Cognitive Dissonance Regarding Caron for Men

[Featherweight]

I'm reading around on basenotes and some other forums that Pour un Homme de Caron's vanilla is too sweet and gourmand, and its lavender chemical and sickly. The weird thing is that these characteristics get a pass in other major masculine releases, like Gaultier's Le Male, various Mugler scents, and niche scents (looking at you, Serge Lutens). And I'm not even saying that these houses are overly sweet and chemical, but since when did men object to sweet vanilla and less-than-realistic lavender? Wonder what your impressions are about Pour un Homme - is it really gourmand and an overrated lavender? I have it and think it's a classic, but I'm trying to understand this sentiment. I'm wondering if Pour un Homme is just too simple and, well, 2-note for guys these days. There must be a reason this fragrance has survived for almost 80 years.




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[vertigo12314]

I keep wearing it and I love it. The lavender has a nice greeness to it I like and the vanilla is sweet but is blended with wood and musk that makes it more interesting. I also find that I can use it anytime of the year which is a bonus.

If someone wants a more realistic lavender they will have to go for Caldey Island Lavender.

 

[StylinLA]

It's one of the scents on my "I know I'm going to buy so why do I keep putting it off" list, but have not yet tried it.

I tend to think it's just kind of old school and that may put some people off it.
But I really need to try and find out. Your observation about it being too simple may be right on too.

 

[The Nid Hog]

I think that it smells pretty nice, but it's a little too sweet for me. I like it in the abstract, but I don't care much for wearing it. However, I don't think it deserves the hyperbolic attacks--it really is a classic. In fact, I think that Caron is a woefully underrated house. For my money, their men's ranges are all excellent.

 

[mdevine]

I enjoy the scent but my wife does not. She thinks it smells like baby powder. After she said that, I have that image when I wear it.

 

[Featherweight]

If someone wants a more realistic lavender they will have to go for Caldey Island Lavender.

It's interesting that you mention this as well - I've seen the lavender of Caron compared to Caldey before also, with the Caldey being preferred. The irony is that in going from the Caron to the Caldey, 2 notes are reduced down to 1! Somehow I don't see myself getting too into a cologne-strength lavender soliflore (probably not the right way to classify the Caldey, but I understand it is just lavender) - I can't see something that is just lavender being enough for me. But I haven't tried the Caldey yet and really should to make a fair judgment on this.



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[inkcoffee]

I share your opinion, it's a classic. On the top there's that sparkly and fleeting lavender with the smoothest vanilla smell I've ever smelled for the remainder and it stills smells like something I could wear in any season.

 

[The Nid Hog]

It's interesting that you mention this as well - I've seen the lavender of Caron compared to Caldey before also, with the Caldey being preferred. The irony is that in going from the Caron to the Caldey, 2 notes are reduced down to 1! Somehow I don't see myself getting too into a cologne-strength lavender soliflore (probably not the right way to classify the Caldey, but I understand it is just lavender) - I can't see something that is just lavender being enough for me. But I haven't tried the Caldey yet and really should to make a fair judgment on this.

It's very hard for me to compare Caron and Caldey. One of the qualities of Caron is its persistence. Meanwhile, the Caldey dissipates in moments. To me, the quality of the lavender is quite different too. Caron's lavender is pleasant, but it pales in comparison to the stunningly bright lavender that the monks cook up (or whoever constructs the fragrance).

 

[Featherweight]

I think the lavender used in Caldey is English lavender (Caldey Island off Wales), which is significantly different from that used in the Caron, which is more understated and herbal than any other lavender I've ever smelled, which leads me to believe that it's French lavender. I don't know about the Caldey, but I think the reason Caron used French lavender is that its more ephemeral, sharp, and carries well against vanilla, which can easily get too sweet and cloying if not paired correctly. Plus, Caron is French!



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[john parker]

Have it; love it. I personally do not find the lavender in Caron very herbal, if herbal at all. To me it smells like a deep albeit somewhat faint lavender carried along on the vanilla. It is not as sharp and bright as some of the lavender waters I have, but has the longevity I like along with a gourmand (I guess) fragrance that I like. It was a compromise, to a degree, with my wife and my wallet. Really liked Gris Clair; wife hated the smokiness. Tried Oxford and Cambridge; neither of us liked the mintiness. Didn't like the price on either of these compared to Caron.

 

[vertigo12314]

I think the lavender used in Caldey is English lavender (Caldey Island off Wales), which is significantly different from that used in the Caron, which is more understated and herbal than any other lavender I've ever smelled, which leads me to believe that it's French lavender. I don't know about the Caldey, but I think the reason Caron used French lavender is that its more ephemeral, sharp, and carries well against vanilla, which can easily get too sweet and cloying if not paired correctly. Plus, Caron is French! ...

