Ebonite Schlossparfumerie Wolff & Sohn Stuttgart 2011

“Ebonite” from the Stuttgart Castle Perfumery puzzles me. I offer some solutions to a few, but one riddle remains (due to lack of testing opportunity). Your support (for the verification of the proposed solutions and for solving the open riddle) would be very welcome.

1. Riddle: Does “Ebonite” smell like ebony?
Before I read the explanations for this fragrance here on Parfumo, I perceived “Ebonite” as an ebony scent. Or as an antique piece of furniture rubbed with (too much) furniture polish, since I don’t know what ebony really smells like.
=> The answer is: Yes, that can be perceived that way at a superficial glance.

2. Riddle: Does “Ebonite” smell like rubber?
Ebonite is, according to Wikipedia, a particularly hard rubber made from natural rubber and (not surprisingly) sulfur for vulcanization. Presumably, its black color was the reason to name this material after ebony (Engl. ebony, Fr. ébène).
The name of the perfume in question thus suggests both rubber and ebony.
=> The answer is: No. I do not associate it with rubber at all. Only with a lot of imagination/abstract thinking can a line be drawn in the scent space from “Ebonite” to rubber.
=> It can therefore be assumed that the name “Ebonite” is more aimed at ebony than at rubber. My bottle incorrectly and revealingly states “Ebenite” (and not “Ebonite”), which further points to Ébène/ebony as the theme.

3. Riddle: Is “Ebonite” a scent twin of “Gomma” by Etro?
A fragrance on the theme of rubber that does not smell like rubber? Yes, we already know that from “Gomma” by Etro. Both scent pyramids share sage/absinth, lemon, jasmine, and amber. Nevertheless, they are easily distinguishable. “Gomma” is more elegant/finer, “Ebonite” is more aggressive.
=> The answer is: No, but they are related. The dominant note in “Gomma” is sage; as will soon be shown, this is something different in “Ebonite.”

4. Riddle: What exactly does “Ebonite” smell like?
The dominant note present throughout the entire scent progression is probably the geranium! I am not a hundred percent sure about this, as I have not smelled geranium before and this scent note is rare in perfumes. Among my other perfumes, only Carthusia’s “Ligea” contains geranium, where it has been relegated to the background in the mandarin-opoponax spectacle.
If geranium smells like a scent cross between rose and geranium, then that matches my scent impression perfectly.

-) In the top notes, bergamot is indeed recognizable, but it dissipates after five seconds. The top is dominated by lemon, sage, and already the geranium.

-) In the heart, a certain herbaceousness and spiciness/sharpness is added. The herbaceous note could indeed come from lavender and mint. The spiciness/sharpness is likely due to the clove. Jasmine is too weak among these heavyweight notes to exceed the perception threshold. (However, as with “Gomma,” I do not deny its presence.)

-) In the base, much geranium and a bit of sandalwood remain. Perhaps amber, musk, and patchouli are mixed in as well, but I cannot identify them. I can only recognize them by the emerging creaminess. While the geranium in the heart appears sharp and (in the ebony image) almost creaky, it has been tamed in the base without losing its radiance. Only now does the scent (or its wearer) become approachable, almost in need of cuddling.

=> The answer is: The entire scent progression is dominated by the geranium. In the top, heart, and base, additional facets come into play, which act like supporting characters. So you always have 70% geranium + 30% top/heart/base specialties. Thus, the scent has a common thread and at the same time a certain variety. I consider the idea and the craftsmanship successful.

5. Riddle: Is “Ebenite” a scent twin of the legendary “Patou pour Homme” (PPH)?
I lack a testing opportunity for PPH. So I initially rely on indirect information:
-) Research by a Parfumo colleague revealed that, according to a saleswoman from the castle perfumery, PPH supposedly served as the inspiration for “Ebonite.”
-) The scent pyramids are very similar. Both contain geranium or geranium. PPH does not have a citrusy opening compared to “Ebonite.” (I find the one in “Ebonite” and “Gomma” beautiful.)
-) The scent descriptions here on Parfumo also suggest a certain kinship between PPH and “Ebonite” (and “Gomma”).
-) However, “Ebonite” does not contain leather for me (as in the scent pyramid), which PPH and “Gomma” officially do. The currently five votes cast for the scent type result in 20% leathery, which I do not see. The geranium is something unusual, difficult to grasp, which one might also misinterpret as leathery or smoky.
=> The answer is: Probably yes, at least they should smell very similar. This still needs to be experimentally verified.

Conclusion:

-) I would like to sniff PPH to determine the scent distance to “Ebonite.” Perhaps you proud PPH owners could take this on? - Maybe we have found a worthy and cost-effective successor to PPH with “Ebonite”!

-) “Gomma” is a beautifully non-rubber-like wannabe rubber scent for me. It is dominated by sage. (Davana/absinth/sage/Artemisia are among my favorite scent notes, right after rose and vetiver.)
“Gomma” gets 90% from me. I could wear this scent multiple times in a row (and at least a few times a year).

-) “Ebonite” is a sharp-spicy-woody geranium scent that can also be seen as ebony (or other dark wood rubbed with polish) or as a very distant relative of rubber.
“Ebonite” gets 70% from me. It is a scent that one can only wear occasionally (I only once or twice a year).