New Niche Fragrances Review: Phaedon Paris Haute Concentration Collection Plus One + Azure or Set Draw

phaedon paris logo

Almost two years ago I reviewed the first six releases from Phaedon Paris. At the time I good-naturedly grumbled at receiving a collection of six new fragrances to assess all at once. Two years later six seems like a bargain in these days of double digit collections being released one after the other. After two years Phaedon Paris has seven new Haute Concentration perfumes to debut and the original collection was trimmed by two, Rue des Lilas and Coton Egyptien, and a new one, Lentisque, was added. Pierre Guillaume has been involved with Phaedon from the beginning and he is the perfumer behind Lentisque along with Rouge Avignon & Antigua in the new line. For the other five fragrances three perfumers joined in; Daniele Maniquant, Anne-Cecile Douveghan, and Catherine N’Guyen. The Phaedon aesthetic is to go for simple constructions with unique ingredients and most of these fall into conventional places on the perfumed continuum.

lentisque

I’ll start with Lentisque which is M. Guillaume’s aria in green as he uses a large amount of galbanum as a foundation for mastic. As it develops; cistus, cedar and vetiver don’t ameliorate the greenness they kick it up a notch. I found this to be an amazing companion for the heat wave we’ve been having. I have a feeling it will be less enjoyable in the cool but there is still a lot of summer left in my backyard.

For the Haute Concentration line M. Guillaume’s Rouge Avignon did not perform as well in the summer heat. It is meant to evoke a visit to the Supreme Pontiff’s apartment. A very heavy rose turned extremely sweet by raspberry opens this Papal visit. The heart is where M. Guillaume rounds the corner with a cacao and truffle accord that turns Rouge Avignon into an almost rich gourmand before ending on a base of vetiver, sandalwood, and amber. I really enjoyed the foodie heart of Rouge Avignon but I must confess the strength of the rose and raspberry in the top notes took some getting used to. I think I will revisit this in the chill of the fall.

clouds-paradisamide

Givaudan meta cloud for Paradisamide

M. Guillaume categorizes Antigua as a fruity chypre and it is fruity but I am not in agreement that this is a chypre on my skin. This is a fruit explosion and according to M. Guillaume it is due to the Givaudan aromachemical Paradisamide. Paradisamide was proprietary to Givaudan perfumers from 2003-2011 when they decided to let others have some fun with it. M. Guillaume was clearly chomping at the bit to feature it in a fragrance.  The Paradisamide in combination with a beautifully chosen bergamot sizzle on my skin as you pick up facets of guava, grapefruit, rhubarb, and currant. This could be a mushy fruit salad but instead it is clean and delineated and it definitely has some of the sulfurous character of grapefruit and the more acrid aspects of guava as contrast also in evidence. The tropical party is leavened a bit by a touch of rose, a bit of fig, a pinch of vanilla along with a cedar and vetiver base. As its name implies Antigua is a perfect beach scent.

head-roadpaving

Vetiver is a warm weather staple fragrance and the vetiver entry in the new collection, Black Vetiver, delivers a slightly heavier vetiver than you might normally find. The reason for this is there is a “tar accord” made up of pimento and Jamaican vetiver which coat the keynote Java vetiver in a sticky haze of summer asphalt. I wasn’t sure I was going to like this but it turns out to be the most interesting of the new Phaedons from a purely conceptual aspect and my second favorite of the new releases.

Tabac Rouge, travels a well-worn path of combining tobacco and incense. It is fine but it didn’t ever rise to a level of something I would be reaching for when I am in the mood for tobacco and incense. If you like these notes and want a lighter simpler take on them Tabac Rouge could fill the bill.

Hesperys also suffers from a similarity to many other fragrances which recall the Mediterranean citrus milieu. A lemon, petitgrain, and orange opening is bolstered by a very powdery orris and chamomile before finishing with a musky mix. As I mentioned above if you love these kinds of fragrances and want a new variation Hesperys will work.

