Spanish fragrances: what makes them so unique?

Spanish Fragrances smell like the great Spanish Soups My Grandma and Mom made for us Growing up. Cumin, Basil, Herbs and Spices. HMMM.... Delicious

I think, the Puig fragrances at least, have a common thread of cumin.

And by "Puig", I don't mean every brand the house now produces, but those fragrances labeled as being "by Antonio Puig."

Damn it! You would have to bring that up at 11PM my time
Hungry . . .

shamu1, it is a very good question y no tengo idea (I haven't the foggiest) but permit me to observe, once again that Spaniards seem capable of making two kinds of fragrances: The very good or the very bad.

I wonder . . .

Cheers,

Mario

usually from my experience they are very strong and very mature but not all the time.

One reason making them so unique might also be the contribution of Loewe with some underrated frags close to flawlessness- at least to my nose- like Esencia Loewe, Loewe para Hombre and Solo

Spanish scents are the nicest surprise around for those who pay attention to scents manufactured in countries that for a majority are closely related to the industry. Take in mind that the development of perfume making had a stronghold in the Middle Eastern countries, remember the Moors in Spain and their role in expanding their knowledge and crafts in Europe and the proximity to France; you will get an idea that Spanish perfume - making is far from being a brand-new industry.

I think we cannot generalize as per a style of their own, Agua Brava and Quorum have a boldness Agua de Lavanda does not. Heno de Pravia is a very strong eau de cologne blended under a very traditional style that does not smell outdated (get the soaps, they are amazing). Vetiver de Puig is a very gentle vetiver, the exact opposite you will find in Vetiver by Adolfo Dominguez.

As you said, in general, sharp top notes dominate in most of the ones you got, but this boldness is achieved through different notes: pine and citric notes in Agua Brava, civet in Quorum, vetiver with a clear earthy character in Vetiver by Adolfo Dominguez...

I like to play with the idea these scents reflect a mediterranean character in terms of people that are not afraid of expressing their emotions. In other words, there is no political correctness in them, this concept taken in terms of its hypocritic potential rather than as synonim for manners intended to prevent hurting someone's feelings. That is why some of these scents are either a hate - love option.

[QUOTE=shamu1;1796791]
Yes, harsher or lighter, there is a sort of "boldness" in them, of course the right way. Still, I do agree with you, I cannot find a single note responsible for this.

I would Sham, but then She'd have to kill Me

Fun & interesting discussion, I'm enjoying it. I like the vibe of "mediterranean" scents. My only experience with Spanish scents is the Gomez Aqua Colonia. It also is bold, with the traditional citrus EdC profile. I'm glad to hear about these other houses.

Paco Rabanne scents have certainly gotten a lot of attention outside of Spain.

Quorum, Agua Brava, Agua Brava Seapower are available everywhere down here in Australia, dirt cheap. Quality as a scent they may have, but their main problem I think is that they don't really smell expensive and aren't particularly compelling after a while.

One chain here tried selling Lowe scents, but they didn't sell very well, and they quickly disappeared - I can't say I was that taken with them at the time, nor with the newer Lowe ones I tested in Madrid last year.

I've never been able to get hold of that Lavender one, unfortunately.

Renato

I also like the Armand Basi fragrances. I own Armand Basi homme, Basi homme, and Armand Basi in Blue. Don't forget Jesús del Pozo, his Quasar fragrance is an interesting take on fresh: with it's added banana and newsprint notes!

Antonio Banderas' Seduction in Black (2009 - Puig) is a beautiful spicy oriental. Subtly screams Mediterranean flair!

I am in deep love with the Adolfo Dominguez line..in fact, were it known in several of the southern states I would be arrested.

I would venture to say that Spanish Perfumer's actually wear their fragrances out in the public, or simply wear them before marketing them. May sound a bit silly, but I have yet to run into too many Spanish fragrances that were scrubbers.

Well, the point is the operational definition of the term "Spanish": Paco Rabanne, Carolina Herrera and Comme des Garcons are all made by Antonio Puig, a Spanish multinational company. The also manfacture other global brands of Spanish origin, like Zara and Antonio Banderas, as well as other tradtional lines, like Puig (Agua Brava, Quorum, Agua Lavanda), Gal (Heno de Pravia) and Myrurgia (Maja, Agua de Colonia 1816, Adolfo Dominguez - I am not sure about Jesús del Pozo). Of these, some are well known in Iberoamerica (Spanish-speakig Americas) and Spain, while two of them are - guessing as per comments and reviews here in Base Notes - available in many countries.

In these terms, I refer to "Spanish" as the ones difficult to be found outside the Spanish speaking countries as well as Puig's global ones, Quorum and Agua Brava.... I guess Shamu was refering to these. As we said before, they have a kind of boldness that might not be of the taste of many, but IMHO they deserve some kind of attention due to their originality: they might be scrubbers for some, but take for granted they are not the usual acquatic boredom, albeit their local popularity, low prices and social connotations ("Yes, I LOVE Heno de Pravia, SO WHAT / SI, me gusta Heno de Pravia, ¿¿¿Y QUÉ???" is a recurrent say of mine when asked about it ).

Spanish Fragrances (especially the Eau de Colognes) are worn by people who want to smell strong (Pollux says Bold, good analogy) and are proud that they are not mainstream. They know they are different and don't care, there is a certain Joy behind wearing these scents

Good definition.

Shamu, how would you describe Varon Dandy? I have got Old Brown, by Parera, the same house of Varon Dandy: it is a classic chypre, very similar to Trophee by Lancome.

I agree with seasoldiermarine, Spanish fragrances exude the essence of Spanish people, that is, unafraid and full of self confidence. While living in Barcelona, I would frequently pass people in the streets wearing overpowering scents that at first made me wonder what they were thinking to spray such a heavy volume...but then I would realize that I had loved the scent! Puig makes some great stuff.

Pollux, Shamu is right when He described Varon Dandy as a powdery Fougere, and I think the tonka Bean is What gives it a vanilla note (very interesting and quite nice BTW) but I find it very Floral in a Dandified way. This is a very Masculine scent. Wow Shamu, You mentioned Jicky without the civet and You are right, You nailed it

Yes, Quorom is the Powerhouse of the bunch. And I think what We mean by "Bold" is "This is Daring to wear"

I really like this one, too. According to Now Smell This Blog Harbor, Olivier Cresp is the nose behind it , and he created another one of my Spanish design house favorites: Armand Basi homme.

AB Seduction in Black smells to me like an improved version of Paco Rabanne Black XS, because Seduction in Black, while similar, does not have the cloying praline/strawberry vibe that Black XS has. Black XS is also a Cresp creation, and being a Rabanne fragrance, it is manufactured/distributed by Puig.