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A beautiful spicy amber that evokes tobacco, honey and leather (without using them)
Chergui is a Serge Lutens flagship perfume, created by Serge Lutens and/or Christopher Sheldrake in 2001. Different websites attribute the creation to either or both of these perfumers. Despite the colorful and evocative orientalist language on their website, the Serge Lutens brand was created only in 2000. Some of the earlier classics like Féminité du bois were made earlier under the Shiseido brand name. This review is based on a full bottle purchased from a US discounter in August 2025.
Serge Lutens website is coy about all the notes in this perfume, listing only immortelle flower, leather of Russia and hay. But these accords themselves are very complex and can suggest many different raw materials. Immortelle flower is known to produce notes that resemble “warm, hay-like, sweet caramel, tobacco leaf, honey, with green phenolic nuances”. Similarly, leather of Russia is a warmer leather with nuances of amber. So, it is not surprising that Chergui appears as a tobacco-honey scent to many noses. There is a certain similarity to Guerlain Tobacco Honey, though neither tobacco nor honey are listed as notes for Chergui. According to my nose, Chergui opens with sweet and spicy notes that resemble tobacco and honey, though they are more vibes than exact notes. The hay accord is also strong in the opening. There is a subtle floral note that resembles carnation for my nose. You will recognize the immortelle flower if you are familiar with this accord. I don’t see drastic changes during the olfactory progression, except for the waxing and waning of these complex notes. The spicy notes diminish as they age on the skin to turn into a sweet amber accord. There is a stronger presence of leather in the base notes and dry down. It is a stunning perfume that cannot be described in words, or as a list of notes. This is a perfume that must be enjoyed as a whole, while basking in its aura.
Chergui performs very well on my skin. The spicy amber notes lasts more than eight hours on me. The sillage is excellent in the first few hours. As the sweetness is not overpowering, this can easily be worn at work. Naturally, over-spraying any perfume is unwelcome in the office setting.
Though Chergui is a desert wind in Morocco, this perfume does not evoke desert or spicy markets any more than other sweet and spicy amber perfumes. Descriptions of perfumes on Serge Lutens website do not resonate with what I smell in them. These perfumes can easily stand on their own without additional verbal crutches. I bought a 50 ml bottle of Chergui from a US discounter for $66. It is a great bargain for that price.
Serge Lutens website is coy about all the notes in this perfume, listing only immortelle flower, leather of Russia and hay. But these accords themselves are very complex and can suggest many different raw materials. Immortelle flower is known to produce notes that resemble “warm, hay-like, sweet caramel, tobacco leaf, honey, with green phenolic nuances”. Similarly, leather of Russia is a warmer leather with nuances of amber. So, it is not surprising that Chergui appears as a tobacco-honey scent to many noses. There is a certain similarity to Guerlain Tobacco Honey, though neither tobacco nor honey are listed as notes for Chergui. According to my nose, Chergui opens with sweet and spicy notes that resemble tobacco and honey, though they are more vibes than exact notes. The hay accord is also strong in the opening. There is a subtle floral note that resembles carnation for my nose. You will recognize the immortelle flower if you are familiar with this accord. I don’t see drastic changes during the olfactory progression, except for the waxing and waning of these complex notes. The spicy notes diminish as they age on the skin to turn into a sweet amber accord. There is a stronger presence of leather in the base notes and dry down. It is a stunning perfume that cannot be described in words, or as a list of notes. This is a perfume that must be enjoyed as a whole, while basking in its aura.
Chergui performs very well on my skin. The spicy amber notes lasts more than eight hours on me. The sillage is excellent in the first few hours. As the sweetness is not overpowering, this can easily be worn at work. Naturally, over-spraying any perfume is unwelcome in the office setting.
Though Chergui is a desert wind in Morocco, this perfume does not evoke desert or spicy markets any more than other sweet and spicy amber perfumes. Descriptions of perfumes on Serge Lutens website do not resonate with what I smell in them. These perfumes can easily stand on their own without additional verbal crutches. I bought a 50 ml bottle of Chergui from a US discounter for $66. It is a great bargain for that price.
A lovely vetiver fragrance with nuances of leather and spices.
Hermes Bel Ami Vetiver is a perfume inspired by Hermes Bel Ami, a woody leather fragrance that was launched in 1986. This extra-woody successor was created by Jean-Claude Ellena in 2013, twenty-three years later. Bel Ami Vetiver demonstrates that a new perfume can be created by simply adding more of one of the original ingredients. This review is based on a full bottle of Bel Ami that I purchased from Jomashop in August 2025.
