Pétroleum by Histoire de Parfums, 2011

Petroleum is unique. This creative masterpiece deserves all the hypes that just a fragrance destined to become a cult one is worthy to receive. I needed to wait a long time before finally testing a juice that intrigued me since when i've heard about its inception. This fragrance is conceptually futuristic but arcane in the olfactory effects, extremely modern and deeply retro at once. I would talk about a gasolinic and ozonic aoud-amber-patchouli concoction. At the first sniff i'm in a while teleported back in to an obscure ambience of my childhood, probably my old aunt's bedroom, a shadowy, stuffy, musty, vaguely polluted and claustrophobic place full of wallpapers, old wardrobes, stored furs, leatherwears, smell of naphthalene and fuggy air. I smell on my wrist a potpourri of leather, mothballs, floral deodorants, detergent, moquettes, old velvets, boot polish (i detect indeed in this phase a vague reminiscence about by Kilian Pure Oud) and aldehydic grandma colognes. The first part of the development is medicinal, citric (mostly orangy) and vaguely spicy/earthy with its well calibrated dose of petrol, gasoline and high quality aoud while in a second phase the stark aroma tames down becoming an absolutely velvety, mysterious and vintage rosey/ambery wake with musky accents. In this phase you can effectively detect some airy/ozonic/mineral presence in the blend, the touch of genius which, while enhancing utterly the mystery of amber with its salty aftertsmell, introduces a lighter salty/sweet vibe that pushes up in the air the rosey/velvety ( spelaean and metallurgical at once) trail. Arcane and modern i write and indeed the final aroma reminds me at once an old stuffy ambience of my past or my latest visit to the dentist (with the typical waiting room medicinal smell jumping to mind). All can i say is that as a lover of weird and experimental alchemies, this evocative and futuristic aroma climbed in a while the highest peaks of my olfactory liking.

Very nice composition here in Pétroleum by Histoire de Parfums. I find it difficult to call out given notes for most of the scent's development as it is so well-blended, no notes really call attention to themselves until the dry down, save the Oud. I find it more a scent with an *accord* that is quite identifiiable, and very true to its name. Pétroleum reminds me very much of clean smelling petrol with extremely subtle hints of rose as a distant supporting note well in the background. I don't find Pétroleum to be a loud or controversial scent at all, but rather a nice pleasant scent that is distinctive, while being quite wearable and versatile at the same time. The dry down is primarily a clean musk, mixed with the remnants of the petrol accord that now takes a supporting role, coupling with a very subtle leather. Sillage is about average and longevity is excellent. My only gripe with Pétroleum is the price. When you can buy classics like Fahrenheit in their vintage form for less than half the cost of Pétroleum, it is a much harder sell to get me from the "appreciation" column to the "buy" column. Still, while both scents share a petrol vibe (albeit different smelling ones with completely different execution to my nose) this is absolutely no Fahrenheit clone at all, and if you can afford it, Pétroleum is well worth an addition to one's collection. Tied with Amber 114 as my favorite scent from the brand to date at 4 to 4.5 stars out of 5.

Petroleum is pretty bizarre indeed being entirely built and conceived on juxtapositions. Resinous and intense but at the same time sort of fresh and "ozonic", deep and obscure but surrounded by aldehydic notes, dark and animalic yet "clear" and somehow light. All the elements are handled in an almost "unseen" way. The oud/rose combo is nowhere similimar or somehow close to any of the previous interpretations of the accord, It's amphasized in its woody freshness avoiding the burnt-sugar and medicinal effect. Rose is detectable but masterfully blended with the rest. Deepness is provided by a consistent dose of resinous notes while civet juxtaposed to aldehydes and ozonic hints gives birth to a destabilizing and pleasantly dissonant accord during the musky/ambery drydown. The base. This is the real point of strength of Petroleum. Petroleum is not just wearable, is extremely wearable and a true standout. The fragrance has a nice projection but it never become overwhelming or claustrophobic. It has a remarkable presence but, fortunately, is not overpowering as I expected. Lately I've noticed a mineral quality to it that adds even more complexity. Surely a winner for me and among the best releases of the year but I believe this is going to be a polarizing fragrance because of its ozonic undertones which, together with aldehydes, create a bizarre juxtaposition with the rest. Paradoxically there's no challenging power coming from the supposed petrol note (which is definitely more mineral/natural smelling than the gasoline-like accord of, let's say, Fahrenheit, Nostalgia or even Knize Ten). The ozonic aspect, instead, adds a slightly weird and destabilizing nuance that may result off-putting to someone. IMO it perfectly blends with the rest adding a compelling, sort of off-centre, aspect. Overall Petroleum has a very distinctive character and, just like many of the HDP compositions, it perfectly achieves an incredible balance between traditional perfumery and modernity. Full bodied but somehow weightless.