Patou Pour Homme Approximations?

No need to feel depressed, I am sure some of the folks here who own multiple bottles of this juice can make "arrangements" to let your nose inhale these magical vapors

The short answer: none. At least none that I've tried.

Hey,

PM me and I may be able to help.
But no, sadly there is nothing like Patou. It is something everyone with an interest in fragrance should at least try.

_Slim

Previous threads on this topic commonly feature answers like Creed BdP (especially) and Geurlain Heritage. Were these approximations made in error? I've never smelled PpH either, but I've smelled both of the prior.

The closest cousin would be Versailles PH. Also warm and elegant.

Also discontinued . . .


Cry me a River,

Mario

Bois du Portugal and Heritage might be in the same general scent family as Patou pour Homme, but neither much resembles it.

The Perfumed Court sells a sample I believe.......

An SA at Saks told me she thought Duc de Vervins by Houbigant resembled PPH. I have never smelled PPH, so I can't confirm this. And looking at the above replies, somehow I think she might be wrong.

How about this for recreating the smell: try layering MPG Eau des Iles with Terre D'Hermes

Mike,

She's not only wrong, she's categorically wrong.

Duc de Vervins is an entirely lavender dominated, sharp class Aromatic Fougère, which is closer to Patou Pour Homme Prive, also a Aromatic Fougère. Even with these two, the differences are substantial. It would take a detailed post to expound such differences. Suffice it to say that Duc de Vervins is even not even close to approximating Patou Pour Homme, a Spicy Woody Oriental with pedigree Chypre features along with fougère elements interwoven into the whole design. As I have said elsewhere with regard to Patou Pour Homme one of the most intriguing, defining, and as yet inimitable characteristics of Patou Pour Homme is its astoundingly adept integration of spices and herbal elements into what is really a classic chypre architecture. While there's a touch of lavender in the top notes, it and the green herbal elements hardly constitute a significant sustained presence or predominance to qualify Patou Pour Homme even remotely as an Aromatic Fougère. I would even dispute Osmoz categorization of it as simply an Oriental Fougère, it;s a lot more complex than that. But categorical distinctions aside, and to put it more simply, Duc de Vervins smells nothing, I repeat nothing like Patou Pour Homme.

scentemental

I think you are right. I think she was referring to the Patou Pour Homme Prive in her DdV comparison. She said that she had actually smelled the PPHP and she loved it (on her husband) but that it was almost impossible to buy, and that's when she started talking about the DdV.

I didn't realize that the PPHP was an aromatic fougere and PPH was an oriental with those herbal characteristics. How neat.

While Versailles Pour Homme has similar notes to Patou Pour Homme on paper, the execution and hence the experience of that scent is entirely different.

In Versailles Pour Homme, the galbanum is predominant in the top and middle notes and sharply and aromatically so with a strong floral component (jasmine for one; there are no floral notes in Patou Pour Homme), and the heart and increasingly the base notes are dominated by a very 1970s early 1980s unapologetic and not so subtle use of leather. The leather element in Patou Pour Homme is, at most, liminal; it plays a subsidiary role as a back note that rounds out the spices and the sharpness of the herbal elements. In Versailles Pour Homme, the leather is up front and prominent. It's a leather based fragrance. You can't say the same about Patou Pour Homme. There is none of the understated deft interplay of spice and herbal elements, the smouldering slow release of spices cooled and restrained by the modulation of the fougère elements (lavender, galbanum, and clary sage) that you have in Patou Pour Homme anywhere in Versailles Pour Homme at the same level of salience let alone extensiveness. Again, the experience of wearing Versailles Pour Homme and wearing Patou Pour Homme is miles apart. I just sold a bottle of Versailles Pour Homme to a fellow Basenoter, so I am not just going on memory here. Sorry to disagree, but it's hardly an approximation.

scentemental


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Well, if she was referring to Patou Pour Homme Prive, then certainly the suggestion was a reasonably good one.

