t change.

You simply meet it again at the right moment.

If vanilla is a genre you love, don’t dismiss this one after a quick first impression like I did.

Give it another spray.

My first take on Palais Bourbon was that it's an awesome scent. The "smells similar" reference to Boss Bottled Absolu is incorrect IMO however both are of the same kind. What I mean by that is they are both a typical heavy, masculine fragrance usually reserved for cooler winter wear. The type of fragrance that goes with tobacco or booze or leather or incense or spices or some combination of those. Most have some degree of sweetness. The emphasis of Palais Bourbon is on incense and vanilla.

Why am I not sure about this one? The main problem is the sweetness - way too sweet for me. It starts out really nice and I was pretty impressed at the beginning. As it dries down though, the sweetness increases significantly. I don't know what notes caused it, but Palais Bourbon took on a slightly floral aspect under the incense. Combined with the sweetness, it just didn't work, especially after an hour or so. I then realized that I'd much rather like to smell this on my gf than on myself.

Performance is very good. Longevity of well over 12 hours with strong projection. I'll still rate the scent an 8 but because of the sweetness, it's not for me. To me, it's unisex, leaning feminine. I could easily recommend Palais Bourbon to a woman who likes the smell of those winter frags on her man and wondered if something like that existed for women. Palais Bourbon is it.

I don't rate many perfumes but this fragrance... is just one of those ones and as you can see flying under the radar... Smelled it for the first time at ScentXplore NYC end of 2025. Purchased it very recently. You know those ridiculous stories that seem unbelievable about how people swear they always get compliments at gatherings and everybody comes up to them? That finally happened to me lol. Wore this for New Years at a small gathering and got the best compliments I've ever received so far on my fragrance journey. "SOMEONE SMELLS SO GOOD OMG" "YEAH THAT SMELLS AMAZING IS THAT YOU??" I was maybe about 3-4 feet away from them. This scent lingers, it projects, it is SEXY. A couple others came up to me after they said that and they all loved it. My collection ranges from 20-25 high end Niche Fragrances and this was an instant banger. I wouldn't wear this to the office.. this is more for date nights, special events and gatherings when you want attention. I would say this leans more masculine but a woman could pull this off. It's power in a bottle.. Best suited for a man who's confident and can dress well.. deadly combination fellas! GO AND BUY IT(Discounters of course)

This is an absolute tour de force of haute perfumery from MEMO.

I've loved their work ever since I fell utterly head over heels with Irish Leather a few years ago, and I love the same things with this one as I do with Irish Leather.

It is an intense, almost confrontingly incense sweet opening shot that settles beautifully right in front of you and dries down in a wonderfully refined manner into something that sits close to the skin but stays, like a friend you love who you're having a long-overdue coffee with. The incense never leaves but ties the whole thing together in a really nice way.

The accords are different but the profile is the same, and indeed Ive seen the same shape from all the MEMOs I've tried. This is a more hedonistic number than Irish Leather, from the outset at least, with the vanilla in the top notes really powerful but never overpowering. The patchouli in it serves merely to temper the vanilla not to perform in its own right and the effect is akin to a Tunnock's Caramel Wafer if that makes sense. There is a rich sweetness but never overpowering and it stays in the drydown against the woods and resins that characterise the mid and lower end notes. They add warmth and class as opposed to outright musk or savoury notes and the effect against the vanilla, cardamom and tonic bean is hypnotic.

It is one of those fragrances where you like it until it dries down and then you understand that you absolutely love it. A classic MEMO in that respect.

It is interesting in that, unlike Irish Leather for example, it doesnt initially say "office wear" in the first ten minutes of wear but as it shifts and dries you really get a woody, kind, classy and complex smell, slightly sweet fragrance but with enough minimality and bark to absolutely rock in the office. It sits close to the skin and projection is understated but performance is solid. Ive had it on today five hours already and it is still changing and evolving instead of fading out. I wore this a couple of weeks ago and got an easy 7-8 hours out of it. I'd even go as far as to say that the temptation to top up should be resisted if possible as it will reset the clock so to speak, and the true loveliness of this wonderful frag is at its most apparent after a couple of hours.

You could layer this with a very small chest swish of AdP Sandalo or TF Eau de Ombre Leather in the evenings I think, but during the day this is all you need.

Lovely, lovely work.

Scent - 9/10
Sillage - 6/10
Drydown - 10/10
Packaging/bottle - 9/10
Performance - 7/10

41/50.