Reviews of Nasomatto Duro (2007)
by Nasomatto

Duro is my favourite scent from this relatively new house.

The opening to this woody-leather creation starts out slightly sweet and spicy (vaguely similar to SL’s Cèdre) but this is quite brief. Within seconds, the sweetness subsides to allow the leather notes to emerge. As it develops towards the drydown, the composition becomes a tad darker with the leather becoming even more apparent (but collaborating with the woody notes rather than overwhelming them). A slightly pungent, almost blunt, note does make an appearance shortly afterwards but I’m assuming this is just the leather kicking into gear. After a short while, all the notes meld together and continue to perform harmoniously.

All in all, it’s a very pleasant high-quality scent but (once again) its longevity doesn't justify the hefty price tag (nor its claim that's it's a parfum extrait).

[Original submission date: 01 August 2008]

Leather and woods. Very thick in composition (and price! good lord!). Very strong and long lasting. Feels like a retro modern scent, like those leather chypres from days of yore but made with aromachemicals and different accords namely some oud. So, we have oud, leather and woods and together, while nice smelling, won't be appealing to all. Try before you buy (as with all fragrances). I love a good woods based scent but I'm not too keen on this one due to price and a tad too much oud.

This scent is constructed mainly of an overdose of an off-the-shelf aromachemical "Oud Base" made by Firmenich company . This chemical was intended to be rounded and complexified by natural ingredients or other accords to soften it, and it was never intended to be used in such a huge dose by itself.
Nasomatto did attempt to round it with a bit of Suederol to give it a leathery feel, but failed to overcome the bludgeon of the overdose of Oud base. This is a clumsy fragrance to those familiar with its components.

It could redeem this to use half a spritz layered with something more complex with sandalwood or incense, I suppose. But for the price, this fragrance should be a masterpiece on its own.