Blanche by Byredo, 2009

I was disappointed with this because it smelled like dryer sheets. The lasting power is the only thing good about it.

Often, I encounter a fragrance that has been designed with the express idea of coupling its wagon to the smell of freshly laundered clothing. Byredo have taken this route with Blanche, and although it at no times causes even a hint of repugnance in me, it is a rather contrived attempt to bring the essence of sun-kissed cotton to the niche market. For those that remember the original Cerruti Pour Homme, the dainty aldehydic floral accords will feel very familiar. It is genuinely gender neutral, though I find it difficult to imagine a suitable recipient for such a one dimensional fragrance. Perhaps a clean freak could wear it as a defence against an accusution of poor personal hygiene. This is the sort of fragrance I expect to emerge from the labs at Procter and Gamble and not from the often innovative chaps at Byredo.

Nice, clean fragrance but to me it smells like Tide, the laundry detergent; a rather expensive buy if the end result is the same as putting your clothes in the washer. Longevity is ok; I think it lasted ~5-6 hours on my wrists.

Byredo`s rendering of a white theme scares me. From the first note until the end of the scent on skin Blanche seems like a sucession of home and bath offerings. At first, you have an awful synthetic pear note, then it goes on a white cheap soap direction and ends with a smell that you sniff after your clothes are ironed using one of that products that makes easier ironing. If you want something similar to Blanche, you can just spray directly that fragrance on your body. You`ll save tons of money.