Parfumo and Fragrantica are loquacious about the notes in the predecessor, Bel Ami. But when it comes to Bel Ami Vetiver, they are suddenly tongue-tied, treating the Vetiver as the ugly stepchild. Both websites list only leather and vetiver as the ingredients. The Hermes website is generous enough to add labdanum to this duo. My nose smells primarily sage, carnation, cedar, leather, vetiver and labdanum. I constructed this set by shamelessly consulting the notes in Bel Ami. In contrast to Bel Ami, I don’t detect any citrus in Bel Ami Vetiver. I didn’t detect many floral notes or coconut in the former, so I won’t delve on their absence in the latter. The main difference I see is the dominance of vetiver, which makes it sweeter and less leathery than the original. There are other subtle spicy and woody notes that my untrained nose cannot identity. Is it sandalwood that enhances the sweetness of vetiver? Just like its predecessor, this perfume also should be enjoyed as whole. It is a lovely, well-constructed perfume that doesn’t exhibit any radical progression on the skin.
Though both Bel Ami perfumes are listed as eau de toilette scents, their performance is very good. This is a major deviation for Hermes as all its EDTs are usually criticized for poor longevity. On my skin, it lasts 6-8 hours easily. The notes are not well defined in the end, but they are there. The sillage is also very good in the beginning, but it is modest and elegant befitting a woody leather scent. Both Bel Ami fragrances work well in office settings.
Bel Ami Vetiver is a creamy sweet vetiver fragrance, similar in personality to Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire. But the Bel Ami Vetiver is leaner and spicier giving it a more mature personality. I paid $65 for a 100 ml tester on Jomashop. At that price, this is an unbeatable bargain and a strong recommendation.
Parfumo and Fragrantica are loquacious about the notes in the predecessor, Bel Ami. But when it comes to Bel Ami Vetiver, they are suddenly tongue-tied, treating the Vetiver as the ugly stepchild. Both websites list only leather and vetiver as the ingredients. The Hermes website is generous enough to add labdanum to this duo. My nose smells primarily sage, carnation, cedar, leather, vetiver and labdanum. I constructed this set by shamelessly consulting the notes in Bel Ami. In contrast to Bel Ami, I don’t detect any citrus in Bel Ami Vetiver. I didn’t detect many floral notes or coconut in the former, so I won’t delve on their absence in the latter. The main difference I see is the dominance of vetiver, which makes it sweeter and less leathery than the original. There are other subtle spicy and woody notes that my untrained nose cannot identity. Is it sandalwood that enhances the sweetness of vetiver? Just like its predecessor, this perfume also should be enjoyed as whole. It is a lovely, well-constructed perfume that doesn’t exhibit any radical progression on the skin.
Though both Bel Ami perfumes are listed as eau de toilette scents, their performance is very good. This is a major deviation for Hermes as all its EDTs are usually criticized for poor longevity. On my skin, it lasts 6-8 hours easily. The notes are not well defined in the end, but they are there. The sillage is also very good in the beginning, but it is modest and elegant befitting a woody leather scent. Both Bel Ami fragrances work well in office settings.
Bel Ami Vetiver is a creamy sweet vetiver fragrance, similar in personality to Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire. But the Bel Ami Vetiver is leaner and spicier giving it a more mature personality. I paid $65 for a 100 ml tester on Jomashop. At that price, this is an unbeatable bargain and a strong recommendation.
A beautiful woody leather perfume that is elegant and versatile.
Hermes Bel Ami is an iconic woody leather perfume created by Jean-Louis Sieuzac in 1986. This review is based on full bottle of Bel Ami that I purchased from Jomashop in August 2025. I also have its cousin, Bel Ami Vetiver.
Parfumo and Fragrantica list a large number of notes in Bel Ami as follows: mandarin orange, sage, bergamot, lemon, carnation, basil, cedar, jasmine, orris root, patchouli, leather, oakmoss, styrax, vetiver and vanilla. Overzealous reviewers have suggested further additional notes such as castoreum, pepper and gasoline. I will take their word for it. Perhaps the vintage versions had these notes in it.
I don’t smell of most these notes in the current version, and this review is for the current version. Hermes website lists a minimalist version of accords, just patchouli, leather and labdanum. I would grudgingly admit that this could be construed as a leather chypre. Chypre for me is embodied by bergamot, patchouli, oakmoss and labdanum. My nose smells bergamot, carnation, cedar, patchouli, leather, vetiver and labdanum, in no particular order. The conventional chypre notes bergamot and oakmoss are subdued by the woody notes and leather. Leather note is not very animalic or strong to my nose, but it adds a pleasant undercurrent to this perfume. This fragrance does not have the pungent leather that we see in Naomi Goodsir Corpus Equus. Vetiver is the strongest woody note in this perfume. There is not much progression for this fragrance on my skin. It is a beautiful fragrance, so I don’t have any complaints.