One difference between the two--and why I wouldn't recommend Duc de Vervins as a replacement for Patou Pour Homme Prive--has a lot to do with the way the lavender note is constituted in both fragrances. In Duc de Vervins, it's sharp as a result of the being constituted predominantly by Linalyl Acetate, the major constituent in quality lavender oil. In Patou Pour Homme Prive, you get that creamy smooth heavenly lavender note because, I suspect, the lavender accord is constituted differently through the use of lavender absolute and lavandin absolute in which the Linalyl Acetate content is significantly lower and as a result so is the sharpness.

scentemental

Well, as always, I must bow to scentemental's knowledge.
Versailles does 'share some notes' which, to my less trained nose, felt warm and elegant. These are merely adjectives, I know. But I consider Patou PH THE ultimate warm and elegant frag

( which I obviously liked better than Versailles, as I went through it in no time )

So, I'd be interested if anyone knows and loves any other warm & elegant frags ---even if they don't smell like Patou.
---------------------------------------------------------------

As to Duc de Vervins

(which some may consider elegant, but it sure isn't warm)

I have to be less than enthusiastic.
I owned it, and I'll spare you searching it in my wardrobe under 'owned'----unless you want to see how I blew $$ on over 90 frags I first got a 1ml vial, then the bottle--then grew weary very fast.

This was my brief review of DdV:

" Hmm . . .I used to love this one when I first got hooked into this addiction, but then----well, perhaps I'm just jaded, but it doesn't hold a candle these days to my favorite 5 star fragrances whether they're woods, fougere, or boardroom powerhouse scents.
*sigh*
Farewell! "

---------------------------------------------------------


Cheers,

Mario

Don't know that I deserve such graciousness Mario, but I accept it with thanks. You know where I am coming from I am sure.

With regards to warm and elegant, I love such fragrances. I wish there were more of them. I think Héritage EDP (the vintage formulation before it was changed sometime in the last seven years; actually, even the changed one is finally okay once it settles down) is an extraordinarily warm and elegant fragrance.

BTW, not that it's a close approximation to Patou Pour Homme, but I think in terms of effect (mastery of blending difficult elements into a smooth unified evolving whole) vintage Héritage EDP is about as close to the overall feel of Patou Pour Homme and about as close as anyone will ever get in terms of skill.

I've recommed this before as an excellent fragrance, if one likes Bois du Portugal EDP, and that is Les Néréides Oriental Lumpur. I actually prefer it over BdP for personal reasons; I think it's that good.

Here are some others you might want to consider if you already haven't:

Bois 1920 1920 Extreme
Hermèssence Poivre Samarcande
Kanebo Goce EDC (very hard to find, if not impossible)
Léonard Pour Homme
Les Copains Pour Homme
Molyneux Captain Molyneux
Nina Ricci Ricci Club Pour Homme EDT Haute Concentration
Parfums de Nicolaï Carre d’As

Best regards,

scentemental

I'm surprised to see Oriental Lumpur recommended "if you like BdP". I like them both, so the recommendation would work for me, it's just that they're dissimilar enough that I could imagine someone liking one without liking the other. OL is so cumin-heavy and devoid of sweetness (and does it have any lavender up front? I don't notice it amidst all the spice...). It's one of the scents I classified as a non-dessert gourmand in a recent thread. Still, I should sniff it side by side with BdP; I'll probably appreciate both scents more if I understand the basis for scentemental's comparison...

I don't hold out much hope of ever smelling PPH or PPHP -- I know I could purchase a decant, or beg for a sample here at Basenotes, but I'm not sure there's much point given that there's no affordable way to purchase a larger quantity should I happen to love it.

