Reviews of Cyprès-Musc (1948)
by Creed

Here's one of those scents that I can respect, but not enjoy. Cypres-Musc roars out of the bottle with bold conifer and lavender, riding on a tidal wave of soap. This opening is forcefully masculine in a very old-fashioned way, and smells to me both like a barbershop and like the freshly cleaned men's room at a pretentious luxury hotel. A mossy foundation soon becomes apparent, and while the lavender subsides the cypress and soap settle heavily atop the moss.

It's well over an hour before the musk makes itself known on me, and when it does it's very clean and blends right in with the brisk cypress. Cypres-Musc persists for some time on me and offers plenty of sillage. While it's great to have a Creed fragrance that lasts for more tha na couple of hours, I have to admit that this one is just too soapy for me. Give me dirt any time.

Notes:

Top: Bergamot
Heart: Cypress, Galbanum
Base: oakmoss, ambergris, musk

Originally created for french actor Maurice Chevalier in 1948, Cypres-Musc (CM) is a gritty, manly yet at the same time beautiful fragrance.

While most cypress, cedar or juniper dominated scents come off as one dimensional and incomplete, CM succeeds because of its brilliant rendition of a high quality cypress note. The cypress is allowed to showoff with minimal interference by complementary notes. It’s obvious from the get go, and is punctuated by hints of citrus and herbal notes to create a refreshing coniferous experience without being too lumberjack. When drydown approaches, the cypress has mellowed in intensity, and a “green” musk with layers of moss indicates that its time to stop hunting deer and head home and relax infront of the fireplace.

So why the neutral rating? (Creed) Epicea. While based on the essence of Russian pine, I feel that Epicea overlaps with certain characteristics of CM. To my nose, pine and cypress share some olfactory vibrations. While less piney than Epicea, there is a certain degree of similarity between the two. Epicea renders a realistic pine note supported by clove and spices while CM is more categorical in its execution. Part of the private collection CM is also far more expensive, and hard to come by in 2.5 oz. bottles. Epicea, being an EDT, can be had for much less. With that said, if you are looking for one of the most exquisite cypress notes in perfumery, CM is a must try.