What Does The Milky Way Galaxy Smell Like?

nu_be is the perfume line of Fluid Ounce S.r.l., an Italian niche company based in Parma. It debuted with five sensational fragrances in 2012: Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Carbon, and Oxygen. They were then followed by three other fragrances, namely Sulfur, Mercury, and Curium, all inspired by the universe's beginning, the Big Bang. The concept is fascinating; it is transformation, regeneration, metamorphosis, like the Elements of the periodic table that draw it in a compact and elegant form. nu_be's perfumes speak of the universe's origins, of the primordial magma that gave life to the stars and all the planets. Something spiritual and cosmic that recalls the pristine matter of the bowels of the Earth. An olfactory design project is powerfully iconic for the packaging: the hermetic polystyrene shell, which must be broken to reach the bottle. An external, silent, rigorous, neutral packaging takes on a unique and identifying shape when opened. Same for the raw aesthetics of the bottles characterized by their dissimilarity compared to other niche shapes. The more you discover, the more the pleasure of discovery increases. I've read that they realized two prototypes per each fragrance, one closer to the proper element of chemistry and another closer to the emotion, and then the one with the better attitude won.

I must warn that, if you are anything like me and hazard a blind buy, anyhow, you must test this line on the skin. It shocked me to discover the tremendous difference between blotting paper tests where fragrances don't speak at all, those in the cap where the top notes last longer, and those on the skin, where they blossom, revealing all the nuances much better. Some are pretty multifaceted and with soft, if not blurry, edges. Often contradictory feelings overlap and merge into each other in a continuous movement that does not define a cutting shape: I found this an intriguing trait. They are all different from one another, touching most of the fragrance families; they radiate little from the skin. The impact is intimate, reserved for the wearer and very close people; still, the longevity is exceptional.

Hydrogen [¹H] is the most alcoholic, citrusy, and musky. It is like pure drops of water flowing down the warm male body. It is dry like an ice pick or vodka with ice. If you get the chance, try it. I'm sure you will be amazed too. It smells like a liqueur, almost dense and rich in citrus peel placed to dry on a heat source, which spread its scent throughout the house in winter. Touches of spices, woods, vanilla, musk accords, beginning of sensuality and sexuality. Basil accents, oakmoss, and lichens for the vegetal sphere; mandarin and melon, fruity and watery notes at the same time. Jasmine, floral expression. Green tones of aldehydes representing purity and transparency. 

Full review here: The Lightest Element On Earth.

Lithium [³Li] is the most mineral, leathery and smoky. It is an exceptionally well-made perfume, saffron is almost suffocating, and the rose is deadly cold; patchouli and spices enhance the cold and dryness of the rose, making this perfume incredibly dark and gothic. I feel my heartbeat and remember why I love the rose note so much; it is versatile, and Lithium [³Li] is another perfume that proves it. It reminds me of gummy saffron candies kissed by salt, melted by heat, and placed in some stone fireplace. The metallic effect came from saffron, cumin, and an "iron" effect from patchouli. If you like all the saffron-pink genres, you might as well try it. The combination of rose with spice in the fragrance is nothing revolutionary, but here it is done with finesse and ease that is worth trying. 

Full review here: The Untold Story Of The Magic Mineral.

Carbon [⁶C] is the spiciest and gummy, like pencils and coals, the strongest nu_be scents I have tested, although it is much warmer and creamier. It is an oriental woody fragrance, and the nose behind this fragrance is Françoise Caron. I have some of her creations, including Azzaro's Onyx-Silver Black, which I love. It smells like bitter citrus and the alcoholic scent of overripe bloody orange, the pungent odor emanating from the peel of a fruit left for many days at room temperature. It is a cocktail of cold spices, cardamom, and icy ginger, melted with black peppercorn and pepper blossom to stimulate an irresistible force radiating from start to end. It is adding elegance and freshness with precious iris, aromatic herbs, and sensual resins. Combined with the creamy scent of freshly carved sandalwood, it creates the luxurious foundation of the fragrance. It was designed to capture the mysterious beginning of life. 

Full review here: A Dive Into The Roots Of Life.

Oxygen [⁸O] is the driest, woody pencil sharpener. When I think of the noun Oxygen, I can't help but think of a generation of electronic music producers who contributed to the dance music industry's birth in the mid-1970s, Jean Michel Jarre as a pioneer, and Oxygene as one of his best-known works. It smells like old 78rpm records in a dusty antique shop. This is what it smells like to me. It's strange but not unpleasant, and for me, a potent childhood memory trigger. Steamy and refreshing, more complex than oxygen itself. With touches of saffron, olibanum, pepper, an overdose of aldehydes and musk, and deep and earthy vetiver. A dry, almost crisp appearance that astonishes with its mild, greatly velvety tail. 

Full review here: Intoxicating With Purity.

Sulfur [¹⁶S] is the most animalistic, earthy, and pine-like. The body surrenders to the breath of the inner soul. It is a perfume that does not smell of sulfur but has sulfur properties hidden in its soul. Sulfur [¹⁶S] is very masculine, indeed virile. What I heard was almost a complete denial of the perfume's name and the chemical character of the sulfur might suggest. The freshness of ozone and cut grass, wet salt, and spilled pepper. Nothing is pure, a fragrance evoking hellish potions—warm spicy accord of pimento, cinnamon, and black angelica. Then, earthy and rooty notes of vetiver, patchouli, and moss. Animalic character of costus, castoreum, and deep resins like opoponax and myrrh. 

Full review here: Lucifer: The Enchanter Of The Senses

Mercury [⁸⁰Hg] is the most aldehydic, salty, and bloody metallic. It is a refreshing fragrance that does not smell like the other refreshing fragrances on the market. It's clean, refreshing, but it's also so extremely odd, so much so that some reviewers compare it to ELDO's Sécrétions Magnifiques, created from the same nose, but I've never smelled it and can't contribute. The aldehydes are "fishy", I perceive a pleasant scent of freshly caught and shelled fresh mollusks, mainly oysters. Don't worry, anything to do with the rotten smell of spoiled fish. Thanks to the oxide accord, the mix of aldehydes, rhubarb, and mandarin reproduce the clean dynamic and technological character with a metal effect. The dry-down is woody with notes of cedarwood and sandalwood. 

Full review here: Spheres Of Light That Roll Away Quickly

If you liked my review, you might like the fragrances even more, but you must have an open mind to new experiences because nothing is left to chance here. Enjoy!

-Elysium