Richard Fraysse: 5 posts

After reformulating its 1927 classic Bellodgia to death, Caron added a new version called Più Bellodgia. Più in Italian means more, but Caron fibs when promising more of anything with this take on Bellodgia. It’s a pale floral that I imagine more as a shampoo than a fine fragrance.

Now that I’ve told you how I feel about it, I’m tempted just to move onto something else. But I don’t like to write grumpy reviews without offering further details, and it’s far too easy to be cross about Caron these days. Their classical collection has been dramatically reformulated (to be fair, it’s not entirely their fault), and in the search for a new consumer, they keep releasing perfumes that don’t fit their aesthetic. We all need to move with the times, and it’s a tricky compromise to keep the loyal customers happy while attracting a generation of fragrance wearers who recoil at moss and leather.

Continue reading →

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Caron continues to regale us with conventional fragrances, stubbornly clinging to the idea that this is what modern consumers want. While Caron promises that “Délire de Roses presents the Queen of Flowers in an infinite variety of moods – audacious, tender, teasing, dreamy, provocative,” I only find that it captured rose in a conventional manner. The bland fruity top, the generic musky drydown and the nonexistent character… I think I have just described the majority of today’s launches. Why does Caron think that theirs might stand out in this crowd?

Continue reading →

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Oud by Caron, Secret Oud… I so wish that Caron called these fragrances “Tabac Noir” or “Narcisse d’Encens” or anything else but Oud, because the moniker not only lumps these fragrances together with the cliched trend in the niche, but also belies the fact that they do not even smell of any oud. Instead, the dark, earthy, woody notes that Caron tries to pass for oud work remarkably well with the somber aesthetic of classical Caron accords. These rich, opulent notes replace the classical dark Caron undercurrent of oakmoss and lend the compositions dusky beauty and retro glamor.

Continue reading →

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

The licorice colors the 2006 limited edition fragrance from Caron Eau de Réglisse. The lovers of Caron’s complex and dark compositions would be disappointed were they to seek the same intrigue in Eau de Réglisse. It offers neither the richness of Tabac Blond, nor the sensuality of Narcisse Noir. However, sparkling and fresh like a sip of Pernod, Eau de Réglisse accomplishes what the best of summer fragrances do—it makes one forget about the heat and humidity. …

Continue reading →

Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.

Caron Tubereuse is a fragrance I often think in terms of dance. Reading perfume reviews I am always struck by a variety of references to capture scent. Music language of chord, tremolo, crescendo and modulation; gustatory of bitter, sweet, sour; visual of matte, transparent, iridescent… The list is endless, and is contingent upon a reviewer’s way of identifying sensations and connecting with the world. At the same time, it also underscores the inadequacy of our language to capture scent.

Continue reading →