Bel Ami shows good performance on my skin. I can easily detect the vetiver and the soft leather on my skin 6-8 hours after I apply it. The sillage is good, but not monstrous. This is in accordance with the ingredients in this perfume. This is an elegant woody leather fragrance that works perfectly in office settings.
Bel Ami is a bargain for the $90 I paid for it. This is a versatile perfume that is neither controversial nor offensive. There is some complexity in the accords in Bel Ami, which might be the reason why many folks smell extraneous notes in it. I am happy to enjoy it as a holistic olfactory experience without undertaking a rigorous technical analysis. I recommend Bel Ami without any hesitation.
Parfumo and Fragrantica list a large number of notes in Bel Ami as follows: mandarin orange, sage, bergamot, lemon, carnation, basil, cedar, jasmine, orris root, patchouli, leather, oakmoss, styrax, vetiver and vanilla. Overzealous reviewers have suggested further additional notes such as castoreum, pepper and gasoline. I will take their word for it. Perhaps the vintage versions had these notes in it.
I don’t smell of most these notes in the current version, and this review is for the current version. Hermes website lists a minimalist version of accords, just patchouli, leather and labdanum. I would grudgingly admit that this could be construed as a leather chypre. Chypre for me is embodied by bergamot, patchouli, oakmoss and labdanum. My nose smells bergamot, carnation, cedar, patchouli, leather, vetiver and labdanum, in no particular order. The conventional chypre notes bergamot and oakmoss are subdued by the woody notes and leather. Leather note is not very animalic or strong to my nose, but it adds a pleasant undercurrent to this perfume. This fragrance does not have the pungent leather that we see in Naomi Goodsir Corpus Equus. Vetiver is the strongest woody note in this perfume. There is not much progression for this fragrance on my skin. It is a beautiful fragrance, so I don’t have any complaints.
Bel Ami shows good performance on my skin. I can easily detect the vetiver and the soft leather on my skin 6-8 hours after I apply it. The sillage is good, but not monstrous. This is in accordance with the ingredients in this perfume. This is an elegant woody leather fragrance that works perfectly in office settings.
Bel Ami is a bargain for the $90 I paid for it. This is a versatile perfume that is neither controversial nor offensive. There is some complexity in the accords in Bel Ami, which might be the reason why many folks smell extraneous notes in it. I am happy to enjoy it as a holistic olfactory experience without undertaking a rigorous technical analysis. I recommend Bel Ami without any hesitation.
A striking green tuberose perfume - very unique in its green notes
Naomi Goodsir perfumes are some of the most striking perfumes I have come across. You may love them or hate them, but you can never be indifferent to them. This brand also is comfortable with a very limited catalog. Nuit de Bakelite is a creation of Isabelle Doyen, the doyen of perfumes at ISIPCA where she trained both Mathilde Laurent and Francis Kurkdjian. This review was written for a sample from the Naomi Goodsir discovery set.
Nuit de Bakelite has been described as a “green, obsessive and addictive composition supported by tuberose absolute, galbanum, angelica flower, fleur d’immortelle, wooden and leather notes and styrax” on the Naomi Goodsir website. There are many more notes listed on Parfumo and Fragrantica, most of which I can rule neither in nor out. But I do not smell tobacco or cardamom in this perfume. It opens with an intense blast of green, the strongest green opening I have ever come across. Apart from galbanum and angelica, Nuit de Bakelite also uses the stem of the tuberose plant for the green accent. But this intense green accord settles quickly on the skin to reveal the tuberose and the immortelle. These heart notes slowly fade into the base notes. There is a green accord all along of the life of this perfume, though it changes color as it progresses. The base notes are a diffuse blend of leather, resins and woody accords with hints of a green tuberose. I cannot differentiate the resins or woody notes at the bottom, but it is not necessary to enjoy this perfume.
The opening intensity of Nuit de Bakelite is legendary. It lasts on my skin for 6-8 hours, but the dry down lasts even longer. The sillage is strong in the first few hours, but it drops down quite a bit after that. If you wear this at work, make sure that you spray an hour before you arrive.
Nuit de Bakelite is unique for its intense green opening. This is not a perfume that you can buy without testing, nor is it a versatile easy reach. But it can be an obsessive love those who love green florals. It is considerably cheaper at Nose Paris, which is where I would buy it from in the near future.
