Green (2008)
by Byredo

Beyredo’s Green opens on a barrage of sage, galbanum, petitgrain, and aldehydes so unrelievedly bitter and prickly they make me want to sneeze. (Marvelous!) These challenging top notes are soon joined by a crisp, yet sweet citrus and a touch of jasmine, which combine in a lovely, lively honeysuckle reconstruction reminiscent of Annick Goutal’s Le Chèvrefeuille.

If Green sustained this uplifting citrusy green floral accord for more than half an hour or so, I’d consider it a triumph. Unfortunately it doesn’t, devolving instead into a very ordinary soapy floral blend over a super-clean laundry detergent musk. After the promise of that bold entrance and the charming first act, the drydown is a cramped and dowdy anticlimax. A very frustrating scent.

Fresh, "Green paste" composed of Sage with a good amount of Jasmine mashed forms the heart of this scent. Sage is quite amplified (much more than let me play the Lion)...the honeysuckle note, like Jaime said, is the one which tilts the equation and it reminded me of the Serge Lutens Chergui A must try for lovers of green scents.

My second favourite from this line but that’s not saying a lot.

The problem is that the composition fails to say anything that hasn’t already been said before. It smells like many other green niche scents currently on the market – the notes indicate that this may not be the case but this is contrary to reality. The violet notes do make brief appearances, every once in a while, but this is simply not enough to differentiate itself from similar offerings.

If you’re looking for a quality green scent, you’d be better off trying Sisley’s excellent Eau de Champagne, or one of the many green offerings from both MPG and Diptyque.

[Original submission date: 05 July 2008]

A wonderful fragrance that is true to its name. A beautiful, masculine green spring and summer fragrance that is very special and very desirable. Not much more needs to be said. It smells wonderfully natural and easy to wear. Very expensive, but this is a very companionable product.

Could have so been made by Diptyque, not purely green but more of a floral, thr drydown is good and lasts quite a long time.

The base notes of almond and musk conspire with the sage and honeysuckle to construct a green note with a curious edge to it which is half herbaceous (the sage) and half powdery (almond, tonka, musk). The honeysuckle is an offbeat stroke of genius here: honeysuckle wood shares a note in common with catnip, nepetalactone, which has both a pithy-woody smell and herbal note. While the construction of this scent is fascinating, the overall impression is a bit odd. That's not necessarily bad, if you like odd, and I occasionally do. This isn't cheap, and I bought it, so in this case, I guess I like odd.