Suprisingly i actually dont own any of the bottles you mentioned, but they all have a highly regarded reputation. Definetely keeping my eye out for R de Capucci, you mentioned that in the past when i was worshipping oakmoss. P.s. have you personally encountered situations where you buy a vintage bottle of something, and youre almost certain its gone off but you just keep it anyway, yet months later you try it again and it comes alive? It happens kind of alot to me.
The smell of every classy grandfather I knew in the 80s and 90s. One of the few styles that originated a few decades before I was born that isn't anachronistic to wear today (and one I enjoy!).
I enjoyed your introduction to the topic at hand as well as your perspective on the subject. This is one of my favorite genres and I love those vintage Armani eau pour homme bottles. Thanks for another great talk.
I think a great video would be the proper annunciation of the word Chypre … which still is wrong in my spell check 😂☝️ ! I still say Shep-Ra , the silent Á seems pompous
i wonder why it was far easier for me to find moustache edt concentree from NA sellers than european ones. meanwhile ysl pour homme was very easy to find here in europe
I posted below but I really feel that the lux brands are pushing and relying on online platforms and influencers to push frags giving the viewers that FOMO effect
I kind of feel like these brands knowingly sell their frags at high end stores to collect as much of that luxury tax as possible especially on new releases but can care less about the remaining bottles hitting grey market discounters because they still make their bottom line on sales per unit. I also feel there is now a huge market from clone frags that people are turning to
So Burlington, Marshall's, and TJ Maxx have recently started carrying a few Middle Eastern fragrances and keep getting new stock, including some classics like Qaed al Fursan, both Khamrahs, Asad and 9pm. It's been a long time coming, honestly, and they are getting more and more.
Agreed. Designers and niche both. Especially when Bath And Body Works can make designer clone body mists. Or, Zara makes economical dupes. Especially when the clone dupe twist houses make fragrances exceeding designers and niche in performance for a fraction of the price. Especially when artisanal indie niche is innovating way more than designers niche. It's a matter of time before the designers niche stall just like stock market will. Then the crash will finally be here.
@@shmoopiebear I just hate the fact that the majority of frags come from fragrance firms rather than being made by in house perfumers. A company like PDM literally just smells through a catalog picks what they like and place it in a new colored bottle with a silly story behind it. I haven’t really made any significant purchase in the past year past samples because every thing I’ve tried smells like everything else. Get sample in the mail and lo and behold this smells like Gucci guilty absolute or this smells like Bvlgari Tygar or this smells like Terre d Hermes. My last decent purchases have been Chanel eidembourge and geeky cologne officionale which honestly is a more upscale Milano cento styled drag. But it’s pretty great.
Yeah, even if I would have a few millions to drop on perfume, I wouldn't buy all these new overpriced releases, they just don't smell like money, they just don't. I would rather spend my money on vintages. By the way, watched all your videos, thank you very much for doing what you're doing. I really appreciate the episodes where you talk about perfume history. Thank you! I'm wondering if you can recommend some other channels that go into perfume history? (apart from Rich Mitch and Ramsey) I'd be more than grateful :)
I don't watch a lot of other RU-vidrs because I find the overall community of self-aggrandizing wannabe gurus and cults of personality here distasteful. I barely mention much of myself beyond comical asides or self-effacing jokes for that reason. That said, I can recommend JJColbourne/Effluvium and Ryan/True connoisseur/perfumebonfire as some.
I mostly listen anyway (premium and BT headphones lol), so the standard car vid or audio only is fine for me. I'm sort of coming back from a fragrance break myself, trying to figure out how I enjoy the hobby in a better or more balanced way. I haven't spent much too much money, but that's mostly because I resisted and watched content in lieu of shopping. But eventually I kinda turned on fragcomm a bit. Maybe it was always like this, but the comments sections seemed to have devolved a lot since I started watching and it sucked all the fun outta viewing on top of the constant battle against fomo or impulsivity.
It definitely makes sense. Middle Eastern fragrances are flooding the grey markets. I see them at Winners here in Canada which is like Marshalls. Lattafa, etc. luxury fragrances will intern be sold only to the rich and ultra rich and free for influencers. And no more Dunhill? I will cry. Such a grim outlook.
I'll just be shaking my head when Gucci Guilty gets discontinued in 2027, and the clowns on Fragrantica start lamenting that we've lost a masterpiece of a scent.
