Pétroleum by Histoires de Parfums

*****
Year: 2011

Notes: bergamot, aldehydes, rose, patchouli, amber, leather, oud, civet, white musk

Comment: Pétroleum is part of the Édition Rare: White Gold Trilogy
With the first Édition Rare trilogy, perfumer Gérald Ghislain focuses on three "materials long used in traditional perfumery" – rose, amber and petrol.

Pétroleum attempts to emulate the olfactory premise of Christian Dior's Fahrenheit but, sadly, ends up smelling like an État Libre d'Orange reject. Sharing the same petroleum theme in Ambrarem, all one mostly detects are aldehydes, a dash of rose, some leather and lots of white musk. The end result is acerbic, clinical and woefully synthetic – like the aroma of melting plastic mixed with dry cleaning chemicals. As for the civet and oud, their presence are virtually negligible.

With a grey, ozonic and Gendarme-esque drydown, its longevity is below average with moderate sillage. Billed as a mineral oud, Santa Maria Novella's Nostalgia is far better for what the name implies.


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