PaulSC,

My response to a thread titled Something Similar to Bois du Portugal should provide you with the basis of my comparison:

"The only fragrance I've encountered that is consistently close [in feel] throughout its drydown to Bois du Portugal is Les Néréides' Oriental Lumpur. Of course, it's missing the fougère (lavender) element that Bois du Portugal has in the top notes along with the exquisitely elegant orangey citrus top note, but it more than makes up for it as it dries down and continually echoes decidedly Bois du Portugal's seriously somber elegance and assured blending of spices and woods. Ignore the moronic reviews on Luckyscent.com which can only claim that Oriental Lumpur smells of curry or like an Indian restaurant. This is one of the most adept and careful blending of spices and woods and one of the most elegant orientals one is likely to find."

The last point I make in the above passage is where I find the congruence. A congruence--as the added square brackets suggest above--is all I am claiming.

I don't like BdP Creed signature drydown; it's what ruins it for me. Turns it into something horrid on my skin.

I hope this helps.

scentemental

Thanks for the clarification, scentemental. I always appreciate your way of talking about fragrance so perceptively.

Cheers!

Thank you PaulSC,

It's my pleasure, and you're, certainly, more than welcome.

scentemental

First of all, as mentioned by everybody else, Patou PH is unique. I sometimes use Monsieur Carven, also discontinued, as a substitute.

Patou PH: http://www.basenotes.net/ID26121270.html
Carven Monsieur: http://www.basenotes.net/ID26121120.html

I've said this before in other threads, but I think Nino Cerruti is at least reminiscent of Patou PH. It lacks the distinct oriental character, but there's something that makes me associate the two scents.

I have tried this on several occasions, including when it was first released and I can only say it is a fragrance which has been blown out of all proportion.To me it smells really repugnant and contains a repulsive "sour synthetic" note. I have no doubts as to why this fragrance was so swiftly discontinued.
I would make one comparison : Phileas from Nina Ricci. Very similar and equally repugnant, containing a dominating celery note. Also very swiftly discontinued.

Curse you, scentemental! Now that's 8 others I have to try!!

I really should get hooked on drugs, this hobby has gotten much too addictive and expensive.

I've only heard of Hermèssence Poivre Samarcande among the ones you mentioned.

( btw, folks I wouldn't have heard of Patou in the first place but for scentemental )

As to your other suggestions, I've only tried Heritage in edt. Good juice, but I think Zino-- which came first-- is more complex.
And I'm in the tiny minority here on BN who shrug at BdP


Pity the forum doesn't allow samples anymore

Ah, well . . .

Cry me a River,

Mario

Based on these comments I assume that this is a safe blind buy? (I love Heritage and BdP)--I have a source that sells this for $45

This is a really awful fragrance. Good luck with your blind purchase !

Interesting discussion, gents! I own and appreciate each of the scents mentioned in this thread, with the exception of Oriental Lumpur. Upon my first reading and contemplation of this thread I generated the following thoughts:

I agree that Patou Pour Homme is really not well-approximated by either BdP or Heritage; these two wear more warmly on my skin, both slightly more ambery and spicy than Patou PH. I think that both Trussardi Uomo and Monsieur Carven are better approximations of Patou PH, and both Romeo Giglis Sud Est and Nina Riccis Ricci Club might also be close..

I find that Trussardi Uomo has a very similar overall vibe to Patou PH, even if TU is slightly stronger, drier, darker and more floral. While not bone-dry, they are both quite dry, and they share a similar-feeling oakmoss, patchouli, and sandalwood drydown. While it seems nearly every 80's-era men's scent featured these elements in their drydowns, it still amazes me the different effects that were and can be reached.

Monsieur Carven is also quite close in character to Patou PH. They share similar topnotes, with the cinnamon in MC substituting for the pepper in PPH. MC features rose/carnation as its floral elements, versus PPH's use of clary sage to help round out the midnotes. MC also features oakmoss, sandalwood and patchouli in the drydown, and adds a slight touch of vanilla. The overall vibe is perhaps a little bit more different than between PPH and Trussardi - MC warmer, though not as warm as BdP or Heritage.


These were my initial thoughts. But then I got home last night after work and decided to compare and contrast all of these on my actual skin, along with Versailles PH and Jules. I dabbed or sprayed lightly onto a cotton ball and then applied a light, silver dollar-size application of each to varying points on my hands, wrists, and arms. These are my actual resulting impressions.

