Reviews of C16 (2008)
by Indult

Light, slightly rubbery, slightly indolic, slightly skanky and somehow slightly clean. While the fragrance C16 is named after a certain musk molecule with 16 carbon atom bonds, there's no doubt in my mind that this is in fact a musk cocktail, and not simply the musk molecule "C16." To my surprise and delight, the fragrance progresses from one musk to another, starting with a bit of skank similar to the musk in Kiehl's Original Musk and eventually drying down to a clean white musk similar to Les Nez's L'Antimatiere. While C16 is a wonderful achievement, the actual smell of it somehow never "wowed" me. I think my expectations may have been too high to begin with, but I just couldn't get over the feeling of "so what."

With so much hype and such a nice marketing spiel by Colette, I was kind of disappointed that the fragrance itself was just "nice." So I began to wonder if maybe I was missing something. After all, only a certain percentage of the population can smell certain musks in all their glory. So I thought back to my experience with the king of musks, Musc Koublai Kahn... Ah yes, it smelled to me like unwashed genitals. When I consider the fact that some people liken MKK to soapy flowers, there's no way I have any problems smelling musk.

So now that we have that behind us, you ask: what does someone with no musk anosmia think about C16? Well, it's certainly a work of art and very enjoyable. Now would I pay 250$ for a bottle? Probably not.

8/10

This is like the musk of angelic creatures. When they list 'crystalline musk' as a note, I never really know what they are talking about, but it should be C16. It is transparent and ethereal, lighter than air, but with a steel belted-tenacity on the skin. It is musk without the skank, but exuding warmth and sensuality. It is a very light scent, and to my nose quite linear. Initially I thought I might be anosmic to it, but it comes alive with the warmth of skin. Perfect alone, it is also great layered with gourmands and orientals and spices. Heavenly.