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Caldey Island Lavender - The Best Lavender Soliflore On Earth

post #1 of 32
2/17/11 at 2:24am
Thread Starter 
Well Luca Turin calls this the best lavender soliflore on earth so this made me curious to try it out and compare it with Trumpers and Caron Un Pour Homme as well as Oxford & Camebridge by C&S. I ordered 100ml of the EDT.

Well I received it today and gave myself four sprays and let the lavender scent envelop me. First thing I noticed was this does not slap you in the face as a lot of Lavender fragrances happen to do. To my nose it is a warmer more aromatic lavender and though I can detect a bit of methol in its notes its not overwhelming.

It is very lovely and pristine though it does stay close to the skin and I find the lavender to be more flowery compared to the stringent herbal lavender that has a sharp medicinal quality to it that seems to be part of a lot of lavenders.

As time goes by it does dry down to a musky accord and it's this that makes the lavender feel warm. There is at the centre of the lavender a pure uplifting aromatic quality to it that I find enchanting.

I prefer it to the Trumpers and Caron Un Pour Homme and I think it's on par with the Oxford & Cambridge and I say that because the oakmoss and peppermint in that scent does make that one a special lavender scent.

A thumbs up for me.
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post #2 of 32
2/17/11 at 3:30am
I agree - it is the best lavender soliflore.
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post #3 of 32
2/17/11 at 4:43am
Question, where can one buy Caldey Island Lavender in the US?
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post #4 of 32
2/17/11 at 4:54am
I like a lot of their perfumes. They use natural, very high quality ingredients. I have a special association with Caldy Island.
When I was 12 my parents moved from London to Tenby in Wales. They bought a small hotel called Marlborough House, situated in South Cliff Street. Our hotel overlooked the island and the monastery. You can take a boat out to the island and take a guided tour of the monastery, (unfortunately females are not allowed). If you write to them in advance, I think you can get an in depth tour of the perfumery. I think they even have their own distillery on the island. They make another perfume utilising the yellow gorse which grows all over the island and smells delicious. It is well worth a pilgrimage there, and if you google Tenby, you will find some of the most beautiful beaches and coastline on this planet.
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post #5 of 32
2/17/11 at 5:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin Guyer View Post

Question, where can one buy Caldey Island Lavender in the US?

Kevin, I wondered the same thing, so I have emailed them to ask who sells their fragrance in the States. Will post their reply when I receive it.
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post #6 of 32
2/17/11 at 5:16am
There is an online firm called Manufactum, who stock it along with a few other very interesting perfumes such as Alt Innsbruck.
I don´t know about their shipping costs to US ?
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post #7 of 32
2/17/11 at 5:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin Guyer View Post

Question, where can one buy Caldey Island Lavender in the US?

Quote:
Originally Posted by 30 Roses View Post

Kevin, I wondered the same thing, so I have emailed them to ask who sells their fragrance in the States. Will post their reply when I receive it.

I ordered mine directly from them. It wasn't that expensive - even with the shipping.

http://www.caldey-island.co.uk/shop/...r_Products.htm
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post #8 of 32
2/17/11 at 5:37am
EDIT...oops...^^ beat me to it. You can purchase directly from their website. Shipping is 20% on top of your total order amount (for us here in NA).

I adore this scent. Not a bottle I'd display lovingly, but the contents are what counts. I love many lavenders, but this one is special...almost an Eau de Cologne-replacement.

I'd love to hear more about their other scents...the Gorse in particular. I see that they now offer many scents in parfum & EDC concentrations as well.
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post #9 of 32
2/17/11 at 5:41am
How would you compare this with Brin de Réglisse? (That one, though pleasant, did nothing for either of us.)
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post #10 of 32
2/17/11 at 6:36am
I like it very much.
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post #11 of 32
2/17/11 at 6:58am
Thread Starter 
This has lasted about three and half hours on my skin which was what I expected for a pure lavender scent. I have had to travel on a few work related errands and smelling the sweet flowery light musky lavender in the air around me was quite delightful. I am looking forward to trying this out in the Summer months as it will be refreshing I also find it calming.

The other good thing about it for me as it is a skin scent you can go to town with the application and spray away with a free hand without been worried that you are going to produce toxic sillage.lol

It took six days to arrive and I am in the UK so you can add another seven to that if you are in the states and order from their website.
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post #12 of 32
2/17/11 at 7:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 30 Roses View Post

How would you compare this with Brin de Réglisse? (That one, though pleasant, did nothing for either of us.)

They're not miles apart, both being simple lavenders on a simple base. Caldey's tends to be a bit stinkier (musk) rather than Hermes' woodiness. Obviously the licorice is absent as well. I enjoy both very much...neither are going to "thrill"...just provide a nice, simple enjoyment moment.
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post #13 of 32
2/17/11 at 6:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 30 Roses View Post

How would you compare this with Brin de Réglisse? (That one, though pleasant, did nothing for either of us.)