Sable Marocain is almost a natural partner to Dzhari from the Eaux de Toilettes collection of Phaedon. Dzhari has a rich date accord at the heart of a desert wind. Sable Marocain has you on a horse galloping across the desert. You feel a gust of citrus and ginger flow by you followed rapidly by an even stronger sense of labdanum. This all develops into a marvelously decadent display of cocoa, gaiac, and Copahu balsam while the labdanum persists. This final aspect of Sable Marocain is what sets it apart.

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My favorite of the new collection was a surprise to me as with a name like Pure Azure I was expecting a variation on an aquatic theme. Instead I was treated to a fantastic summer floral which appealed to me on many levels. Fig and orange blossom open Pure Azure on a bright accord. Vanilla and jasmine turn things sweeter and deeper. Tonka and a bit of a marine accord cut the sweet without making it go away. For almost the entire time I wore Pure Azure I was in the midst of a grove of fig trees, orange trees and jasmine swirling in and out of each other. I ended up wearing this on a day the thermometer hit 100 and it was perfect for that kind of heat. It wasn’t cloying or too much it was just right.

One of the consistent complaints about the original Phaedon collection was that they didn’t last very long. The Eaux de Toilette collection has been tweaked to up the perfume oil concentration to make them last a bit longer. The Haute Concentration collection is a more direct response to the criticism and these fragrances all lasted the entire day on my skin with average sillage.

As it was with the first collection I tried from Phaedon there were a few which just thrilled me; Pure Azure, Black Vetiver, and Antigua. As a collection it does manage to hit most of the genres it aspires to. I do know that as long as the heat is on the three named above will be in heavy rotation this summer of 2013.

Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by Osswald NYC.

Thanks to Osswald NYC we have a unique reader’s choice draw. You can choose to win a bottle of Pure Azure, my favorite, or you can make up your own mind and choose a carded set of 2.5mL samples of all seven Haute Concentration fragrances. This is a US only draw. To be eligible leave a comment on which prize you choose and whether you are in the US. The draw will end July 21, 2013.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

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58 comments

  • I tried the eaux de toilette versions of the line a year or so ago snd I was do disappointed to say the least. So weak. Of all the scents, I think I would enjoy Black Vètiver the most. It seems the most interesting to me, however they all sound fascinating. I’ll take the carded 2.5 ml samples as my prize if I win. I’m in the USA.

  • I really admire Pierre Guillaume. Although I am tempted by the sample set. you sold me on Pure Azure. Thank you for the reviews and for the draw

  • They all sound great to me, too, although the tar and marine notes scare me a little. I’m in the US, and would love to try samples of them all.

  • I am in the US, I have tried some of the original Phaedon and found them easy to wear. I think I would love to win Pure Azure as the notes of this one appealed to me. Thank you so much for the fab draw. I am in the US.

  • I’d like to take my chance at winning Pure Azure. I’m in the US; thanks for the draw!

  • I’m in the US and I’d like to throw my name in for the Pure Azure draw. I think it sounds lovely. Thanks as always!

  • Someotherspring says:

    Ah, choices! The carded set beckons. Thanks so much for the op. I’m in the US.

  • I love Dzhari — it has become one of my favourite hot weather fragrances, but, like other commentaters, I find its staying power is decidedly lacking. I wish PG would simply make a stronger version of the first batch from this line. That said, I’d love to try the carded samples of the new additions and am in the US.

  • Pure Azure seems like it would be my favorite considering how much I love figs, but I can’t help wanting to try them all. I’d like to be in the sample draw, in the US. Thanks!!!!

  • I do really like fig notes, so I will trust your judgement on this one and go with Pure Azure.

  • I am a lover of fig and equally orange blossom, so I would love to try the Pure Azure. I am in the US. Thanks for the draw!

  • I trust your judgment, Mark, so I will choose the Pure Azure. 🙂
    I live in the U.S. and thank you for the draw.

