Acaciosa parfum- a Caron

Many thanks for the lovely review, Key! Another Caron I'm not familiar with.

Is that a new one? I've never heard of it either, but it sounds wonderful!

I love Acaciosa at first, but eventually I find the pineapple note starts to cloy. Too sweet.

Then I must have at the very least smelled it on a testing strip. I am pretty sure I tried all of the urns in the NYC boutique. Funny that I have no memory of it! Thanks again for the great description, I'll have to look for a sample.

I Love many Carons!!! Acosiosa was not for me!!! I found it a bit suffocating and reminded me of old ladies who wear perfume to cover up other scents. I think I like the more dark incensey Carons. Nuit de Noel, Narcisse Noir, En Avion, even or et Noir and I'm a huge Alpona fan!!!

Maybe Caron Florals and I do not make for good mates

[smiley=grin.gif]

Haven't tested Alpona yet but NdN smells very warm and cosy to me: it reminds me of log fire and furs for some reason.

Looking forward to reading more your Caron reviews, Key! [smiley=smiley.gif]

Key, thank you for enunciating that: I keep finding I'm having similar reactions to the Caron extraits, and I've wondered if I'm over-partial or over-enthusiastic. I've sampled Caron parfums I wouldn't dream of wearing myself (at least, not to the office) like Fleurs de Rocaille and With Love, and I'm amazed at how I can still feel moved by many of them.

I've been a little afraid of sampling Acaciosa, since I'm never really sure what kind of acacia is supposed to be 'captured' or depicted. The mimosa scents I've encountered are seemingly deceptive: I love them when I catch a whiff from a distance, but a close encounter sends me 'running for the hills'. I may need to overcome my fear sometime in the future, just for the sake of curiosity.

Thanks for the review, Key! I'm really pleased you've taken the Caron plunge!

I have a sample of Acaciosa upon first trying I thought oh this is rather sweet cloying. But a while later decided to try wearing all day. OK I would not consider buying it but it is a lovely warm floral and very elegant.

On me Alpona is wonderful as is Nuit de Noel. Chemistery strikes again!

LOL.....We obviously have opposite skin chemistry or opposite noses.
Its wonderful to have a fragrance opposite!!! we can know if either of us likes a scent the other wont and if either of us hates a scent we should run to try it My Hubby & Dad didn't like the acociosa on me either....both shriveled up their noses and pulled their faces away from my wrist. I must masacre florals or something LOL.....

Diane the floral slayer....

I actually don't hate all florals and there are florals I can wear.....
just not Caron's florals

Thanks for the wonderful review....keep em coming!

I know there are many fans of Caron around here, yet here is a fragrance that so rarely gets mentioned along with bigger names like Tabac Blond and Bellodgia. The last thread on it was from half a decade ago ( ! ), so I thought I'd bring up a chance to revisit and discuss this one.

Personally, I love it, but I have a tendency to fall for "difficult" florals, and Acaciosa is no exception. The top notes of the parfum extrait are almost unpleasant for me, rather musty, aldehydic, waxy, and smelling "old" not in the sense of "vintage" but something that's gone off from hanging around in some dusty attic corner for years. Adding to this, these are top notes of extraordinary tenacity, and it takes a good hour or so for these to dissipate entirely.

In my opinion, the wait is well worth it, however, as once those off-colored top notes fade away, I'm left with a rich, darkly floral blend that is one of the nicest and most unique I've experienced. Many have referenced Joy, and while there is a similarity, Acasiosa has a different personality to my nose - less about rose, more about orange flower, and for all the world I swear this the closest to a floral reproduction of karo karounde ( minus the honey-mustard edge of the tincture ) I've smelled. It's warmly animalic without a definite edge of fecal civet or sweaty castoreum, darkly floral without ever smelling dense, dried, or powdery.

In terms of visualization, the term "white floral" seems inappropriate. The jasmine present isn't of the explosive headiness of many purer jasmine fragrances, and everything seems rich and edgeless, rounded off by a resinous amber that becomes noticeable in the base. There's something golden about it; full-blown late summer flowers, just starting to fade with the first cool evenings of Fall.