I think they are not very alike at all. The Hermes is candied, sheer and features lavender more as an afterthought. The Caldey Island is, as many have already mentioned, very much a realistic lavender soliflore. If you have ever smelled real lavender, in the ground, blowing in the wind - then you know the smell we are talking about. The Caldey Island sort of re-creates this smell and grounds it with a firm yet crisp musk note.

It's so cheap, even when you order directly from Caldey Island themselves, I think it's a good candidate for a blind buy. The bottle it comes in is very simple (reminded me of something from women's perfume bottles of the 1920's or something like that) but I just decanted it into an atomizer anyway.

Good stuff. It's always good to see people getting turned on to this scent.
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post #14 of 32
2/17/11 at 6:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 30 Roses View Post

Kevin, I wondered the same thing, so I have emailed them to ask who sells their fragrance in the States. Will post their reply when I receive it.

Good luck in waiting for a reply. In my experience, the task of responding to emails has been assigned to a junior abbot who actually never gets around to it.
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post #15 of 32
2/17/11 at 6:47pm
My question is -- how does this compare to Crabtree & Evelyn's Lavender Water? The C&E seems very natural and lively to me, I can hardly imagine anything more realistic.
If the scent developed an herbal note, I would particularly be interested. But I don't get a sense that that is the case.
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post #16 of 32
2/17/11 at 6:55pm
I agree that Caldey Island is probably the best pure lavender available. Shipping abroad can get pricey, but I think it's worth if for what you get. Caldey, of course, bears similarities to the other big names in the lavender world such as Caron pour un Homme and Royal Scottish Lavender. Caldey's lavender opening is smooth and natural--similar in quality to vaunted RSL, but is lacks the clove, castoreum, and ambergris that gives RSL its animalic edge nor is an ultra floral lavender like d'Orsay's diving Arome 3. Good stuff that every lavender or scent purist should try.
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post #17 of 32
2/17/11 at 7:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by odysseusm View Post

My question is -- how does this compare to Crabtree & Evelyn's Lavender Water? The C&E seems very natural and lively to me, I can hardly imagine anything more realistic.
If the scent developed an herbal note, I would particularly be interested. But I don't get a sense that that is the case.

The CI is smoother and less herbal.medicinal than the C&E.

Now that I think about it, the CI is not as 'real smelling' as lavender, because lavender itself can be sharp and a bit rough-around-the-edges when you encounter it one-on-one in nature. Ever ran your fingers across a lavender stalk and then sniff your fingertips? It's quite pungent. If you've smelled something like Aqua Allegoria Lavande Velours by Guerlain you know what I'm talking about. But, the CI softens this up a bit so that instead of smelling like a lavender stalk it smells like a field of lavender, the overall impression you get when a whole field of flowers releases their scent and it catches in the air. Also, I think the CI sticks around for much longer, than the C&E.
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post #18 of 32
2/17/11 at 7:14pm
It's the musk that gives me pause, actually. Musk and I generally don't get along too well.
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post #19 of 32
2/17/11 at 7:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 30 Roses View Post

It's the musk that gives me pause, actually. Musk and I generally don't get along too well.

I feel you 30R. I don't like many musks, myself. But, this one is very pleasing and integrated into the lavender. Quite well done and seamless, for such a tiny company like CI.
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post #20 of 32
2/17/11 at 7:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

I feel you 30R. I don't like many musks, myself. But, this one is very pleasing and integrated into the lavender. Quite well done and seamless, for such a tiny company like CI.

Agreed. The musk in Caldey is quite tame. I don't really think it is anything to worry about. I think Caldey is good bang for your buck and may consider buying a bottle in the future...distant future as this hobby has broken me as of late.
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post #21 of 32
2/17/11 at 7:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bokaba View Post

Agreed. The musk in Caldey is quite tame. I don't really think it is anything to worry about. I think Caldey is good bang for your buck and may consider buying a bottle in the future...distant future as this hobby has broken me as of late.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeperez23 View Post

I feel you 30R. I don't like many musks, myself. But, this one is very pleasing and integrated into the lavender. Quite well done and seamless, for such a tiny company like CI.

I'll keep it on the back burner for now; thanks to you both!
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post #22 of 32
2/17/11 at 9:37pm
By the way, according to Turin's review for NZZ, the musk is Exaltolide. Also, it uses French lavender from Vaucluse, not anything found on the island.
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post #23 of 32
2/17/11 at 10:40pm
I would splurge for it if you must. A 100ml bottle including shipping from the UK runs about $35. Less if you're in the UK or Europe.
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post #24 of 32
2/17/11 at 11:42pm
It smells great but it could use a little more subtance, but then it wouldn't smell the same. I think I'd need to live in a hotter climate in order to get the most out of it. As good as it smells, I got very little out of it.

