Crown Heliotrope (1939)
by Crown Perfumery

Instead of just pure heliotrope like, say, Santa Maria Novella Eliotroppio, this Crown Perfumery version adds a touch of citrus to the heliotrope in the topnotes. This citrus is bright yet subtle and fades over 20-30 minutes, leaving a crystal-clear heliotrope note. Unlike heliotrope fragrances such as those by Etro and Ava Luxe, 'straight' heliotrope has a green, floral aspect to it as well as having a light almond/vanilla sweetness. Crown presents heliotrope just right and I got a strong soliflore in the mid/basenotes that lasted 4-5 hours easily. The SMN version also presents 'straight' heliotrope but it's a little more musky, muted with less sillage (but no topnotes, it's linear). Neither the Crown or SMN are better then the other - they are simply variations on presenting heliotrope and you can't go wrong with either one.

If you like heliotrope and see a bottle of this (or the SMN) grab it quick because restrictions on using heliotrope have killed the possibility of new, real, heliotrope-laden fragrances being released in the future.

30th July, 2009.

Of all the heliotrope perfumes I have smelled, this captures the true beauty of the fresh flower. It's clean, sweet and powdery and doesn't smack of almond extract as many fragrances do when approximating heliotrope. It's as warm and comfortable as a fluffy down comforter without being unduly sweet. Unfortunately this Crown creation is not terribly long lasting.

24th June, 2008.