Though the sillage is surprisingly light, Acaciosa lasts and lasts on me, and was fully present a good eighteen hours after I put it on.

I must thank Mysticknot for giving me a chance to smell this! It's not something I would have thought to search out on my own.

Intrigued to hear your thoughts on this one.

Oh Galamb- you do so much better than me at describing this perfume. It is unusual ,a beauty and trust Caron to have such a wonderful perfume .
To me it is reminiscent of Joy parfum extrait -vintage. Complex, dark ,rich I I'm glad you love it.

It sounds wonderful!

ha! I just got my sample from Mysticknot yesterday :-) I'll wear this weekend and report back on what I thought. Sigh... I can't keep finding Caron's to love

I know Luca Turin savages Acaciosa, bully! I have a sample of the extract and remember thinking, OH pineapple!!! I read the notes and it said pineapple, so I had this idea of tinned pineapples. I do get fruit in with the white flowers and aldehyde but not finger pointing thats pineapple. I think of it as sophisticated, but I consider Caron's all sophisticated. I knew a full bottle was not for me.

I'd love to try some vintage Acaciosa, but that seems about as likely as a unicorn sighting at this point, I'm afraid, so I'll have to deal with the Luca-trashed version as is.

Interestingly, my mother cannot stand this stuff, and finds it very fecal - says it smells like a cat went to the bathroom in a box of baby powder.

I smelled Acaciosa in Grasse @ meeting with Osmothèque

I don't like, I don't know THE note I hate here, but IMHO Farnesiana is the best Caron on cassie flower

I love both Farnesiana and Acasiosa. I think it would be very hard for me to pick between the two... Farnesiana is all sunshine and happiness; a sunny day at the bakery, by the mimosa tree. Acaciosa is a wistful, almost sad fragrance of fading flowers and ambery depth. I think Farnesiana is more aesthetically pleasing but Acaciosa has a stronger emotional appeal to me, despite - or perhaps because of - its flawed character.

I didn't quite go for Farnesiana. I see that I must try Acaciosa. Thanks for the excellent review, GB!

I'll be curious to read what BayKAT thinks of this.

Huanani - I'm looking through your wardrobe and tested list and can't quite find a direct analogy. The closest I can come is that there is an ambery note in the drydown a smidgen like L'Ombre Fauve, but not quite. Happy to send off my sample to you if you like!

Oh, I just adore Acaciosa and have worn it for ages; unfortunately I have not used it in a while now. It is one of those scents that has substance but never overwhelms, yet it is not an everyday type of a fragrance; something is just too special about it. Whenever I have worn it I have thought that it has a touch of melancholy to it. It makes me think of a scent one would wear while looking through old photos and reminiscing.
It has an animalic note, but not an overly heavy one. The jasmine in it is just superb and the type that feels almost creamy, not the sharp jasmine so common in many scents. It has a certain weight to it, not that it is heavy, just weighty in substance. A true masterpiece of a bygone era.
GB you are correct in noting how under-appreciated this great scent is, even I have overlooked it for longer than I care to mention.

oops!

Editing to add that the Caron jasmine is very unique, a sort of candied jasmine. For those who like/love Acaciosa, Montaigne is a must try. The newer Edp has the same jasmine, but with wonderful bitter orange at the top and the orange continues to linger throughout. The pineapple at the top of Acaciosia, I would say is overripe, but only after I was told it was pineapple did I get it. Not edible.

As far as The Guide is concerned. Whatever. I love it, wear it and that is what counts.

Brielle !!! Welcome back ! I think Acaciosa is under appreciated . It is a quality perfume - a 'real' perfume ,if you know what I mean . I do have trouble spelling the name though. The pineapple note doesn't show up much on my skin at all .

I agree with Vidacon - Montaigne is great- I loved it immediately.

Glad to see there are fans of Acaciosa out there.

Interesting reading - from Vidacon's comments on this thread and Brielle's on another thread, it sounds like Montaigne is my next stop in Caron land!

