Boucheron pour Homme (1991)
by Boucheron

BpH is a nice solid 90s citrus with a rose accord that gives it an Edwardian flair as well as some indolic jasmine and oakmoss that give it a touch of midcentury Roudnitska masterpiece. Boucheron is a quality fragrance that blends the lines between the turn of the century, midcentury art deco, as well as modern designer. A solid fragrance altogether, but the sillage and longevity are poor at least in the EdT version. Buy it if you can!

Sophistication in a bottle.

I had read the reviews of BpH before ordering my bottle of EDP, and couldn’t imagine how the initial blast of lemon could be so out of control.

For the first half hour the blast of lemon was completely out of control.

And then a wonderful thing happened: the lemon toned down, and the rich complexity of the rest of the fragrance stepped up.

What I am left with is the softest and most refined fragrance I have ever smelled.

For me, at least, BpH is too elegant for daily wear, but I’m glad I have it here to wear for future formal occasions.

* Several Months Later *

I am now addicted to the lemon/verbena and wear BpH whenever I feel like it.

BpH is surprisingly good for hot summer days here in Australia.

Favored by aristocrats, urbane gentleman and avid traditionalists, BOUCHERON Pour Homme (eau de parfum) is the embodiment of stoic elegance. Its singular purpose is to complement the man of decorum, adorned in a luxury suit.


The scent is truly a masterwork of perfumery and thoughtfully tailored with substantive, yet ethereal, heart notes resembling a fine lemon/floral soap with an equally fine, warm, woody shaving cream-like foundation. The overall effect is a dry, subtle, optimistic, and pleasing chypre with depth and exceptional duration. It also has the distinction of being one of the few masculine fragrances that embellishes the wearer, without attracting much attention to itself.


However, this seemingly innocuous blend exhibits a temperamental moodiness when it comes to practical wear. It appears to favor the most narrow range of skin types with a clean embrace, while frowning on the skin of others with acrid staleness. The skin-incompatability issue experienced by many who sample the scent has clearly deterred some from pursuing the fragrance. But the commonly held perception that BOUCHERON PH (edp) is an anachronism, has also contributed to its somewhat neglected status.

EDT review:

I would agree with other reviewers that this is a quality scent that oozes class and sophistication. Unfortunately, the Lemon Pledge opening failed to impress me and the worse was yet to come. After several minutes, the lemon accord unapologetically turned on my skin. It took at least an hour for the fragrance to get back on track, at which point a sour sharpness began to emerge (reminding me of some cheap saccharine-infused citrus soft drink).

I have no idea if the EDP is any better (apart from having better longevity) but this is certainly one scent that I can very well do without.

[Original submission date: 13 April 2008]

yuck!!! i tried three different times to get past the initial lemon chlorox beast that came out of the bottle, i really tried to get down to the middle and basenotes hoping for something better, but alas i failed. this is quite possibly the most noxious thing i have ever had on my skin. on me it smells like i had just taken a bath in industrial strength sanitizer mixed with rotten lemon rinds... it must not smell that great to too many other people either, since i unloaded my 4 oz bottle on ebay and got only ten bucks for it...
Edit... this stuff still sucks

This does present itself as rich and luxurious, and I liked the lemon suckerpunch at first, but then it seemed to get stale as time goes by. The combination of florals and woods that appears should be great on paper, but it's just a little too pompous. It's a plate of citrus fruits next to a gorgeous bouquet in a stately manse, in which the air has grown stuffy due to lack of use. This feels too awkwardly formal to me in a way that even the most distinguished woody orientals don't. I finally couldn't deal with it anymore and got rid of it.