Acqua di Parma Profumo (1930)
by Acqua di Parma

This is a review for the reformulation which was done in 2008 by Nathalie Lorson. This new version is like Rochas Femme having undergone the same treatment as, say, Diorella did in Amouage's Jubi 25. It smells like a Roudnitska classic but reinterpreted for Cleopatra. It's got that whole ancient vibe about it that you still get in attars from the Mid-East (am thinking in particular of Amouage Ohood), but it's lightened up so that the fragrance breathes. Mature, feminine, classic.

Green and floral chypres have been my 'thing' lately, and Profumo is one of the best I've come across. There is a distinct rose/plum topnote grafted onto the chypre structure that is simply fantastic. It is similar in style to Guerlain's discontinued Parure, but it's not as bright and cheery as Parure. After about 30-40 minutes the rosey/plumy notes fade and a long drawn-out oakmoss drydown emerges that meanders for hours. This may be one of the best oakmoss bases of any fragrance made today. There is an elegance and stateliness to Profumo that must be experienced. Many re-issues of classic fragrances are nothing but pale reflections of their former selves, but this is one that could easily confuse for a 30s era fragrance. Excellent and required for chypre fans. A Neimans SA told me there is a reformulated version now available (because of oakmoss restrictions? She didn't say). I can't attest to the newest version.

On a side note, the presentation is fantastic. The bottles sits in a pedestal base with a slot for the bulb sprayer attachment. The art-deco ribbed glass bottle - sans label - is one of the best looking on my shelf.

If John Sargent Singer's 'Madame X' could wear a perfume, Profumo would be her choice. An elegant chypre that was reformulated from the 1930 original in 2008. It is perhaps one of the loveliest chypres on the market and the best reformulation of a classic (ok along with Visa by Piguet) Brava!

Marvelous chypre. Profumo does for chypre what Joy did for florals. An amazing super accord of flowers, resin, wood, and aromatic herbs. Predictably a bit overwhelming on first application but the drydown is that of a classic chypre, very sophisticated and intriguing yet perfectly behaved. Take it to the opera.

Acqua di Parma Profumo is an exquisitely poised powdery-dry floral chypre. It’s slightly sweeter and softer than Givenchy III, with a creamy iris note that brings to mind Chanel’s 31 Rue Cambon. The Acqua di Parma is drier and lighter than the Chanel however, and also more obviously floral in its heart. It’s definitely not the dark chypre of Mitsouko or Bhagari. Indeed, there is a luminous quality to this scent that I find irresistible. Acqua di Parma Profumo even induces in me that rare wistful sense - so close to heartbreaking - that I experience with Apres l’Ondee and En Passant.

Acqua di Parma Profumo is simply a beautiful thing, a scent that embodies classical perfection: nothing could be added, nor anything removed, that would not diminish it. While it could, I suppose, be unisex, it seems to me so delicately pretty that it belongs on a woman. But there perhaps I’m just being sexist. I suggest anybody with a serious interest in fragrance give this a try. Whether you ultimately want to wear it or not, it’s an outstanding example of balance and proportion in perfume composition.

There is SO much going on here! Profumo almost changes minute-to-minute. For the most part, I love it - delicious chypre with florals and spices (especially cinnamon) playing around the edges and coming forward to take a bow over the course of dry-down. One of the few perfumes with a somewhat powdery base that I actually adore anyway.