Tabu (1932)
by Dana

Tabu smells cheap and nasty. Over-powering..like something you would wear if you couldn't afford a proper fragrance.Absolutely vile!

Whenever I smell this I think of old ladies, wilted flowers, prostitutes and death. Not in that order, necessarily. The cough and gag reflex immediately sets in. I am sure this fragrance is banned in heaven. Two thumbs way down.

I love this stuff! Tabu is one of my most favorite fragrances of all time. It is best in it's original vintage form, and in the cologne concentration - which amazingly has sillage & longevity to spare! It is dusty/musty and honey sweet, with a world rocking patchouli in the base. Funny thing too, is of all the scents I've worn over the years, Tabu never fails to garner compliments! True, it can come across a bit "loose" or even "whoreish" ~ but it is stunningly attractive. I'm quite certain my fragrance wardrobe will never be without it!

My advice concerning Tabu is to skip the modern drugstore spray cologne version and hunt down a bottle of the pure parfum (preferably vintage) on eBay. It's frequently available for next to nothing, and a drop of the parfum is heavenly on a cool day. It rivals any modern high-end fragrances in terms of beauty, complexity and longevity. Tabu has gotten a bad reputation because of over-appliers. Frankly, I can't imagine spraying any concentration of the stuff on myself. A tiny dab is enough. Fans of Chergui, Shalimar, Angelique Encens, Fifi Chachnil, Tabac Blond and other heavy-hitting sexy orientals should give this one a chance.

I apologize to those who enjoy this fragrance. The beautiful thing is that perception of scent is so individual and there are no good and bad. This is just my personal experience with Tabu.

As a young child, my revulsion for Tabu was so great that I dared not open a bottle for over 40 years. Surely, after all this time and exposure to so many fragrances, my reaction would be different. One night I dug out a very old yet still unopened bottle and cracked its cap. I tried my best to divorce myself from childhood memories as I dabbed a bit on my wrist. What did I get?

Artificially flavored brandy butterscotch candy tossed into a burning fireplace
The cheapest incense sticks from the 1960s
A long-forgotten and dried carnation boutonnaire.
Fels Naptha soap

At least I tried!

Powerful stuff! Generally, I enjoy potent seduction scents if I'm in the right mood. I decided to test my memory of Tabu today, as I haven't sniffed it for about 40 years. Back then it made me a bit queasy (more estrogen than now). I was almost knocked down by the sillage from one spray on the wrist. The top notes are quite a clarion call and I worried that passers-by might think I was off to my day-shift at the local massage parlour. I can detect no animal notes in this scent - it's raucously floral and sententiously spicy, and I suspect she who wears it shouldn't wash for a few days before wearing it to get the sultry best from Tabu. I arrived home one hour after application and washed the wrist with liquid soap and warm water, thoroughly. What's left is about the right amount, and still potent. There's an overwhelmingly-sweet quality to the accord which doesn't appeal to me too much. I'd like some leather notes and a little more woody dryness to temper it. But hey, for the price... who's complaining! Not too bad really - far, far superior to the ghastly Stitch series and their ilk. To be worn with mottley furs, red heels, tousled hair and lots of black eyeliner.