Chypre Narcotique

Imagine what an all-natural, artisanal oud-infused chypre would smell like.

If you could take a tour through the pioneering perfumeries at the dawn of the 20th century, where would you even begin – which one of the classics would you try first?

They don’t make ’em like they used to. We sure know that much.

But what you might not have thought of before is that the great perfumers that now inspire us could not have possibly made perfumes like what can be made today, either.

We can only imagine what Roudnitska could have accomplished with access to the finest artisanal ouds. The magic he could have conjured with Green Papua at arm’s length.

You can’t blame him for never having used wild Papuan oud, though…

At the time he composed Diorissimo, it would be another four decades before the first drops of quality Papuan oud oil dripped into a beaker. And you can’t help but wonder what it took for a yuzu extract to reach him – or if one ever did.

I’m blessed with the luxury of having access to the most sought-after Papuan oud on the planet. With the great Guerlains to learn from, with Roudnitska’s work to aspire to, yet with access to delectable botanicals they were never privy to, who could resist the temptation to infuse vetiver’s herbaceous cool with the piercing incense of Irian agarwood?

Imagine Roudnitska on steroids!

There’s a rich perfume history built on vetiver, and despite the fact that most of these are composed with vetiver-like isolates, they’ve done a good job at enriching the vetiver genre.

Full-spectrum vetiver, of course, is a different aromatic entirely. Full-spectrum anything takes the skeletal body of isolates and adds the meat and muscle to offer you a fragrance that’s richer, more layered, and repeatedly gives you a heightened sense of satisfaction.

But vetiver is only the starting block in Chypre Narcotique.

You begin by asking what the great French perfumers could pull off if they were given carte blanche to use the finest aromatics with no regard for budget constraints or scalability; what Roudnitska could have done.

I’m an Oud Man. My DNA consists of gyrinops, crassnas and agallochas. So, when it comes to blending other aromatics with oud, an oud man can’t ignore musk and ambergris. Tobacco, saffron, labdanum. Heavy – OUDY – scents. Scents with scars on their faces… ‘challenging’ scents.

But instead of injecting my so-called DNA into Roudnitska’s legacy, I used the opportunity to showcase an EO chypre for all who’ve been asking for one. Here you’ve got a chypre enriched with ingredients no chypre that went before ever donned – a chypre with Irian Jaya DNA.

Instead of the usual lemon/neroli top notes in your typical chypre, Chypre Narcotique’s top is composed of Japanese yuzu, lily of the valley, and pink-pepper-infused jasmine sambac.

You would probably not have guessed it, but rosemary flower’s medicinal earthiness adds a divine floral-petrichor flavor that joins a precious duo of jonquil and tuberose that form the core of the attar’s narcotic heart.

These unorthodox citrus-floral chords soon invite the sweet undertones of castoreum as they seamlessly flow with an ensemble of oakmoss, African vetiver, Papuan oud, and vintage Timor sandalwood.

This is my humble tribute to the genre and to those that made it one. Chypre Narcotique is the world’s first and only Irian oud chypre, joined by a zesty cast of supporting characters. Enjoy the show!

Customer Reviews:

It is a beautiful scent. The citrus that you get when first applying the Attar is mind blowing. But the scent as a whole, especially as it is experienced when the wind hits it, is so beautiful, magical, and I am so wishing that it will be made into a Parfum. It is right up there with EO1 in terms of quality and impact. Very classy and manly scent… a perfume connoisseur’s dream!

—Steven / USA

After wearing it for the day I think Chypre Narcotique works perfectly as an attar. I got the biggest projection from an attar I’ve ever experienced! It was very enjoyable.

—Ryan S. / USA

…And the Chypre Narcotique – I LOVE it. Normally my skin doesn’t carry florals that well. I am more of a woody, outdoorsy fragrance type, but the florals, tuberose and jonquil just lingers and keeps opening up – so beautiful, soft. I felt very elegant wearing it. I think it stayed on my skin from morning and until late evening. Growing a bit darker, but still keeping the floral experience. Also love that you have used Yuzu instead of the traditional Bergamot. I don’t get to use fragrance very much, because it interferes when I work, but CN will be my new fragrance for special occasions.

—Lisbeth J. / Denmark

—Sohail D. / New Zealand

REPLY TO VIDEO:

Interesting to hear. I also really like this and own both the PP and an attar. What I enjoy most about it is the slight deviation (as you mention) from the heavier side of perfume that is associated with Oud. It is a wonderful uplifting, bright scent which is important in hot climates.

—Andrew D. / USA

How on earth is this oud?! Wow! it’s a floral spa – citrusy and modern. After the initial hit, it settles down to be calming and soothing. It keeps forcing me to take a deep sniff of my wrist throughout the day!

—Osman A. / UK

I loved it… Been trying other similar type of citrusy fragrances amongst the niche perfumes but always find that they irritate me in the end. This one is totally different, I can’t get enough and it only gets better.

—Daniel / Sweden

[White] peppery, [vanilla from] lignan in old book bindings, vanilla creme-brulee with Speyside whisky, old still-supple leather, presence of a tight wood stove, fine pot-pourri, mentholic [and eucalyptus bark like upcountry Hawai’i], temperate rain forest resonance. Not linear, or overly structured, but setting up a steady and uplifting waveform.

—Alex / USA

It’s a pretty marvelous Chypre… I am loving the jonquil notes- a floral leatheriness that is quite sublime…

—Alexander / Switzerland