Item Description
Caron is known for its few, yet original perfumes.
On the manly side, in historical order we have Pour un Homme, the all-time classic Gainsbourg sang about; Yatagan, frightening and powerful; then we come to their third manly fragance, aptly named Le 3e Homme. (I know nothing of the Fourth Man, a.k.a L'Anarchiste!).
It's a fragrance often recommended to those who do not like Pour un Homme, but I don't think it should be conceived as such. Indeed, if PuH is a two-legged, homely yet delicate lavender/vanilla affair, Le 3e is rather an aromatic buffet. Its notes are too numerous to write here, and at any rate, it would not do justice to the fragrance. What I can say is that it's very complex, somewhat sweet, but also bitter, herbal and unique.
But we're in for a far different treat here. After all, this is not the Fragrance section!
I found this little guy at my secret perfume emporium, hidden deep into the bowels of a forlorn shopping centre at the end of town. You wouldn't like it there. Don't ask.
Upon looking at the box, I was immediately reminded of that review of 3e I read on another website: the person compared the fragrance to the shimmering feathers of a parrot's wing, and the design here indeed echoes the feeling that 3e is so complex, you have a full chromatic scale of scent. Or that it's queer-positive. Who knows.
The story of most fragrances is that, after you have convinced the average man to slap it on, is that you want to make sure he keeps using it everywhere in order to avoid clashing scents. That's why a successful line will add to the perfume: an aftershave splash, a balm, a deodorant, a bath soap, a shaving soap/cream, shower gel, hand soap, talc, shampoo, and probably a candle as well. Witness Pour un Homme or Blenheim Bouquet for example of a full line.
In the case of 3e, it appears this was attempted, and failed. Although Caron does not list any secondary products for any of its fragrances on its websites, you can easily find all these products on online vendors' websites. Pour un Homme is their only fragrance with such a line. But you won't find a 3e homme derived product anywhere today. Why?
Perhaps because the product simply failed to meet market expectations; perhaps because Caron needed money and killed a low seller; perhaps the new manager just hated aftershave. Again, who knows.
So that's why I was so bowled over by my recent discovery. After asking the lady at the counter if she had anything related to 3e homme, she sad nay. But I saw something behind the Eau de Toilette box she handed me, and asked for her to dig it. For 49$, I knew it had to be mine.
There wouldn't be much to say about this aftershave if you already know all there is to know about splashes. And at any rate, Caron is not primarily in the aftershave market, so it's very well possible that they just bought an aftershave base from another manufacturer, and poured in their fragrance. Most fragrance-derived aftershave are made like that, and that's why you can, for example, find the exact same ingredients between Tabac AS and Pino Silvestre AS.
Based on its ingredient list, this aftershave is a fairly straightforward disinfect-tone-astringent-hydrate mixture, with alcohol doing most of the job, and allantoin doing the astringent job. There are some hydrating agents, namely glycerin, and urea. Yes, the same urea you produce every day.
But slapping on Number 3 will not smell like a Number 1. Urea is a product used for severe dry skin (I use it for my prone-to-eczema hands), and in the present case my skin feel as good as with any other splash I've tried. It's surprising we don't see urea more in aftershaves.
I've used it today, and my skin feels nice, not tight nor irritated, and I keep catching delicious little whiffs of that rather strong fragrance. Some people may be put off by how strong Le 3e can be, and if you're lucky enough to find it, this should satisfy you need for a lighter version. You will also get the great-looking original bottle (current 3e homme EdT is in the same Caron bottle as PuH and Yatagan), and something to boast about.
Oh, and they also had a second bottle left for when I'm done with this one.
On the manly side, in historical order we have Pour un Homme, the all-time classic Gainsbourg sang about; Yatagan, frightening and powerful; then we come to their third manly fragance, aptly named Le 3e Homme. (I know nothing of the Fourth Man, a.k.a L'Anarchiste!).
It's a fragrance often recommended to those who do not like Pour un Homme, but I don't think it should be conceived as such. Indeed, if PuH is a two-legged, homely yet delicate lavender/vanilla affair, Le 3e is rather an aromatic buffet. Its notes are too numerous to write here, and at any rate, it would not do justice to the fragrance. What I can say is that it's very complex, somewhat sweet, but also bitter, herbal and unique.
But we're in for a far different treat here. After all, this is not the Fragrance section!
I found this little guy at my secret perfume emporium, hidden deep into the bowels of a forlorn shopping centre at the end of town. You wouldn't like it there. Don't ask.
Upon looking at the box, I was immediately reminded of that review of 3e I read on another website: the person compared the fragrance to the shimmering feathers of a parrot's wing, and the design here indeed echoes the feeling that 3e is so complex, you have a full chromatic scale of scent. Or that it's queer-positive. Who knows.
The story of most fragrances is that, after you have convinced the average man to slap it on, is that you want to make sure he keeps using it everywhere in order to avoid clashing scents. That's why a successful line will add to the perfume: an aftershave splash, a balm, a deodorant, a bath soap, a shaving soap/cream, shower gel, hand soap, talc, shampoo, and probably a candle as well. Witness Pour un Homme or Blenheim Bouquet for example of a full line.
In the case of 3e, it appears this was attempted, and failed. Although Caron does not list any secondary products for any of its fragrances on its websites, you can easily find all these products on online vendors' websites. Pour un Homme is their only fragrance with such a line. But you won't find a 3e homme derived product anywhere today. Why?
Perhaps because the product simply failed to meet market expectations; perhaps because Caron needed money and killed a low seller; perhaps the new manager just hated aftershave. Again, who knows.
So that's why I was so bowled over by my recent discovery. After asking the lady at the counter if she had anything related to 3e homme, she sad nay. But I saw something behind the Eau de Toilette box she handed me, and asked for her to dig it. For 49$, I knew it had to be mine.
There wouldn't be much to say about this aftershave if you already know all there is to know about splashes. And at any rate, Caron is not primarily in the aftershave market, so it's very well possible that they just bought an aftershave base from another manufacturer, and poured in their fragrance. Most fragrance-derived aftershave are made like that, and that's why you can, for example, find the exact same ingredients between Tabac AS and Pino Silvestre AS.
Based on its ingredient list, this aftershave is a fairly straightforward disinfect-tone-astringent-hydrate mixture, with alcohol doing most of the job, and allantoin doing the astringent job. There are some hydrating agents, namely glycerin, and urea. Yes, the same urea you produce every day.
But slapping on Number 3 will not smell like a Number 1. Urea is a product used for severe dry skin (I use it for my prone-to-eczema hands), and in the present case my skin feel as good as with any other splash I've tried. It's surprising we don't see urea more in aftershaves.
I've used it today, and my skin feels nice, not tight nor irritated, and I keep catching delicious little whiffs of that rather strong fragrance. Some people may be put off by how strong Le 3e can be, and if you're lucky enough to find it, this should satisfy you need for a lighter version. You will also get the great-looking original bottle (current 3e homme EdT is in the same Caron bottle as PuH and Yatagan), and something to boast about.
Oh, and they also had a second bottle left for when I'm done with this one.
