Aubépine-Acacia (1965)
by Creed

Creed Aubepine Acacia

It is so much fun when you get surprised by a House. I've tried all of the classic Creeds and I like them, for the most part. As part of making sure I understand all of the scents from a House I try to make sure I expereience all of them at some point. Due to a very generous gift early on in my Basenotes expereince I was given a bottle of Creed Aubepine Acacia which was created in 1965. I received this bottle in the late winter and in my enthusiasm wore it and was disappointed. Then I gave it another try in the heat of summer and what a turnaround. What was a tight uninteresting scent at first sniff became a wonderful surprise on second sniff. The top notes of bergamot laced with galbanum need the heat to let them expand. Although while these two notes are finding their footing there is a rocky 5-10 minutes where this scent seems like it isn't going to come together, but then it does. The heart is where the titular notes come into play as the herbal and green nature of hawthorn (aubepine) and the sweet floral of mimosa (acacia) combine much more harmoniously, than the duo at the top, as right from the moment they appear they take this scent to a new level. The base is a sheer amber which keeps the light tone in place and keeps the refreshing nature in place. Aubepine Acacia feels a bit like a refreshing eau de colognes but with much more longevity. This is marketed as part of the Creed Feminine Line but I don't see it as not being firmly unisex in nature. The floral nature never takes so much of a central role and the green nature of this is really the dominant accord. On a hot summer day Aubepine Acacia is like a refreshing cool drink of water for my nose.

Pleasantly bitter green notes greet the nose as Aubépine-Acacia lights on the skin, and they're fresh enough that they actually smell "chilly." There are some very potent aldehydes in the blend, and I have to say that at the start they aren't all that well integrated. A few minutes down the line and the greens are joined by the oddly musty sweetness of hawthorn blossoms. The green notes and florals soon coalesce into a tightly woven accord that vaguely suggests dry hay.

By this time Aubépine-Acacia has become quite faint and reads mostly as a mild skin scent. That or I habituate to it very rapidly. Either way, the scent remains very cool, crisp, and dry, with the slightest bit of something camphoraceous buried deep beneath the surface. Like Creed’s other crisp green floral, Chèrefeuille Original, Aubépine-Acacia reveals an anise or licorice note as it evolves, though in this case it emerges much later in the game. Otherwise, Aubépine-Acacia doesn’t so much develop as just slowly fade away. It’s understated and it’s more or less linear, but I think it makes a good unisex warm weather fragrance.

I do not know the smell of hawthorn, and acacias around have very faint smell mostly green. So does the Aubépine-Acacia; green fresh gentle... compared to the only acacia scent i tried which is Acaciosa by Caron, this one is very natural and much more nicer. It will be the only creed in my wish list.

Definitively unisex, no matter what you've heard. But be prepared for a very green citrus, and avoid it altogether if you're not a fan of hawthorn.

I happen to like it very much, but I thinned it out of the herd recently because I had a surplus of citrusy frags on my bureau.

Mediocre longevity, but an incredible drydown nevertheless. Far more complex than most citruses, which can be very linear.

Again, don't worry about the gender thing. If you can pull off Eau Sauvage and/or Neroli Sauvage, there's no reason you can't pull off this one.

Notes:
Top: Bergamot, Galbanum
Middle: Hawthorn, Mimosa (Acacia)
Base: Ambergris

Aubepine-Acacia (AA)? Hawthorn-mimosa? The manatee name didnt interest me at all, and I had purposefully delayed testing this Private Collection fragrance because of its classification as a "feminine" frag (although its easily unisex). I should have tried this earlier when I had a chance to buy the 8.4Oz flacon for $160.

AA is a stunningly beautiful fresh green floral fragrance. The top notes are captivating: lemon and bergamot ride a wave of green-green-green galbanum to create an undercurrent of a bright and fortifying herbal-citrus accord. The citrus notes then drop out, the hawthorn slips in and then slowly but surely the mimosa flower makes its presence felt. The floral heart powers AA from here onwards, although some remnants of the "green" accord remain to ensure AA's true classification as a "unisex" fragrance. The mimosa heart is rich, plentiful and exquisitely rendered. I also detect either a pine, mint or clove note burried in there somewhere - this "easter egg" note is instrumental in making sure that the pretty mimosa doesn't turn this into a "girly men" fragrance. Longevity is excellent (clocking in at over 8 hours) and AA pumps out some of the most attractive multifaceted sillage I have experienced.

And multifaceted it is...you will get whiffs of green, lemons, subtle hawthorne, gorgeous rich mimosa, and even some pine and or mint the entire time you have this scent on. Its as exciting as playing out ones role playing fantasys behind closed doors (and smelling good while doing so). I never thought I would say this, but I have probably found the perfect floral for men for this summer. AA - get with the program.

I'm with Gerald on this one being a total surprise. Having enjoyed Neroli Sauvage, Citrus Bigarade, and Bois de Cedrat for some time, I wondered what more Creed could do with citrus. Nevertheless, this one really distinguishes itself and has moved quickly to the top of the pack in my rotation. Even if you've tried all the other Creed citrus scents, don't give up on this one just because it isn't as well known. Worth a try, especially if you can find it in a smaller size than the "Private Collection" huge 250ml bottles.