Patou PH: Ah, I remember thisbeautiful! A citrus, peppery opening with readily apparent oakmoss. Very masculine, and off-dry.

Monsieur Carven: Also a masterpiece. Very nearly the same register as Patou PH; a very similar citric, spicy opening, only with cinnamon versus pepper. Very compelling and arguably a more modern smell than Patou PH. Both are captivating.

Trussardi Uomo: Wow! Against the first two this is nearly bone-dry, Havana-like. Trussardi Uomo does not have the full complement of topnotes like the first two, but what is underneath (in the mid- and basenotes) smells in the same ballpark. Oakmoss and carnation are immediately obvious in this one. Cant get over how dry this one is.

Jules: HmmmI dont have much experience with Jules, even if I have it. It smells quite similar to and, of these first four, closest to Trussardi Uomo. It again doesnt have the full-bodied topnotes of the first two, and it is a little drier than them (though not as dry as the Trussardi). Jules is very much a prototypical 80s power fragrance. Off in the distance a somewhat similar mid- and basenotes profile as the others beckons.

Versailles Pour Homme: Whoa! This is dramatically different than either Patou PH or Monsieur Carven. What makes it very different is the very sharp smell of a urine-like note. Yes, the dreaded urine-like note. What is it? I suspect it may be the pine note mixing with the fruit and/or green notes that are described as contributing to Versailles olfactory pyramid. Or perhaps my recently received, new-old-stock, unused 3.0 oz. bottle has gone off? At any rate, this is the odd-man-out of the seven I am testing, and will remain so throughout this test.

Ricci Club: This is a very nice scent, with a crisp citrus and floral opening. There is also peach in this scent, which lends a slightly sweeter, rounder, softer character to Ricci Club than either Patou PH or Monsieur Carven. Ricci Club is in the same general neighborhood as the others here, but not on the same block.

Romeo Gigli Sud Est: This is another discontinued gem, and it opens with a touch of bergamot amidst the multiple herbs and floral elements. It is quite dry, akin to Jules, and one can also appreciate the potential for a similar drydown to the others.

So, how did these evolve?

After 30 minutes Patou PH and Monsieur Carven are definitely converging, becoming almost one. Monsieur Carven is clearly the most similar to Patou PH from among the six possibilities here. This similarity will persist now all the way to the end, some 6-8 hours later. They are virtually dead ringers, as Id suspected they might.

Versailles PH continued to be noticeably different from its compatriots, though the sharp opening note dissipated and made for a reasonable pleasant drydown. There is little spice apparent in Versailles at this late stage, and this significantly distinguishes it from both Patou PH and Monsieur Carven.

Jules and Trussardi Uomo become nearly one after six hours; each will last another four hours. These are both intense powerhouses, and rank among the most masculine scents from the 80s. That said, I like where they both end up.

Ricci Club dries down slightly more sweet than the rest, and without much spice. It is very pleasant, somewhat fresh when compared against the rest here.

Sud Est, finally, smells pretty similar to Jules and Trussardi Uomo at the six-hour-mark. All are very masculine, with Trussardi the driest and arguably with the most patchouli, Sud Est the muskiest, and Jules the leatheriest.

So, in summary, Monsieur Carven has clearly shown itself (to me) to be closest of those tested to Patou PH. Sadly, both of these are discontinued, along with Sud Est and Versailles PH. So ends my 80s most-like-a-legend comparison test.

Nada.

To this nose, nothing even comes close to approximating the singular Jean Patou Pour Homme. If only someone would reverse engineer this baby and make a lot needy men happy.

Poivre Samarcande is quite magical - the best white pepper note in a mens fragrance. After about 4 hours, the smells that this juice gives off is incredible and extremely elegant.

I must disagree with you - I think Heritage is way more complex than Zino. To each his own...

