Number 3 / Le 3me Homme / The Third Man (1985)
by Caron

I didn't like this at first but I eventually came to love it. The opening can sometimes be challenging but it's worth it to get to the elegant drydown. I definitely get the Egoiste references (rose, vanilla) but this isn't quiet as good IMO. An easy thumbs up, none the less.

Fragrantica's note structure is more accurate than listed here. There is big citrus in this. A lot of lemon. Don't believe me? If you're having difficulty catching it, smell the fragrance on your skin through a garment and tell me there's no lemon.

Of there's plenty of lavender, herbs and spices but the fact that no one has listed citrus and only 2 out of 56 have mentioned the resemblance to Egoiste is puzzling to me. How they could miss such a note? Well, for one it's being overpowered my this concoction's burdensome mixture of overwhelming fragrance dynamos. It's stranglehold on your olfactory sense is damn near unbearable. Vetiver and lavender being a one-two punch to the nose really deadens your senses to the nuances of the other, more refined notes. Namely the lemon.

I think at half-power this fragrance could really be something special but the way it is now it just causes headaches and anosmia and a desire to curl up into a ball in the shower, rocking back and forth, crying into the night.

Opens very floral with dark spices. Lavender/spice > floral/amber/woody >beautiful amber tonka drydown. Powerful open and midnotes. classy. Makes you feel underdressed. elegant. Two sprays max until you get to know it. One of my top ten.

The best male fragrance from Caron in my opinion. 'Pour un Homme' is a pretty much straightforward lavender (not my cup of tea), Yatagan (way too harsh for me) and L'Anarchiste (alright if you like a mixture of blood oranges and copper -- a bit weird). The lavender is strong in the top of the Third Man, but bearable -- the floral middle is ok, but not exactly subtle -- in fact the whole fragrance is a bit pushy. No, really I could bypass the first 3 or 4 hours quite happily. The drydown is where it's at and the metamorphosis is quite astonishing -- it's like a different scent. All the basenotes combine to produce a drydown that is breathtaking and flawless in it's beauty.

May 2007:

I have a huge problem with Caron’s men’s fragrances. My problem? I tried Yatagan first. How any fragrance house could adequately follow Yatagan’s magnificent savagery is hard to imagine. The outrageous animalism of Lutens and Sheldrake’s Muscs Kublai Khan? The ethereal beauty of Dominique Ropion’s Carnal Flower? The briny austerity of Creed’s Erolfa? The barbaric opulence of Montale’s Black Aoud? Caron’s answer was The Third Man.

The Third Man opens with a potent, but fairly standard lavender and bergamot accord, underscored by just a hint of woods and smoky leather. The middle notes include a very sharp cedar, some lush vanilla or tonka, and a hefty dose of carnation or clove on top of the persistent lavender. I sense some rose at the heart, too, accented by a deep fennel seed or anise note. The drydown is mostly moss and woods, with lingering anise and a distinct vanilla/musk counterpoint. The result is an outstanding fragrance, but very heavy and opaque, in the manner of Creed’s Santal Imperial and Bois du Portugal.

Temperamentally, The Third Man is the exact opposite of the wild Yatagan: rich, and cultured, but also utterly conventional. Me? I’ll take Yatagan.

September 2009:

Wearing The Third Man today, I am reminded how very good it is. I have been unduly hard on The Third Man for not being Yatagan, or even L'Anarchiste, but to tell the truth, this scent is just as successful in filling its admittedly more conventional brief as either of those other two. What ultimately makes The Third Man special for me is the drydown, with its perfectly judged balance of vanilla, moss, and warmly animalic musk. In fact there's almost something of a classic Guerlain structure in those base notes. Promoted from a neutral rating for its beauty and utility.

This is probably the only ‘80s scent that I’ve seriously considered adding to my wardrobe.

The sweet floral-woody composition has aged far better than most of the men’s releases from the same decade. I find its sweetness quite alluring and never cloying, with the floral notes providing an almost berry-like presence during the drydown. Unfortunately, I haven’t really tested it enough to determine its longevity but its sillage is reasonably moderate. This is an extremely well-blended scent and more than deserves its classic status.

However, a part of me fears that I would easily get bored of this. Therefore, with the smallest bottle being 125ml, I’m still on the fence about purchasing it. However, I’m still giving it a thumbs up because it’s such a wonderful and unique ‘80s release.

[Original submission date: 10 April 2008]