Reviews of Intrigant Patchouli 08 (2005)
by Parfumerie Generale

Gritty & "Dry" accord of patchouli weaves around you in it's opening notes with barely any hint of sweetness. Notes so gritty, it feels as if one were inside a tobacco shop; those which sells tobacco for pipe and chewing purpose..? the openin accord is as pronouced as standing inside one. as with all PG's it takes an hour or so to resolve it's differences and spread evenly with layers of notes gleaming from underneath.
By Mid notes - IP reveals a very musty, almost animalic note under the spiced up powdery accord of patchouli. Patch is pretty much softened by now and to an extent one can easily seek some comfort in the vanillic ambery sweetness. the sharp contrast of notes between being gritty & Raw in it's opening to sweet init's drydown is very typical of PG. i guess he really likes his scents to progress in stages, stages which are visible and are often in sharp contrasts to it's preceding accords.

Parfumerie Generale Intrigant Patchouli

For those of us who grew up in the 70's our first exposure to exotic oils probably took place in a "head shop". That store of illicit smoking paraphenalia and along with that went incense and essential oils. The most pungent of those oils was patchouli but there were hints of others underneath the smell of patchouli which created a signature "head shop" fragrance. Pierre Guillaume in 2005's Intrigant Patchouli has faithfully recreated the smell of a "head shop" circa 1975. The only question is do you want to smell like that? Intrigant Patchouli gets right down to business form the first spritz as patchouli comes right to the front and for most of the development of this scent stays right there, center stage. There are supporting notes of sandalwood, cinnamon, and vanilla; which is appropriate becasue these were also common essential oils available in any "head shop". Intrigant Patchouli never really evolves from that strong accord from beginning to end, on me. Which makes it the only linear scent I've experienced from Parfumerie Generale. Like most of the Parfumerie Generale line this has above average longevity and average sillage. The funny thing I've learned is that while I like the smell of the "head shop" I realize I don't want to smell like a "head shop"

If you like patchouli you do need to try it. Smooth amber patchouli. Very strong but not overpowering. It's almost a straight up patchouli but is a little sweet. Crazy stuff. There are attempts of spices, vanilla and other typical Parfumerie Generale accords to soften the patchouli but they are just background noise and the patchouli remains.

An astonishing patchouli fragrance that lasts a long while on me. Nothing like the old 'patchouli oil' from the seventies. It's very 'eastern' though with a melange of spices drifting on its coat tail. A lovely sweetened drydown completes what is imo a major fragrance. It reminds me slightly of Creeds Royal Delight, but I will take IP anytime. In fact, I hope to never be without this wonderful fragrance.
A beacon of light amongst a sea of dross.

On application has a very calming effect on me, the patchouli and the sandalwood coming together in a slightly heady harmony. Not sweet at all, plentifully meditative and superiorly full bodied as all PG fragrances are with terrific lasting...we're talking 8+ hours with just 2 medium sprays. While it manages to smell sufficiently complex to my nose, I do not find it "sexy" or "exotic" however. It's simply "down to earth" and stays that way on my skin.

The opening presents a powerful sweetened patchouli with spices, amber, and more patchouli. This is much more patchouli than I usually desire in a fragrance, and it certainly is dressed up in spices, woods, and amber. It comes on powerfully dark, but quickly settles down to a shadow of its former self – it remains dry and even a bit bitter except for that bit of sharp sweetness that is typical of honey / amber accords – Lutens dry… stirred, not shaken. I can’t really smell the sandalwood, but it is apparently there, providing a solid woody platform for the rawness of the patchouli and the aggressiveness of the animalic musk. There is also a strong medicinal element is the mix. Even at its reduced middle level, the patchouli accord is a little too aggressive as far as I’m concerned. The dry down is excellent; the sweetness of the base finally amalgamates with the rawness of the patchouli into refined accord: the patchouli is no longer fighting the sweetness. Intrigant Patchouli 08 has an excellent drydown, but it seems to have lost its sillage and longevity. This is a well made, balanced, thoroughly masculine fragrance...It just doesn't speak my language. The reviewers who voted thumbs up have made excellent pro-IT cases, and this fragrance is a must test for any patchouli lover.

Soaring patchouli opens this scent followed by a sour animalic musk note that is intriguing indeed. The effect is raw animalic patchouli that is a wonderful patchouli fragrance that is a character. But, the story continues to develop with middle notes remiscent of Indian spices of some type giving this a strong Indian temple incense feel to it. Sandalwood emerges in the drydown taking the fragrance more into mixed incense incense memories. You could be at a temple in Agra back in the U.S. at a commune in the Haight district during the 60's - sitar music in the background then swept away with smoke of nag champa, patchouli, sandalwood incense mixed in with some aromatic spices (ginger, saffron?) from the kitchen. A strong cultural mind shift comes with this fragrance. One of the more interesting incense patchouli fragrances that triggers lots of memories of the past - all good!

Intrigant Patchouli is intriguing indeed, with one of the most interesting developments I've experienced in some time. It marches in as a sweet, somewhat ambery patchouli with subtle and exotic fruit and floral notes hovering in the background. The floral notes strengthen over time, and even threaten to become overly heady, but the steady, clear patchouli and an undercurrent of very animalic musk offer an effective counterweight and keep the composition nicely balanced.

Yes, I do find something of the headshop in this scent, particularly as it gains in sweetness over the first hour of wear. Happily, I also sense some powder and faintly astringent spice deep in the background, and these notes lend the heart accord a sense of cleanliness not always found in patchouli-based scents.

The drydown takes a superb surprise turn from animalic patchouli toward powdery amber and vanilla to finish up soft, sweet and civilized, with just a hint of licentiousness lingering in the amber. Intrigant Patchouli has quickly risen to the top of my patchouli list.

One of my favorite, possibly my #1, "patchouli" fragrance. The patchouli here is tame; it's present, more so than say L'Artisan's Patchouli Patch, but it's under control, restrained. The scent unfolds quite a bit, getting darker and sweeter the longer it wears. Like many other PG scents, there is an animalic muskiness that persists throughout, adding a warmth and edgy dirtiness to the scent. The darkness of of it all makes the name seem very appropriate. Balancing the thickness and darkness is a ginger note that adds an unexpected medicinal vibe and brings an uplifting, modern twist to notes that otherwise would remind me of dirty hippies shagging in the weeds somewhere. It's interesting - modern and classic all at once. I wish it lasted a little longer, but overall the lasting power is not bad, just not what I'd expect of a patchouli fragrance in what I think is EDP strength. Still, well worth checking out.