Acne Studios

I've worn it a few times now and find that, surprisingly, I prefer it in cold weather versus warm, sunny days. In clean, crisp air, the orange blossoms are crystalline and frosty, while the musk and vanilla are chilled and elegant. Cold air keeps everything in its corner yet they all work in harmony. In warmer weather (we have hot and cold weather in San Francisco daily), the vanilla is amped, the musk is synthetic, and the orange blossoms become candy-sweet, giving me the impression of a melting orange creamsicle or a (rather inexpensive) scented candle. Sadly, I get no notes other than orange, musk, and vanilla. My husband says it smells like a little girl's perfume, of the kind that comes with the purchase of a doll, regardless of the weather. It's not the Frederic Malle of yore (PoaL, MR, Noir Epices, etc.) and probably not a safe blind buy for FM diehards like myself. However, if you're a 14-year-old girl with disposable income, go for it.

Very clean and aldehydic composition. Goes well with the "clean girl" trend. I have a tester, wouldn't buy a whole bottle. I would rather go for 724.

It’s that universal rose-violet-jasmine-musk laundry detergent smell you get when pulling clothes from the machine after the wash. It’s the definition of functional product formula. It’s familiar, good, to market this as a fine fragrance formula is a daring act, especially given the price of 340 euros for 100ml. I think it’s crazy, but this is luxury fashion for you. Also the scent itself will surely have their fanatics, such as my girlfriend, it was an instant eye opening wow for her. For me, I look at from a perfumery point of view and can’t justify the price. But then again, there aren’t many options if you are someone who always wished for that Ariel washing pod’s or fabric softener or house cleaning agent smell as a perfume to smell like you’re always wearing clothes right after wash. Oh and it’s super potent…at least on paper it seems to last forever, again no surprise given the functional product formula origin, which are constructed to last washing cycles for days, weeks on clothes… And final note: Aldehyde is not one note or scent profile, it's a chemical group and spreading like a misinformation virus online, evident from some reviews. The aldehydes used here are the floral ones, mainly the ones used to achieve lily of the valley (muguet) and cyclamen type airy floral notes what otherwise wouldn't be possible to achieve in perfumery. The aldehydes profile here has absolutely no relation to the fatty (aliphatic) aldehydes where most people know from Chanel No.5. (Not to say Acne Studios doesn't have any of fatty aldehydes, but the main scent profile is based on the cyclamen and muguet ones, just like in Byredo Blanche, Fleur de Peau etc.) in combination with ionones (violet) and jasmine (probably hedione, benzyl acetate), also provides the base accord of Nivea cream and many more household and cosmetic products.

I smelt a lab vial a few days ago, and skin tested. It will be released 17th April for the UK market at least. I found it lying between N°22 and White Linen. There is that aldehydic and laundry aspect, with a somewhat vanillic, ambery sweetness and most notably more of a fruity facet than either reference. It is more vintage in its aldehydic profile than say, Aldehyde 44 from Le Labo which mostly relies on C12 MNA. I found that it actually evoked a baby pink not too dissimilar from the packaging of the bottle. I could not assess diffusivity but it was a tenacious formulation on skin. It doesn't push boundaries but is certainly off trend and matches the brand, so I commend it for that.

Trash