Francesco Smalto pour Homme (1987)
by Francesco Smalto

Francesco Smalto Pour Homme opens on a fresh note — slightly green, somewhat citric, more aromatic than green-herbal: It’s a nice opening but I personally don’t care for the anise note that, to me, muddies up the freshness of the opening a bit. The opening is an interesting accord, though — it is rustic, masculine, and discreet – actually quite unique. In the heart notes, the aromatics grow somewhat stronger, moving into a true herbal / green — richer than the opening, but retaining discretion and centered in a soft smoky ambiance. The dry down is an example of a genuine rustic fougere: moss, hay and leather. I love the hay note, and although I usually don’t like leather in a fragrance, the leather here seems to work okay for me. This was once my favorite fragrance, and after all these years, I still find it interesting and I wear it once in a while. It is ultra-masculine, and it performs well on the skin with very good longevity. (Edit of 04 October 2005 review. Changed from a thumb’s up.)

I love this fragrance ..........I only discovered it about six months ago as a blind purchase on shopping TV of all places and have to say I was plesantly surprised ....................it has a lovely fresh opening which turns to a very plesant green fragrance ......not to strong but with great staying power ........ highly recomended buy if you can find it as it is unfortunatly discontinued

Decent woody fougere. It's a little more "fresh" and green than a typical fougere and it's also quite potent. Pleasant scent.

Smalto, you still make me weak!
(sigh!)
Discontinued - but fortunately it is still obtainable on eBay.

Insidious chimney smoke and sweet herbal combo which bears the unmistakable hallmarks of a kitchen fire.

Francesco Smalto comes on as a truckload of soapy lavender, eventually underpinned by cedar, anise, and bergamot. The note pyramid claims leather in the base, but it must be deeply buried under the heap of moss, residual lavender, and coumarin that leaves Smalto smelling like a classic, padded shoulders 1980s fougere. The coumarin note expands over time, so that Francesco Smalto sweetens substantially as it ages. (Unlike the reviewer.) The drydown of moss, amber, and woods is notable for not smelling as cheap or aggressively chemical as that of many recent fougere scents.

While it smells convincingly “natural,” Francesco Smalto is a loud scent, and a bit crude as well. I can’t deny that it makes an impact, but I don’t think it smells terribly original in comparison to the many other rugged fougeres of its decade. I certainly won’t put myself through contortions to obtain it now that it’s discontinued. If you like this sort of fragrance, I think Azzaro pour Homme and Lauder for Men perform the same act with more flair and finesse, and both have the advantage of being in production and available for relatively little money.