And yes, you are in the minority - but alas, I don't like Bois du Portugal either.

Patou Pour Homme is such an interesting scent because the middle notes go through so many changes and are so lively inside a classic chypre scent. The opening green notes and the closing oakmoss are very similar to Versailles ph, but Versailles is really a leather/oak moss fragrance first and foremost. I have always detected a similarity between patou pour homme and van cleef and arpels pour homme. I know VC&A is much heavier and does not have quite the delicate middle notes, but still I think they are similar. Also, the very inexpensive fragrance 1903 from J. Peterman has a similar green opening and oak moss finish to patou ph - however there is none of the interesting mid notes here - but there is a similarity and the J. Peterman scent is very pleasant.

I am always amazed people find Patou ph so unattainable. I bought two bottle on E bay for a similar price to many of the fragrances on the market today. The hermessence Povre Samarcande for instance sells for close to the same price as Patou PH online. You just have to locate an available bottle. They do come up for sale from time to time. Decants are also available from Azmells (any left?) and Perfumed Court? A little goes a long way with Patou ph and a decant will last for a year or so.

Without having to dig through searching numerous threads ..... Why was this gem discontinued ? ... Seems like i to will never own a bottle ! damn.

Thanks to a generous BNer, I was able to obtain a sample. I decided to do a wrist sampling first, with just one tiny dab. I'll do a full wearing at some point, when I feel I'm really up for this kind of frag. At first, I recognized a note or accord also found in Versailles Pour Homme and Monogram, but it was handled differently in PPH. The blend is more subtle and balanced. I'd say if you took away the anisic/minty quality of Missoni Uomo and combined that with VPH, minus the castoreum note and with less spice, you would get something similar to PPH. An hour or so later, the dominant note/accords of the opening have given way, and what it then seems like is the aforementioned combination at no more than 50% and the original Bijan for Men (not the Five Star version) at 50% or more. It's not as musky or woody as Bijan, and PPH is a bit lighter (though at least as rich). It's also at least a bit smoother, but the original Bijan aspect seems to be the major component of the drydown.

I'm surprised by the praise for PPH, considering how many similar ones there are. I'm wondering if it's because it's a Patou, or if it got some marketing "push" that other, similar ones did not. It's certainly an excellent frag, but it doesn't seem one that would be that compelling to the "hardcore" 'BNers, who are into either niche (which don't tend to be as smooth and balanced) or vintage designer frags with more "bite" (an example being vintage Antaeus). I think this may be due to the opening, which is more "exciting." When I realized what the drydown was like, I thought to myself that this is the kind of frag that I often recommend on threads while others suggest less balanced and subtle ones. Note that if there is civet here, as is listed at fragrantica.com, it's very mild.

Agree.

I just sampled Cellini for the first time, and I think this may be the best "approximation" of PPH for at least some people. Think of a cruder PPH with anise in the top notes instead of the interesting accord one finds in PPH, Monogram, and Versailles Pour Homme. You have to wait a few hours for the similarity to kick in. Here's my review of Cellini:

Sort of an anisic version of the original formulation of Bijan for Men (which is woodier), though apparently Cellini came first. It's not as complex as the Bijan, and it feels lighter, though by no means is it any kind of "weakling." The anise is quite strong at first, and reminded me of IL by Lancetti for a while, but then it settled down into a more blended fragrance. Anyway, this is what you would expect from a fullbodied 80s style men's fragrance. Over time, Cellini goes in a more herbal direction than Bijan, with the anise kind of melding in. The listed hay and leather are not strong, nor is it particularly sweet. It seems that the listed middle notes overpower the base ones, but it lasts a long time with at least good projection/"sillage" (the opening has strong projection). One thing that is very well done here is the blending. You can tell the notes are present, but it has no "blob"-like quality. The balance is great and it smells natural. No, the drydown is not as smooth as Patou Pour Homme (and there's no clear animalic note), but this may be the closest thing to it, once you get a few hours into it (otherwise the anise is too strong).