Primitif (1956)
by Max Factor

After a few wearings, I'd say this is a powdery floral with a bit of a "soapy" quality (not lavender/soapy, but rather iris/ soapy). There seems to be a slightly "dirty" quality too, which reminded me of the smell of some of the soap I rember from years ago in public restrooms (I think it was the liquid kind from back then, 20 or so years ago). At first, I think there is a soft fruit aspect but can't pinpoint it, so perhaps it's a blend, but keep in mind that I don't pay much attention to top notes and actually try to avoid them. The drydown seems to feature patchouli, vetiver, and oakmoss, but the soapy iris is still quite present, along with the "dirty" quality. I don't detect any wood, leather, or spice notes, and I don't think there is vanilla, though a little amber is possible if not likely (I'd guess oppoppanax, to be precise). I'm quite impressed by it, and don't see why it can't be "unisex" for guys who want this kind of "clean" fragrance, since it's not as "heavy" as the "old school granny" fragrances, yet it's not "chemical/sythetic" like so many recent ones.

My old review of March, 2011: I don't get sharp aldehydes here but that may be due to the top notes having dissipated over the years (really old splash bottle). Yes, there is patchouli in this one, but it's very pleasant (I don't like strong patchouli). I also detect rose and what I think is a powdery iris/orris, giving it a bit of a soapy quality. I don't detect any strong spice note. There may be some geranium. Clearly, it's a little sweet, but there's no noticeable vanilla note. It's not musky, and if it's animalic, it is very mildly so. Overall, it's soft, but there's also something earthy about this that keeps it interesting to me. Can this be a rather simple composition of rose, iris, amber, and patchouli, without a little geranium and a few other supporting notes? That's what I would say right now, after having sampled it a couple of times. It's an EdC and that seems right, but again, it's old so who knows what it smelled like originally? Nicely done and natural smelling. As a guy, I'd rather wear this than the typical "fresh" fragrances marketed to men these days, though I'd wait for the drydown before I went out in public wearing it.

10th March, 2011. (Last Edited: 26th June, 2011.)

Aldehyes and patchouli. Reminds me somewhat of Chanel #5, but with a touch of patchouli. Could also be compared to Arpege (vintage).

23rd January, 2009.