I'm please to learn there are so many fans of Acaciosa on this site -- I first tried it when I was just getting back into perfumes a few years ago. I thought it was wonderful. It made me think of late spring in GA when everything is blooming and drenched with sun, and therefore sleepily beautiful. I don't wear Acaciosa that often, but it is definitely one of my favorite Carons. Now I have to try Farnesiana!

OK, I just put htis on. Surprisingly it does not stinketh straight out of the bottle like most Carons.
Looking forward to seeing what will happen.

Reviewd! Liked. I do get fresh citrus something, most likely pineapple. lovely!

Interesting thread! I agree with Mims' Joy association, which must be due to the Caron jasmine. I did get the pineapple note. The drydown reveals IMO that this has not only shared the bottle and box design with the preceding Pois de Senteur, but also that it could be meant as a variation on the theme. I picture Acaciosa as the perfect escape in the big city hassle on a cold, wet winter day to a tropical island sipping a Piña Colada under a palm tree. I also wrote a review about it. In the end, I can enjoy this, but it is too sweet for me.

I have wanted to explore the urn fragrances and this thread has pushed me over the edge! Just ordered samples of Farnesiana and Acasiosa from TPC

And I just found out how to pronounce it: http://fragnameoftheday.blogspot.com.../acaciosa.html

Furrypine, Farnesiana is quite a journey over several hours and Acaciosa is big fun! ENJOY!

Thanks! I hope I get pineapple from Acaciosa, I hear some do and others don't. I was very taken with the pineapple note in Colony by Patou, so I'm hoping for something similar.

Ah Colony! I happened to sample most of the Ma Collection EdTs a few weeks ago (I also wrote reviews for them, because there are hardly any available, but they are still in the pipeline for approval...). Anyway, if you got the pineapple note in this, you should easily get it in Acaciosa, too. It is listed as a specific note for Acaciosa in the Caron book, too.

Another fan here! l have Suga to thank for giving me the opportunity to sample this gorgeous fragrance; one that l probably wouldn't have sought out otherwise. l agree with the words "candied" & "golden" in describing it. l don't find it melancholy at all, though; perhaps "daydreamy" (is that a word? lt is now! ) would describe it better for me. l get the slight mustiness in the opening, then the pineapple, & then gloriously warm, creamy, soapy jasmine & a lovely ambery base. lt lasts an extraordinary 10 hours on me. A decant of this is definitely in my future. l agree it doesn't get enough mentions around here!

Thank you Artisankey, it's interesting to hear you see some similarities to Jil Sander No 4, which I really like.

I'm inserting my comment from the Pois de Senteur thread here...

Interesting to hear from Suga that Acaciosa's drydown is so reminicent of a musk available in Egypt. I must say that I have wondered whether Acaciosa could refer to 'faux-acacia', a robinia (black locust)... the vintage ads look so much like the leaves and flowers on the trees here. Locally, they are called 'acacia' here, too, which is botanically incorrect, but I could also find a similar reference in French. It is one beguiling, dense and sultry smell for sure... I will cross-check for sure next May.

I am test-driving Acaciosa once again today. It is giving me a much darker impression than last summer when I wrote my review. I can clearly detect a not too weak animalic component well incorporated into the overall structure. I am not saying this is like, but clearly it makes me think of Neil Morris' Gandhara. Acaciosa on me today is nearly as dark and dirty. However, the waxy 'candied jasmine' overtone does not go away in Acaciosa. Oh my oh my, not yet another Caron love for me....

I would love if Mon-Petit, who was in the process of getting a vintage Acaciosa, could join in and maybe Furrypine as well how his sampling went? Please, guys!

Well Larimar, I got my sample of Acaciosa and I look with horror how much of it I have used.
It's a glorious scent, very old fashioned but there is nothing "old lady"-ish about it, it's just far beyond fragrance trends. I wonder if it was ever on trend? This is the only urn fragrances I've tried that worked from the get go, no foul top notes to work through .

Earlier in the thread I wondered how Acaciosa would compare with Colony, and I feel Acaciosa is a better fit for me. I have a sweet tooth, and with Acaciosa I get the pineapple without the chypre edge of Colony.

