Zeste Mandarine Pamplemousse (1975)
by Creed

The floral notes are too strong in this one, it leans it over sharply to the feminine side of the spectrum. It does smell nice though but it should be on my wife, not me. Longevity and silage are very good.

Creed’s Zeste Mandarine Pamplemousse seemed like a floral for about the first 3 minutes on my skin but then quickly evolved to become a near scent twin to Annick Goutal’s Nuits d’Hadrien. They both have the same rich cumin note which overlays a bed of bergamot and bitter orange. If had had to closely comapre the two, I would say that Nuits d’Hadrien is slightly more dry, aromatic and longer-lasting but I think one would have a hard time figuring out which was which in a “blind” smell-off. I happen to be a long-time bottle owner of Nuits d’Hadrien so of course I love the spicy, uniqueness of Zeste Mandarine Pamplemousse. It would be a wonderful scent to wear in the fall, as the leaves are turning deep shades of orange and red.

If you like enjoy this, also be sure to try Editions Frederic Malle’s Bigarade Concentree for a slightly different interpretation of spicy orange.

Here are the notes of Zeste Mandarine Pamplemousse, courtesy of The Perfumed Court: bergamot, lemon bark, mandarin and grapefruit.

Love the top notes but everything else fades away into oblivion. I feel like I'm wearing the scent equivalent of a date who doesn't call you the next morning or ever again.

Zeste Mandarine Pamplemousse (ZMP) reminds me of two other citrus-based Creeds, namely Citrus Bigarrade and Neroli Sauvage. And of the three, ZMP is the least memorable. ZMP is similar to Citrus Bigarrade (both have citrus and floral notes), but I find the citrus opening in Citrus Bigarrade to be brighter and fresher.

Moving from comparison to description, ZMP opens with a tart, watery citrus. Floral and woody notes then emerge. I get decent longevity out of it, but I don’t find it especially interesting or compelling. I also don’t see it as well-suited for a woman, although Creed lists it as unisex.

Zeste Mandarin Pamplemousse has delightful opening notes. The citrus is really fresh and complex. It is not long-lasting, and that is to be expected in pure and natural citrus elements. The white flowers are an effective cushion for the acidic citrus; they soften it and give it depth. When the citrus runs out, there is a beautiful, haunting note that remains (on me, many hours later). This is a lovely, innocent fragrance, in the same sort of spirit as Mugler Cologne... perhaps even more gentle and shy.

I like this one an awful lot. Extremely fresh, fruity and bright. on first application, it really does smell like I've spilled the fruit juice! Dries to a wondeful rounded fresh scent.

Definitely one for wearing in the daytime, in the summer. Couldn't see myself wearing this for a night out.

Downside - just doesn't last on me at all.