The Caldey has a more "ripe" kind of lavender smell and a little of the grassiness like near a lavender field. There is also some musk as a basenote to keep it going. The longevity is not too bad if you moisturize before application. With the musk it smells very masculine to me.

 

[jakespoppy]

For some reason, Caron Pour un Homme has a caramel note that I do not care for. but no one has mentioned this, with all the descriptions being about vanilla and lavender. Is it possible that I got a bad sample?

EDIT: I was curious, as I couldn't find any references by anyone anywhere to a caramel note in Caron Pour un Homme, so I went out at lunch and found some and tried it again, and sure enough, I don't get any caramel out of it now! Either my earlier sample was bad, or my nose was bad. Either one is easily possible. I'm looking forward to spending more time with this one and "recalibrating" my nose to it.

 

[MHV]

Pour un Homme perhaps suffers from being a simple scent made of excellent ingredients. You won't find a lot of notes evolving over time. Rather, you will find astonishing lavender (after PuH, all the lavender-scented crap you can get in department stores will smell vile) and smooth vanilla.

The lavender never goes away completely, but eventually vanilla takes over. The first time I smelled it, I hated it because of the vanilla. Too sweet, I thought.

Eventually, for whatever reason, it felt less sickly sweet, and the lavender won me. Could be the weather (I tried it first on a summer day), or just my taste evolving.

It's worth trying because, like all Caron men scents, it really is unique and affordable. Plus, you can get the aftershave, deo, balm, and even bath soap if you end up liking it.

You have to be careful about basing your opinion on other people's impressions. Some fragrance geeks are so fussy and steeped into the search for uniqueness, that their taste may not match most people's more pedestrian needs for a fragance: must smell good, the SO likes it too, affordable, and fun. The wines I actually like could be considered as dross, or at best uninteresting for the afficionados.

 

[The Knize]

I truly admire each of Caron's maculine scents. From the rather traditional and simpler (PuH) to the less conventional and rather complex (Yatagan). Master scent makers at work in my opinion! Simple equals elegant and sometimes the hardest thing to do is to create simple and wonderful at the same time.

Also, I think that lots of "notes" are complex in and of themselves. To me rose is one of the best examples. Most rose accords are complex and evolving in and of themselves. But lavender, as this thread illustrates, all by itself is not static or simple. It is made up of lots of complex notes combined! My thoughts anyway.

 

[Featherweight]

The Caldey has a more "ripe" kind of lavender smell and a little of the grassiness like near a lavender field. There is also some musk as a basenote to keep it going. The longevity is not too bad if you moisturize before application. With the musk it smells very masculine to me.

I get a touch of musk in the base of PuH as well. In fact, it was after the second or third wearing that I realized the vanilla is bolstered by some kind of sheer musk, and the effect is pretty amazing - I smell the musk strongly especially when I exhale.

. . . lavender, as this thread illustrates, all by itself is not static or simple. It is made up of lots of complex notes combined! My thoughts anyway.

I agree, lavender, like rose, is a pretty complex component. It's somewhat volatile, like citrus, which is why it goes on top of many fragrances. For some reason it gets used in men's fragrances more than women's. I haven't tried hundreds of scents, like Off-Scenter has on basenotes, but of the ones I've tried with lavender, almost every lavender smells at least a little synthetic. Some people here on B&B smell lavender on top of Yatagan, which I find really interesting because it's pretty much the last thing I get from Yatagan's entire structure - the celery seed dominates to my nose, but it's probably the exact same lavender used in PuH, and simply blends seamlessly in so that some smell it, and others don't.

Having said all of that, the one lavender that I've tried so far that smells startlingly real is the one in PuH. I'll never forget the first time I tried PuH - it was like the first time I tried single malt scotch. my nose wrinkled up, I stuck my tongue out in disgust, and couldn't believe what I'd purchased (blind buying is so much fun!) It was maybe 30 minutes later when I "got" it, and could discern exactly what was happening with this scent. And I was in love with it from that point onward.




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[e d o]

I like it. Interestingly, the juice from a splash bottle seems a little less sharp to me. For those wanting to try this, someone on a certain auction site has sets of the AS & Edt (20 ml of each) for $9 shipped. A pretty good deal me thinks (and something I have nothing to do with). I've also become quite fond of Puig's Lavanda but there's more going on here. Atkinsons is one I haven't tried and would really like to.