I ordered mine from Wales and had it within ten days.
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post #25 of 32
4/21/11 at 10:04pm
Update:
I bought a lightly used bottle from a BNer. My husband wore it this evening and seems to like it; I find it to be quite a muted and warm lavender (comparing with my bottle of lavender essential oil) but am happy to have found a lavender he will wear.
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post #26 of 32
4/21/11 at 10:16pm
Thanks 30 Roses- this sounds good. Now Crabtree and Evelyn are discontinuing their lavender water * cry* - this may do fine.
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post #27 of 32
4/21/11 at 10:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 30 Roses View Post

Update:
I bought a lightly used bottle from a BNer. My husband wore it this evening and seems to like it; I find it to be quite a muted and warm lavender (comparing with my bottle of lavender essential oil) but am happy to have found a lavender he will wear.

What about Your concerns regarding the musk, here exaltolide? Specifically this musk is addressed by scientific investigations that deal with perceptability. The latter depends on the very personal circumstances and may vary over time considerably.

From my side I may report that the Calday was a major disappointment. After 30 minutes max the exaltolide overran the lavender entirely. And then the smell of the remaining felt like the debris of something gone, in short, wasn't pleasent. Reaplication from time to time makes You eventually stink like a virtual rat in the evening.

Could it be that Luca Turin started a hype with his - was it really a review? There are lots of lavenders around, that, from my perspective are at least as good as the Caldey. I own a variety of lavender natural oils from France, India, even Spain, CO2 extracts, absolues, steam destilations. To reduce the essence of lavender to the rendition made by the Caldey monastry is quite simplistic. Did You notice that LT once dismissed fragrances due to the use of dihydromycrenol, then praises an other one for exactly that (Beyond Paradise Man)? ELdOs Antiheros (in Frensh spoken with a silent "h", hence anti-''-eros *ggg*) is welcomed for its lavender, but from my experience this is an utter fake, and intentionally so.
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post #28 of 32
4/21/11 at 10:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by WildThingy View Post

.... There are lots of lavenders around, that, from my perspective are at least as good as the Caldey.

The Sevilla Lavenders EO sounds nice....
what is about Colognes of Perfume Lavender Fragrances ?
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post #29 of 32
4/21/11 at 11:01pm
WildThingy,

The musk did indeed make it more masculine to me, a bit gamey even, but that gameyness subsided fast. Still, I prefer my lavenders pungent/natural and sans musk.

However it seems to smell good to, and on, my husband. I don't think he will wear if often but as an occasional change from his other fragrances, as an evening/after-shower scent, yes.

My own favorite lavender was the Yardley before they softened it back in the late 70s/early 80s. My current favorite is a 1990s version of L'Occitane Verveine that had a strong lavender base. The two scents-- verbena and lavender-- go together so well.

I also used to like Norfolk Lavender but haven't tried it in many years:
http://www.norfolk-lavender.co.uk/sh...fd9c6410c6a041
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post #30 of 32
4/24/11 at 12:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1234567890 View Post

I interesting in another great lavenders .... please let me know your favorites lavenders WildThingy ....
Thanks

I like the Sevilla Lavender I got from Ronald Reike, Germany. Its crude and longer lasting than the "blue heaven" variant. My own experiments with fixatives lead to razor sharp things - lavender & ambroxan is no good except for its shock value, but it lasts ...
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post #31 of 32
4/24/11 at 5:38am
WildThingy :There are lots of lavenders around, that, from my perspective are at least as good as the Caldey.

The Sevilla Lavenders EO sounds nice....
what is about Colognes of Perfume Lavender Fragrances ?
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post #32 of 32
4/24/11 at 7:43am
Hi number guy,

The Sevilla Lavender comprises geraniol and other. That makes it different. If You look at it as a lavender it will most probably show itself more complex than expected. But it is - like immortelle - a bit dry. So a mixture with e/g kashmir lavender would help to live it up. Today I felt to redo a concoction of various lavenders including the Sevilla, and added helional. Thats pretty good, but in the middle of its development there is a phase of a boring offnote. I think its the absolue, a bit waxy, whatever. Ehm, the topnote is choosen to be 3cis hexanol. I like the smell of leaves very much. To make it last I tried the ambroxan again. It is still a bit sharp/metallic. Maybe I emphasize it from an other side with helional to have an ice cold cologne for summer. To have it more on the warm side, that "eternal blue" Luca Turin is raving about, I would like to have some musks and sandalwood, maybe even orris. I think the exaltolide used in Caldeys fits LT taste in the direction animalic perfumes. As far as I know the Caldey is special in that, a dirty lavender without vanilla. That doesn't make it better than any other, its just different.

When it comes to other ready made concotions the Yardley is sharp adstringent and lasts despite of being clean. The Atkinsons is on the herbal side and lasts as such quite a while.
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