African Queen Pink Panther
by AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo

The initial top notes smell mainly of citrus, orange, mandarine or tangerine, with supporting ripe fruit notes of apricot or peach. Having smelled the single note karo karounde, I recognize this ripe fruit note as the KK floral. On paper, this fragrance has a very persistent and off-putting gasoline note in the mid development. On skin, this is less pronounced, and smells more of a pungent, oily evergreen such as cypress. As the green note develops, the fragrance composition takes on a sweaty quality, almost like a combination bad body odor and urine. This stage does not last terribly long on my skin--the BO quality soon attenuates, and starts developing into a softened evergreen with sweet indolic floral and lingering citrus. Eventually, the karo karounde moves into an overripe fruit stage as I also perceived in the single note--it is sweet fruits and melons on the verge of going bad, and it has a fermented and sligtly meaty quality. The citrus changes significantly, and in this stage adds a tiny bit of sulfuric harshness which is also reminiscent of urine. In the drydown, the overripe fruit becomes quite sweet, but not cloying, and the fragrance as a whole takes on a soft powdery quality.

I must admit, I was really quite afraid to try AQPP on skin. The gasoline scent I smelled on paper was so incredibly harsh and revolting that I did not want it on my body. Now it is clear that this fragrance is one of those that has a very different personality on the skin. I actually find it relatively pleasant, even if it seems to be more of a conceptual composition rather than a daily wear fragrance. In fact, the AQPP drydown is quite gorgeous--soft and sweet fruit with a hint of dry powder and spice. The more challenging part is definitely the mid development when the green notes add an animalic harshness that is simultaneously disgusting and alluring.

27th June, 2009.

AQPP starts off with a bit of tart and mouth watering mandarin, which soon burns off to reveal a combination of Buchu (which provides a strange minty/cat-pee-like note) and Karo Karounde (a flower that smells a bit like flowery leather, but also smells a bit of feet). I’m sure there are other supporting notes, although my nose isn’t well trained enough to isolate them. Overall, AQPP smells like minty, citrusy human skin, glistening with sweat.

AQPP is the type of fragrance that is teetering on a thin line between fantastic and off-putting. I don't particularly want to wear it outside the house, but it's really an interesting fragrance, and quite unique. I definitely suggest giving this a sniff if you want something animalic and exotic, but not particularly dirty.


8.5/10

17th June, 2009. (Last Edited: 11th July, 2010.)