Gravitas Naughton & Wilson 2020

First of all, a huge thank you to FRAGranTIC, who generously raffled off samples of this truly brand-new fragrance among the perfume enthusiasts and really deserved much more feedback for it. This allowed me to get my hands on this long-awaited release in a timely manner and form my own opinion.

YouTuber fragrances are a thing of their own. Especially Jeremy Fragrance has helped this special extra niche among niche perfumes break through with "Office" and "Date," and although his releases are certainly a matter of taste (and, for example, seem far too polished and mainstream to me), his example has set a precedent, and in the future, we will have to prepare for many more creations from well-known influencers. The British YouTuber Dan Naughton, alias Mr. Smelly, is no exception and quickly raised enough money last year through a Kickstarter campaign to ensure the collaboration with the real English classic nose John Stephen - and thus "Gravitas pour Homme" was born, the first fragrance collaboration from the Naughton & Wilson house.

Now, Mr. Smelly is certainly no Jeremy and could not be further from his exaggerated, over-the-top style. His calm reviews make sense, and anyone who has followed him attentively in the past will have noticed that his preference lies with the classic gentleman fragrances of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Thus, one could certainly expect "Gravitas" to be a counter-proposal to both the strained modern shower gel aquatic scents and the currently rampant gourmand flood. Accordingly, Naughton's vision indeed seamlessly fits into the retro wave that has re-emerged this year - and perhaps as a result, it suddenly doesn’t seem so unique anymore.

One wants to wish "Gravitas pour Homme" only the best, not just because of its dedicated creators. This starts right with the packaging: A high-quality bottle, a heavy gold cap, an elegant label, and an awe-inspiring crest clearly set the direction and certainly secure the fragrance an honorary place on the shelves of many collectors. Well deserved, and here Mr. Smelly is already fulfilling his promise. But ultimately, it comes down to what "Gravitas pour Homme" can do once you unleash the beast from the bottle - and we’ll get to that now.

The opening starts promisingly, if not particularly exciting for the expected fougère scent: Of course, bergamot and especially lavender make their way into the delighted olfactory organ first, and here Stephen has cleverly tricked - by giving a very fresh mandarin (which could also be seen as a lime) the right of way, he creates a greater drop height, because "Gravitas" unexpectedly starts off quickly and fresh and almost begins to froth a little. That’s great, a bit different, and at first, it’s especially unusually fruity-sweet for a gentleman's water. Pretty, but of course, such a composition chemically has no long-lasting durability, and therefore the citrus jubilation quickly settles down close to the skin and sends a powdery cloud as a substitute, in which mainly pepper dominates. Coriander timidly makes itself known as a complement, while the cardamom also mentioned remains shy in the background. At this stage, one can indeed sense the slight similarity to "Dior Homme Intense," although the office classic, of course, focuses on a completely different trajectory. "Gravitas" quickly blends out the sweetness and then settles down for the night on a bed of oak moss and a very delicate hint of patchouli, which is fitting for a fougère, but also completely unspectacular. Soon it becomes quiet on the skin. Almost too quiet.

Well. I would have liked to love "Gravitas pour Homme" unconditionally because the direction Mr. Smelly takes with his creation naturally appeals to me more than many other recent attempts. Moreover, the presentation alone commands a lot of respect, and I truly believe that "Gravitas" has a real chance in the overcrowded market. Just not with me. For a whole bottle, what is delivered here simply isn’t enough for me. Certainly, this also has to do with heightened expectations, but if I want a fougère with a modern twist, I reach for Tom Ford's much more successful "Beau de Jour," which, while not reinventing the wheel, handles the true spiciness of this genre much bolder, even at the risk of being mocked as old school. If I want classics, then there are still Houbigant's Ur-Fougère, Penhaligon's "Sartorial," or even Creed's Portuguese woodland in the running. All of these fragrances have in common that they last longer and project stronger than "Gravitas pour Homme," which is all the more disappointing because this is supposed to be an Extrait de Parfum. If Mr. Smelly hadn’t printed that on the bottle, I wouldn’t have believed it. So it’s a shame about a great idea and a successful opening surprise that loses its identity almost completely in far too short a duration. It may be that this is the famous British understatement, but I want a fragrance that suits me, a second skin, to be able to enjoy it longer than just a fleeting moment. It’s a pity that courage was lacking at the last moment.

It’s quite an irony: What "Gravitas pour Homme" needs most urgently is a little more gravitas. In the meantime, I continue to eagerly await the second release from Dan Naughton and John Stephen and hope that the likable duo learns from their experiences. They certainly deserve it...