Eau de Badian (1999)
by L'Occitane

Some citrus in the opening, but it is quickly dominated by the anise. It is very strong and persists throughout to the point that that is all I really detect. There is some notes that smell strongly of black licorice after awhile and that about does it for me and this fragrance. Not a big fan of anise, but hate the smell of black licorice. Definitely not one of L’Occitanes hits.

1st December, 2011.

L'Occitane men's fragrances are outstanding and Badian is no exception. Badian has a classic opening of grapefruit and anise which is also used in Live Jazz and Must PH Essence to great effect. I can't get enough of this, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy a fragrance blind if I know that there's grapefruit and anise in it. Paired together like Bonnie & Clyde, Laurel & Hardy and Yin & Yang. Slowly gives way to a clove and moss drydown. Light and airy, nothing that weighs you down. Perfect for summer evenings in mid-west America dreaming of getting lost in Provencal lavender fields on summer evenings. Elegant and sophisticated.

11th September, 2011.

L'Occitane have produced a number of excellent products over the years, but this is not one of them.Its an anise dominated fragrance with little enhancement from the supporting cast. The result is a reasonably long lived, dry and hollow accord that lacks the charm and beauty to be of sufficient interest. Eau de Badian is not exactly unpleasant, but when that is the best one can say, it is hardly going to be a thumbs up.

28th July, 2009.

Meh. It's an anise opening for sure but I don't get much of anything afterwards. L'O's stuff is hit or miss and this is a miss for it. Especially since is disappears from detection in minutes.

20th July, 2009.

I enjoy anise fragrances and this one is very good and it smells completely natural. My mother and grandmother would often make Italian anise cookies called "pizzelles", and I loved those growing up. This reminds me very much of those cookies. When I was in the L'Occitane store trying their fragrances, there was an attractive married woman who was watching me-- she was curious as to what fragrance to get her husband. I would try each fragrance on my skin, and then this woman would give her opinion. When I got to the Eau du Badian, she grabbed a hold of my arm firmly and didn't want to let go. It definitely met her approval! I have noticed that this does seem to be a bit weaker and shorter lived than I'd hoped. It doesn't have a lot of musk/fixatives in the base, and as such it feels more like an Eau de Cologne than an Eau de Toilette-- not a problem though, because for many situations I prefer a cologne to have modest sillage. It does smell great. Aside from the wonderfully prominent anise note, Eau du Badian is also a good grapefruit scent. I also heartily recommend the Eau du Badian shower gel. I've often wondered what all was in this scent, and I've just seen the list of notes for the first time-- I can definitely smell the maté and green tea. But the anise is tops.

Now I need a Harvey Wallbanger!

3rd April, 2008.

Top – lemon, grapefruit, clary sage, basil
Mid – green tea, star anise, fig, lentiscus
Base – maté, blackcurrant, tarragon, liatrix
(from L’Occitane product information)
Badian is a crisp, very fresh scent. Pleasantly sharp and energetic, it reminds me of T&H Freshman or Burberry’s Weekend. I like Freshman better, but this is a reasonable alternative.

22nd June, 2007.