Reviews of Caron Impact Pour un Homme (2005)
by Caron

I agree with the other reviewers – what made the original so special has been lost somewhere along the way. Its longevity is also very disappointing for an EDP.

And I really had high hopes for this one.

[Original submission date: 29 December 2007]

this is pour un homme concentrated- a huge bunch of vanilla and lavender- not more not less! to me nothing outstanding, special or unique.Again a reformulation that fails.The Original of 1954 was great but this is a poor and bad mixture of the ingredients of pour un homme-by the way a really good scent!

Not nearly as pleasant to me as the original, and I am not particularly a huge fan of that either.
Here is another fine example of the fact that higher concentration doesn’t always work for perfumes favour.

I miss the more open and nuanced character of the original. Impact is really dense, “tight” and even stuffy. Although the original was already very simple lavender vanilla blend, this one seems to me even simpler. It smells cheap to my nose, unfinished and not compelling by any means. It is just a most simple and not especially well balanced powdery blast of lavender, vanilla, amber and musk. Any development whatsoever and much more importantly, the smell isn’t that classy or characteristic - it is boring and totally pointless.

And believe it or not, I get more lasting power from the original juice, not to mention sillage….

I prefer this to Pour Un Homme. The top notes are toned down and the amber toned up. It is somewhat less vanillic. It is smoother and lacks some of the dirt and acerbic quality of the the original. The sillage is controlled and even. The persistence very good.

I find excellence in the way the base and middle hold the fresh lavender for a long time in balance with the balsamic base and vanilla for a very pleasing, steady accord. Highly comforting and bright at the same time.

Wonderful stuff.

I love lavender. I don't like this. I have a closet of lavender flowers and leaves drying to make for sachets to give as Christmas gifts... this smells just like that closet, Potent and musty. Once I crush the leaves and insert them into their new cloth homes, their scent will blossom into a fine, herbal lavender. This is RAW lavender but unfortunately it is unpleasant at times.

Caron has dropped the reference to Pour un Homme from the title. It's now just called "Impact."

I always felt that PuH was one of the strongest EDT's ever (one spray will do you) so I don't quite get the why of an EDP version. It isn't bad but it seems redundant. PuH is more interesting. Impact was a straight line from application to dry down to complete fade.

Buy it as a curiosity only. Stick to PuH otherwise.

"Sir, have you by chance layered your Mark Birley over the top of Caron's classic Eau de Toilette for men?", my trusted valet asked me, once again betraying his exceptional nose, perhaps better even than mine.

Impact opens softer than PuH with respect to the sour lavender note, but with an airy, ozone-like nature not unlike Mark Birley for Men. Ironically, however, Impact holds the lavender note longer into the evolution, until it is gradually replaced by vanilla and late entrees by both amber and musk. The airy, ozone-like character rapidly diminishes about 30 minutes after application. Impact is less complicated than PuH, with none of the citrus topnotes of the classic EDT, nor any sage or rose that I can perceive. While this is certainly unoffensive and likable, it stays very close to the body and does not have very good longevity for an EDP strength scent. For these reasons, I must assign this a rather rare neutral mark.

Wicozani

I tried a sample of this at Les Senteurs in London. I use Pour Un Homme as a business fragrance and was so looking forward to experiencing 'Impact'.

Overall, I found it disappointing and non-distinctive. Yes, the warm amber undertone is there, but the freshness and sharpness of the original is lost.

Back to the original!