  • Fig? Sign me up for a bottle Pure Azure! I live in the U.S. and thank you very much, Mark, for another evocative review.

  • Dubaiscents says:

    I was checking these out on the Osswald website just recently and can’t wait to visit the store later this month to test them! I love fig so I would go with Azure. I live in the US.

  • I’m in the U.S., and if you had asked me to name which fragrance out of the new lineup I would want a bottle of, by the notes alone, I would have said Pure Azure. Now I’m even more confident in that choice, since Mark said it’s his favorite in the collection. Thanks.

  • USA
    Lovely reviews! So many sound interesting, especially a tarry vetiver right now.

    Would definitely choose the samples! Love variety and comparing my own impressions with someone else’s scented journey. Thanks for the reviews and draw

  • Always love your reviews! I would like a bottle of Pure Azure as this is such an exquisite composition. And I live in the US.

  • PatriciaC says:

    Pure azure for sure! I would love to be amidst a grove of fruit trees right now.I live in the U.S. thank you!

  • I too, will choose your favorite, Pure Azure! I live in the US. thank you for your review and the draw!

  • ringthing says:

    As much as I love fig and jasmine, Pure Azure is a natural choice. I enjoyed the reviews, I’m in the US, and thanks for the chance!

  • C. Briggs says:

    I have never tried this line but all the scents sound great, so I would love to try the carded samples of each fragrance. Thank you. I’m am in the USA.

  • d3m0lici0n says:

    I’ll choose Pure Azure if I win. I live in the US, thanks for the cool draw!

  • I’m in the U.S. and although I’d love to try them all the prospect of a full bottle of fig and orange blossom bliss is too much to pass up! I’ll go with the Pure Azure.

  • I loved reading this – such thorough and transporting descriptions! I am in the US and your review of Pure Azure convinced me it’s a must try.

  • Mark, I’d love to join you in that grove of fig and orange trees with the jasmine and vanilla wafting about! Pure Azure sounds wonderful.
    Thanks to Osswald NYC for the draw. I’m in the USA.

  • I’m in the USA and you have totally sold me on the Pure Azure. It probably helps that this heatwave has cut off many perfume options and this one sounds like it would perform well in such a wilting environment.

  • I would like the carded sample set – all the more to test and enjoy! I am is the US. Thank you for the article on these fragrances and the draw.

  • I think I would love to win Pure Azure as the notes of this one appealed to me. Thank you so much for the draw. I am in the US.

  • I live in US. The sample set sounds great but Pure Azure sounds very tempting. If you recommend it, it is going to be my choice.

  • Even though Black Vetiver sounds enticing, living in the USA, I would select Pure Azure based solely upon Mark’s review.

  • MarybethS says:

    The bottle is very classy and seems like a nice frag to try out for the late summer.
    USA…

  • Anything that will stand up in 100 degree heat is worth a try and Pure Azure sounds great and would be my choice. I am in the US. Thanks!

  • I’d go with Marke’s choice-Pure Azure. I have a US address which please correct me if I am wrong gives me elegibility. I believe postage regulations make the requirements US only?

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    what does Paradisamide really smell like if smelt in isolation? for this draw, my choice is def. Pure Azure and I am in the US

  • Fig and orange blossom are two of my favorites. I would love to try the Pure Azure and I live in the U.S. Thanks for the review and draw!

  • I am interested in the way many of these scents are meant to conjure an experience of a particular place (whether the effort hits the bullseye or not). Even at this price point, a “vacation in a bottle” is surely a bargain over an actual trip to the suggested destinations!

    Fig trees, orange trees, and jasmine, all swirled together means Pure Azure is for me! I’m in the US.

  • After reading about all of them, I would like to smell all of them. Sample set it is! USA
    Thanks all. 🙂

  • I would love to win Pure Azzure! Your description makes it sound perfect for the current weather. I am in the U.S.