@@lukes9684 when Gucci rush and Gucci. Envy were out people weren’t killing themselves over it now they are at unicorn status. So it’s probably true. I have Rivee Gauche pour homme. No one really thought much of it. Don’t get me wrong people liked it but now that it’s gone it’s considered one of the greatest barbershop scents of all time. When it was on shelves I tried it thought it was okay but never bought a bottle until it was discontinued and saw all the rage over it’s going away. Luckily I managed to pick up several bottles in Tj max of all places. I can tell you that I love the idea of it and its status more than I love the scent itself it’s good but it’s also not better than any of its competitors and not a masterpiece at least to me.
@@Varanis_Ridari I agree but I have to admit I love when someone asks what I’m wearing and I’m able to answer with something they never heard of. And it’s pretty awesome when someone becomes interested in the hobby because they never even knew there was fragrances past the Macys counter.
That stuff used to make me happy, but these days I just can't be bothered. More interested in just having my own corner full of people I don't hate being around.
These types of videos are among my favorites. I can't even begin with how many ideas I agree with and insights that are gained here. So, off the subject, was that a Belgian beer? You spoke about coffee in the past, a near and dear subject to me. Might you possibly do a talk about beer in the future?
Ulta is already selling Nemat and some Arab perfumes (also some cheaper newer brands like lake and skye, snif, etc) and they’re already immensely popular there (locally that I’ve observed). The prices that are going on and up is crazy. Those new Bottega fragrances I think the cost is on that bottle having marble. Quite a few of these I feel like you end up paying for the bottles and “presentation”, I’m sure thanks to the influencers and their show off videos.
It's almost like they're going push themselves into bankruptcy on purpose with prices just so they can give shareholders and CEOs golden parachutes on the way out as it burns.
Totally agree. The relaunch of Balmain and Bottega Veneta at $400 per bottle are two recent examples. I suspect the market is going to sort that out. As much as these brands might want them to be, these lines are not Chanel Les Exclusifs. No one is going to buy them, at least not at retail. We need a new people’s champ to offer high-quality scents for the masses. Above the clones, below the mass-tige pseudo-niche garbage, and not soulless AI-driven robo-compositions. Real perfumes driven by creativity, not over-optimized bean counting. So many new brands every year, but nobody with the vision or the gumption to fill this segment of the market. Waiting for the next Avon, I guess.
I don't think it's that simple, and that's what's frustrating. You need someone with a long-term vision impossible under corporate late-stage capitalism where it's all about pumping and dumping assets, especially in the luxury sector where the value is all image to begin with.
@@Varanis_Ridari You might be right. You’d need somebody with deep pockets who was committed to a long-term plan and not beholden to shareholders seeking short-term returns. I want to believe it can be done, but it certainly won’t be some conglomerate.
The whole system is broken without anti-trust regulations and anti-monopoly lawsuits, which will hit important sectors first (communication and food/housing/commodities) before anyone comes for luxury conglomerates
When do you predict the death of designer fragrances/luxury niche in the form of a big crash will occur that allows middle class consumers to stock up on deep discounts? That sounds like where the market is headed according to your analysis. Fragrance discounters have been enabling such inventory turnover for years (like gray market sellers for watches) but even there, designer brands like Guerlain Hermes etc. are much pricier than they were several years ago.
We had a massive crash in the late 00's with the niche brands that jumped the shark during the financial crisis (remember cheap Creed?) and tons of designers were also sub -$30 for years in discounters for years due to the same reason. FragranceNet and Perfume dot Com only got so big because of it. I'd say probably within the next 10 years when brick and mortar retailer chains stop carrying enough designers to make them default niche, and only boutique sales not being enough volume for the big corporate owners that run the show. They will burst their bubbles and invent another brand like what Coty, Arden, and Lauder used to be, in order to fill counters and shelves again.
You are right, same with Guerlain. They re-issued the 3 big sellers Habit Rouge, Vetiver and L’Homme but at much higher price point. Almost unaffordable for a regular folk. Upsetting.
You had me at dollar store Skynet. As an aside, I would love to see a discussion/debate with you & Sebastian The Perfume Guy. Mostly to talk the economics and politics of the fragrance industry. Two opposing viewpoints imo. But here’s another thing: do discount sites end up going away as well? Because if other designers raise their prices across the board, wouldn’t they become as protective of their brand/profits the way that Chanel does currently…or would the discounters become outlets for almost exclusively Middle Eastern brands? This is a fascinating topic and deserves way more discussion.
