L'Anarchiste (2000)
by Caron

One of the most intriguing fragrances that I have ever come across.

A dominant cinnamon smell mixed with some sort of metallic note, resembling the copper bottle (which I have seem some people associating with blood, since we have iron in our erythrocytes)that projects and lasts a very long time. A must try for any man who wants to smell a fabulous creation that sadly went to underground side of fragrances.

Oh, and despite I cannot see the resemblance with blood, I can see the associations with toothpaste at the end of this fragrance, since I can smell a minty aroma in the air.

21st August, 2011.

I am usually attracted to - and fascinated by - controversial scents so naturally I became quite curious about Caron's L'Anarchiste after having read all the buzz about it online. I also intended to buy it blind - not that I had a choice, as Caron products are practically non-existent in Hungary, not even in better-equipped perfumeries have they heard about the brand. Today, my girlfriend completely surprised me with a 100 ml bottle straight from Amazon, and I decided to review it as critically as possible, and try to go mythbuster on the buzzwords "smells like blood", "vampire juice", "gunmetal" and "unwearable".

First of all: the packaging and presentation are striking. I pulled the box out from a Burger King paper bag in our kitchen (it was shoved in next to a couple of burgers as part of the surprise), and I literally stopped mid-movement when I looked at how elegant and well-executed the stuff looks like. The paper, the type-setting, the embossed Artaud quotation in the inner sleeve, not to mention the bottle itself - even more expensive perfumes have never given me that impression. I literally felt like I was coming out of an expensive luxury boutique with the box in my hand. Two thumbs up!

About the scent - I agree that a lot of the reviewers overdo the myth a bit. The first whiff initially struck me as aggressive, in-your-face and crispy, but nothing unbearable. It reminded me a bit of old-school Italian after shaves I used to smell as a kid, a little bit like Malizia or Pino Silvestre. Citrusy, fresh, a little off-beat, but at the heart really unique. The green, crispy notes started to subside almost immediately, and after five minutes or so, the stuff started to work, leaving the orange (which indeed does smell like apple a bit) - and the menthol. Something about the menthol note: maybe I am unaccustomed to it in perfumes (I only use Le Male that has any in it), but for me this thing RADIATES it. Especially on clothes - it's been hours, and the menthol note simply does not leave, even though I'm at the base notes now!

After the top notes have gone, it's interesting to see how the scent gets warmer and warmer, and also more spicy - though the cinnamon note is really subtle and well-blended, so it's not as in-your-face as I thought it would be. I think that's the contrast between the hot and icy notes that most reviewers describe as "disturbing", and although there certainly is a metallic tinge, it reminds me of cold aluminium or iron instead of "blood", "gunmetal" or "rust". It's also almost imperceptible, along with the distinct but well-blended "wood smoke" characteristic - if you look for it, it's pretty much there, but it doesn't stand out at all. It's also too weird and still not sweet enough to be called gourmand. I definitely don't percept it as "apple pie filling", let alone anything edible. This is also the darkest, most "predatory" phase of the juice.

Base notes are slightly musky and have a good measure of cinnamon - and still the menthol - it has a cool, fresh, slightly metallic quality, verging on floral a bit, I can't help thinking about black tea leaves. It's also a bit powdery and definitely dry, but maybe the powder's just my imagination.

I have yet to test it tomorrow for longevity as my nose is getting overwhelmed with the scent, but my girlfriend keeps on telling me how all our three rooms plus the kitchen smells of me wearing this (with all windows open), so the sillage must be insane. I keep losing tracks of scents after a couple of hours when testing, but here I can still distinctly feel it everywhere, I think it's somewhere on the level of Le Male's strength.

What's true about L'Anarchiste is that it's truly a one-of-a-kind scent, there's nothing around that resembles it. I still think that it's not the most rebellious one - though certainly bold - and anyone with a little out-of-line attitude can pull it off with little difficulty (okay, maybe it's just me, so test it first if you can). It's certainly classy, playful and a little-bit two-faced - an excellent brew!

(I'm going to update in the next few days after I'm through with street testing :))

26th July, 2011.

Most of the latest reformulations that Caron made on many great perfumes of their past have been a total disappointment. L'Anarchiste was included in the list but it (somehow) survived to the massacre. In fact, despite beeing reformulated, it still mantain some charm. A fresh opening with a spicy (cinnamon) and slightly metallic apple note joined by mint and a little vetiver (clean interpretation) and laying on a solid woody base. A fantastic, multi-faceted everydays scent that fears no seasons. Buy it before they change the amazing bottle design and the juice and then rename it as "Le Conformist Sport".

21st April, 2011. (Last Edited: 23rd January, 2012.)

I've owned a bottle of l'Anarchiste for about 3 years now. I pull it out every once in a while and wear it for a day, especially when the weather is cold. It is an interesting scent. I'd even recommend buying it, if it sounds like your thing. But - astute readers saw a but coming, and there is one - it is not a really well constructed scent.

Don't get me wrong, there's some sophisticated fragrance chemistry. On me the basic accord is a very juicy candied orange/mint rum punch. In and out of that waft the famous blood or gunmetal or whatever notes every so often, and the whole contraption conceals a really bosso enormous musk basenote quite cunningly.

Yes, it's quite a construction. But it falls short - at least on me and anyone whose body chemistry I can imagine - of blending into the skin in any way at all. It always smells like you're wearing something. That's what a really well constructed cologne does. That's what Caron's storied men's fragrances, PuH, Yatagan and 3eme Homme, do.

So, by all means, buy it. It's great for a particular kind of Christmas party. But if you're going to buy all the Caron men's fragrances (you should) I would buy this fourth.

29th January, 2011.

Incredible – a fizzy, rich cinnamon resting on a base of spices and musk. Simultaneously warm and cool – it has an icy, almost metallic edge that leavens the heat of the cinnamon. Somewhere in there is a trace of mint. Gorgeous and well-blended, and the bottle is a monolithic masterpiece.

I think of this as a more refined, grown-up alternative to the popular synthetic gourmands like A*Men (not that A*Men is bad). Distinctive and elegant. It shares some unidentifiable note with the relatively obscure Captain by Molyneux, though Anarchiste is a MUCH better and more sophisticated fragrance.

27th January, 2011.

Dullah, thanks for alluding to Creed's Baie De Genievre, as this is also one of my favorite colognes, and having just received a bottle of L'Anarchiste, I'm ecstatic. Yes, it has a spiced accord throughout but not overly sweet. In fact it reminds me also somewhat of Bogart's Witness, only much better formulated. A cool, spicy and to my nose reserved dry down that no doubt isn't for everyone, but still I love this stuff. Blood? No. Metallic? Maybe. Certainly unique.

7th October, 2010.