The others above has described Acaciosa so well, I can only concur. Now I need to save up for a bottle of it, decants will not suffice any more!

Oh how great, furrypine! I agree it is glorious (of bygone days) and old-fashioned, but in a timeless way. I have only half of my sample left and I am thinking I should consider a bottle of this (before going for Tubereuse). I much more love Acaciosa now in winter... I felt it was a bit over-the-top for me in summer. Thanks for joining in, furrypine!

Meanwhile, Acaciosa is on top of my buy list for April when I am in Paris...
I also had the chance to sample a vintage (older) Acaciosa and I got hold of two minis of vintage extrait (newer - 1990s?)... they all - including my sample of the current smell very much alike and clearly like Acaciosa and what makes it so special for all its admirers. However, taking chances of being stoned, but I think Richard Fraysse improved Acaciosa by giving it the extraordinary longevity it has now. The vintages (both forms) last decidedly less long on my skin. I still have a feeling the smell of the black locust trees in bloom in coming May (it's this sort of overripe, almost animalic, rich smell) will be a close match to the parfum. I do need to update here when the time comes...

I meant to do it this in May, but guess what, we have never had such a poor black locust bloom in all these years, so I never really experienced the rich, sultry smell in the warm air at dusk.

However, this is not the reason for bumping this thread. Acaciosa seemed to be in very very limited distribution (in fact, Paris only?) in the past years and now I heard from Caron that it is uncertain whether yet another batch can be produced. Caron is currently selling what they have left, so my impression from last April was correct - no longer an own fountain at Boutique Montaigne was no good sign (this was also true for Alpona). Acaciosa certainly has a small following. Sugandaraja has done a splendid review futher above. So, if you feel you need Acaciosa in your life, now is a good time to get it.

Resurrecting this old thread since I stopped at the Caron boutique yesterday and got some Acaciosa parfum, in whatever version is there. I thought it was discontinued, they told may still do some from time to time, but were not sure.

In any case, the current version is an animalic bomb. I imagined a deep jasmine, but, as some reviews above say, I do not get much jasmine per se. What I get is an oily, thick cassie, with boatloads of indefinite sweetish animalics. Perhaps I am oversensitive to these animalics. Wonderful. At times, it remembers things like Ferme tes yeux (which by chance I smelled soon after). But I have not tried it on skin, just on paperstrip, so things could be very different on skin. I will do so when I go back to the US in a couple of weeks.

Incidentally, Turin trashes whatever Acaciosa edt was around in 2007. He does not review the parfum for the Carons. The parfum is nothing like the description of the edt he did in his old guide (light orange blossom?)

cacio

cacio, to my knowledge and also according to the Hattemberg Caron bible there has never been any other concentration but extrait. I agree about the sweet animalicness, but I feel the main accord, if one simplified the formula, is an orange blossom - jasmine not unlike Narcisse Noir, although the latter is today one-dimensional and dull (without the civet and musks). It struck me when I had a friend sample it and I had returned to that room after one or two minutes. I felt there was definitely a Narcisse Noir vibe in the air.

Larimar:

thanks for the info. LTTS usually review the lightest concentration - but if there is only parfum, that should be it. Who knows what juice was around in 2007. But perhaps, it is just me who is hypersensitive to the musks in there, because to me the main note is a wonderfully dirty one. To my nose, it doesnt smell like orange blossom jasmine - the florals are there, but not the primary note that jumps to my nose. Somebody here mentioned candied jasmine, and I can feel that. But it is very dirty.

It does definitely feel grand, fit for a vamp ruining mens lives, and if Narcisse Noir had a similar feel, I can see all the legend about it, which is definitely not there in the current version of NN. I now regret I only bought 7ml...

cacio

I'm the opposite of you, cacio. I perceive 'scandalously' animalic perfumes as having just the right omph. It's decidedly smoky and musky on me and way more daring than Narcisse Noir (mine is not the old stuff with natural civet and musks, of which I only have a small decant). The low(er) sillage and the smokiness is what makes it wearable.