Nuit de Bakelite has been described as a “green, obsessive and addictive composition supported by tuberose absolute, galbanum, angelica flower, fleur d’immortelle, wooden and leather notes and styrax” on the Naomi Goodsir website. There are many more notes listed on Parfumo and Fragrantica, most of which I can rule neither in nor out. But I do not smell tobacco or cardamom in this perfume. It opens with an intense blast of green, the strongest green opening I have ever come across. Apart from galbanum and angelica, Nuit de Bakelite also uses the stem of the tuberose plant for the green accent. But this intense green accord settles quickly on the skin to reveal the tuberose and the immortelle. These heart notes slowly fade into the base notes. There is a green accord all along of the life of this perfume, though it changes color as it progresses. The base notes are a diffuse blend of leather, resins and woody accords with hints of a green tuberose. I cannot differentiate the resins or woody notes at the bottom, but it is not necessary to enjoy this perfume.
The opening intensity of Nuit de Bakelite is legendary. It lasts on my skin for 6-8 hours, but the dry down lasts even longer. The sillage is strong in the first few hours, but it drops down quite a bit after that. If you wear this at work, make sure that you spray an hour before you arrive.
Nuit de Bakelite is unique for its intense green opening. This is not a perfume that you can buy without testing, nor is it a versatile easy reach. But it can be an obsessive love those who love green florals. It is considerably cheaper at Nose Paris, which is where I would buy it from in the near future.
Complex and overwhelming like many creations from Bertrand Duchaufour
Chypre Palatin is a chypre reimagined by Bertrand Duchaufour for Parfums MDCI in 2012. As you may be aware, the major characteristic of chypre scents is the strong opening citrus that contrasts with the musky, oakmoss and patchouli at the bottom, with resins in the middle. Chypre Palatin doesn’t concur with this description of chypre. There is citrus and oakmoss in it, but they are overrun by much stronger notes that rewrite the personality of this perfume completely. This review is based on a sample I got from Jovoy Paris.
The opening is a strong heady mix of citrus and various aromatic notes. I can smell lavender, thyme and cistus, but other notes get ploughed under these notes. The citrus is too weak for us to label this perfume a chypre. I also get a subtle powdery note. The opening is far more aromatic than fresh and citric. It soon gets inundated by many floral notes floating up from the middle. I can smell rose and jasmine, as well as the fruity note of plum in the opening. This fragrance is so dense and heady that many subtle notes will go unnoticed. When the floral heart notes subside, the sweet plum note transitions into some sweet resins – benzoin, styrax and tolu balm. You do get a nice whiff of oakmoss in the base. These resinous accords are darkened with leather, and perhaps with other animalic notes. Parfumo reports castoreum in it, but I am unable to separate it from leather and immortelle. There is a clear animalic nuance in the dry down. Chypre Palatin is a nice perfume, but it is just too complex for me. I suspect we approach this perfume expecting a light and fresh chypre, but then we get run over by this battle tank of aromatic notes, heady amber notes, resins, animalic notes, and dense fruity florals.
The performance is excellent on my skin. I can smell the dark resinous amber notes on my skin even eight hours after. The ingredients don’t show monstrous sillage, but that is expected from the identity of these notes.
In summary, it is lovely perfume that is a bit overwhelming in its complexity. I would encourage everyone to test it because its complexity is something to be experienced. Personally, I don’t think this is my cup of tea. But perhaps it is yours. This is an expensive perfume costing $250 for 75 ml. So, adequate testing is essential to make sure that you really need this.
The opening is a strong heady mix of citrus and various aromatic notes. I can smell lavender, thyme and cistus, but other notes get ploughed under these notes. The citrus is too weak for us to label this perfume a chypre. I also get a subtle powdery note. The opening is far more aromatic than fresh and citric. It soon gets inundated by many floral notes floating up from the middle. I can smell rose and jasmine, as well as the fruity note of plum in the opening. This fragrance is so dense and heady that many subtle notes will go unnoticed. When the floral heart notes subside, the sweet plum note transitions into some sweet resins – benzoin, styrax and tolu balm. You do get a nice whiff of oakmoss in the base. These resinous accords are darkened with leather, and perhaps with other animalic notes. Parfumo reports castoreum in it, but I am unable to separate it from leather and immortelle. There is a clear animalic nuance in the dry down. Chypre Palatin is a nice perfume, but it is just too complex for me. I suspect we approach this perfume expecting a light and fresh chypre, but then we get run over by this battle tank of aromatic notes, heady amber notes, resins, animalic notes, and dense fruity florals.
The performance is excellent on my skin. I can smell the dark resinous amber notes on my skin even eight hours after. The ingredients don’t show monstrous sillage, but that is expected from the identity of these notes.
In summary, it is lovely perfume that is a bit overwhelming in its complexity. I would encourage everyone to test it because its complexity is something to be experienced. Personally, I don’t think this is my cup of tea. But perhaps it is yours. This is an expensive perfume costing $250 for 75 ml. So, adequate testing is essential to make sure that you really need this.
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