Noir Patchouli
by Histoire de Parfums

Where’s the patchouli? Come to think of it, where’s the noir? Never has a scent been more misnamed.

I know it’s wrong to get hung-up on the name, but it must be said that Noir Patchouli lacks both darkness and patchouli. In fairness, it opens with a well-blended patchouli, but then many scents blend in a spoonful of patch for that element of earthiness and depth. There is not a hint of headshop here. It’s about cardamom and vanilla, with a hint of flowers and some vetiver. Frankly, the cardamom saves the day. I know it gets a bit leathery as it dries down, but I get more candy than leather.

Noir Patchouli is blending at its most skillful, but I’d prefer it if it was more of a vile, stinky beast. A mix of patchouli, cardamom, vetiver and leather sounds glorious to me. Put together differently (thrown together, actually) you’d have a sweaty, dirty patchouli frag, although I can see why Histoires de Parfums wanted to avoid this. Noir Patchouli is about creating a refined, original scent from overbearing, clichéd ingredients. It’s genius, but doesn’t move me.

1st January, 2012.

A different take on a overused theme. Noir Patchouli opens with an hypnotizing spices and patchouli combo that serves as a fantastic example of how to treat patchouli leaves avoiding the "head-shop" effect. Floral patterns add a "classic" vibe and some complexity while a slight dose of vanilla works as a perfect refinement. As the fragrance evolves a remarkable chypre structure emerges from the back leading this composition to a dark, leathery/woody drydown that's at the same time misterious and extremely wearable.

Once again Histoires De Parfums confirms its status as one of the best outfits in modern/contemporary perfumery while Noir Patchouli jumps directly at the top of its genre with no esitation. Great!

2nd September, 2011.

A dark, intense patchouli supported by spices provides the opening… The spices, middle florals and middle juniper berries appear immediately to give the patchouli a powerful depth. The bite is a bit sharper than what I usually find in patchouli, but the difference only makes this accord more intriguing. This opening / heart combination with its dramatic patchouli accord continues for an impressive length of time. The patchouli in Patchouli Noir presents a woody aroma in a form that could almost compete with oud for complexity, density, and aromatic delivery. But after the movement into the base, the sillage declines... The base has lost its aromatic impact and grows denser with an addition of a warm musk and some firm doses of vetiver and leather. The sillage impact of the fragrance is almost gone and the deep base accord sits brooding next to the skin. Noir Patchouli lasts with adequate sillage for a long enough run and then exhibits very good longevity as a skin scent. Impressive.

4th March, 2011.

Noir Patchouli starts indefinable for me. It’s sweet enough and pleasant enough but I am afraid I cannot fully appreciate it from the start. I get the spiciness and woodiness but on my skin it feels a bit soapy; luxurious but still soapy. As time passes Noir Patchouli mellows but remains indefinable… it could just be that I am not a patchouli guy. I am, however, a vetiver guy and the dry down of this offering from Histoires de Parfums includes some very agreeable notes such as vetiver, musc and vanilla … ok and leather. Luckily for me it is the delicate sharpness of vetiver that starts the pleasant twist into delight. The opening sweetness is subdued and the composition calms down into very lasting and pleasant warm and spicy woods, and even later into vanilla, resinous and leathery accords. This turns out to be as complex as most offerings from Histoires de Parfums; still perfumery of high finesse. I love the dry down!

27th July, 2010. (Last Edited: 31st July, 2010.)

Delicious dark patchouli/leather scent that's complex but smooth & a little dry, only a touch of sweetness(mostly from the florals). The patchouli doesn't take over, there's no head shop feel. I find this scent very similar to the base of L’Arte di Gucci, but richer & deeper, less musk & only a lil rose. Slightly masculine but great flavor! will be fun to layer with too..

notes: patchouli, cardamom, and coriander/ patchouli, floral bouquet, juniper berry, black pepper/ patchouli, musk, vetiver, moss, leather, and vanilla

17th March, 2010.

I'll 'fess up - I love the vanillic accord that seems to run through a number of Histoire de Parfums' releases. But I had expected NOIR PATCHOULI to be darker, grittier, sombre. Instead it comes across as a pleasant, lightly musky and dirty rose scent. It plays a little too safe when its name grants it the licence to thrill, to push boundaries to the very edge. And when it finally gets darker in the second hour, it is only by a shade, the patchouli gaining more prominence. Objectively speaking, however, Noir Patchouli actually smells good enough for a thumbs up. Just leave those expectations at the door.

28th October, 2009. (Last Edited: 29th October, 2009.)