An elitist snob who cowtows to brand PR execs out of fear for losing that sweet promotional gravy, and wants everything as expensive or exclusive as possible (including old discontinued stuff he hypes for arbitrage) so he and his rich ghoul friends can gloat over us common rabble with their "refined noses" that only know how to prattle off note pyramids on camera? I think not. I'm beneath him. 😉
@@Varanis_Ridari Ha! Just think it would be hilarious bc you are clearly a scholar of the history/science/economics/politics of perfume and their creators & houses and he’s a wealthy fragrance hoarder whose sole critique of a perfume is whether it’s “super delicious” or not. Instead I’ll imagine this debate scenario and have a laff. Very much enjoyed this episode.
Not even Donna Karan could Be Delicious forever, that's why it's discontinued. #ba dum tish And yeah, people like that born into privilege and indulging in expensive hobbies out of sheer boredom or a need to feel important will NEVER have a realistic perspective, not like salt of the earth people who chose to invest much more limited time and money into an interest, out of actual bloody passion. That's all I've got.
Weird logic from my part but if you have been following designer *clothing* pricing. It's all been up and up and up to the point that it makes all designers have a weird image where they have these accessible luxury fragrances thanks to all these licenses which years ago got people in the door but now the prices of their fragrances are so detached from the inflated clothing prices that it's actually hurting their brand image. Not to mention that despite the hike in prices of their clothing items, people are still willing to buy these aspirational goods no matter if the clothing is being made in china and out of polyester. It just makes sense they want that brand image control back because they know that even the poor will still be willing to load up on credit to get the "look"
I don't think the poor are anymore. The truly working poor live in their uniforms 5-6 days a week, then wear pajamas to Wendy's or Walmart. Credit isn't easy to get anymore, either. The people loading up on debt to buy this stuff would have been middle class 20-30 years ago using store cards, but are now are upper class tech workers with just enough credit to screw themselves on car leases and $6000 jackets once they get laid off because the AI they were forced to work on replaced them. What a time to be alive /sarcasm
I agree that there has been a rise in "aspirational" people buying into brand names beyond their means. Some of them will still spend half their paycheck for a bottle of Tom Ford and a Balenciaga tshirt. High price has an allure of its own for those people. I agree that the Arabs will move into that niche left behind by the designers though. Half of the Notino store near me is already Middle Eastern stuff, it's only a matter of time until it becomes more mainstream.
Technically Arab cultures had perfumes long before Europe anyway, so they're really just taking back the market the French appropriated 300 or so years ago.
gaming is truly a great analog with them arbitrarily price hiking cash grab releases that they shut down after a year. also remakes over creativity cause thats cheaper to make
Luckily were seeing some of them beginning to suffer the consequences now. Would anybody have thought of ubisoft for example possibly going out of biz 15 years ago?
This was the perfume that became popular in Iran by the Shah of Iran. So, I went and I got it and WOW., its truly timeless. I immediately remembered the smell as my dad used to wear this cologne a long time ago.
Hi Varanis! I recently came across your reviews on Basenotes, and I just wanted to say that your writing is art, pure literature about perfumes! Thank you so much for bringing this joy to our (fragheads) lives!
This wasn’t bad to me but the price makes it a joke. It’s PDM Oajan but less interesting and way more expensive, even on discounters. I’ve got enough in this style that I’d never consider Centaurus.
Its amazing. I love this and aramis 900, and even though 900 is much deeper and darker, I actually prefer Acteur. 900 needs a special occasion to be worn, Acteur is much mor versatile and is a material for signature scent.
I find 900 lighter to my nose, from the jasmine and green notes. Funny how noses can differ so much! Good taste transcends those differences. Bravo sir.
Well, it never used to be that way. Arpége, Shalimar, Cabochard, Miss Dior, Youth Dew, 1000, Bal à Versailles, Opium, Poison, all those things utterly destroy a lot of men's stuff in quality.
@@Varanis_Ridari yeah its just always the perception im greated with now of perfume. Also i get the impression women are very tired of smelling like sweet fruits or candy
Surely Dior did this years before with fahrenheit? I mean making an obnoxious beastly anti- perfume that turned out to be a huge success. I’m not a fan of sauvage but i just think it’s the fahrenheit of today despite not smelling anything like it.
Thought provoking as usual. Is Demachy to blame for the overdose thing, or is he just copying what Bourdon did with Cool Water, only swapping Dihydromyrcenol for Ambroxan + Norlimbanol? It seems like men’s perfumery is mostly driven forward by mutant fougeres enabled by advancements in aromachemicals and their production. Maybe this goes all the way back to synthetic coumarin 😅
It actually does go all the way back to coumarin. Mainstream men have seemingly always liked singular accords that are striking and devoid of filigree or roundness, aka not "perfumey:.
