1270 Extrême
Frapin (2022)

Compared to the original 1270, this is a more ordinary and designer-like fragrance. It's as if they've took the pineapple and apple notes from Kenzo Totem Blue and combined them with the praline note of Paco Rabanne Black XS. There's also a generic base of tonka bean and guaiac wood that reminds me of Bulgari Man in Black. How can I explain it, this fragrance doesn't have the elegance and taste used in the original version. This is woodier (in a cheaper way), sweeter (a sugar-y smell instead of that hearty honey) and lacks the verve that was present in the original version. It's called Extreme but it doesn't even have a very good performance. However, its performance doesn't matter, because it's nothing special.

Frapin 1270 Extreme is fittingly an amped-up version of the original boozy/fruity/sweet/spicy 1270, a consensus delight except for its performance, and the Extreme flanker is a bit stronger, but in its increased density, loses a little bit of the balance that makes the original so light and easily enjoyable. So Extreme immediately feels like a tradeoff, with increased performance but decreased ease of wearing, and I think that’s a tradeoff that many would opt for, but I’m a bit stuck in the middle. The density of Extreme reminds me of 1 Million or perhaps 1 Million Intense, with a sort of candied musky sweet brightness that, when exaggerated, makes it a bit of a departure from the original.

I never regarded the original 1270 as quite full bottle worthy for retail since it was a bit fleeting on my skin and short of magnificent as a scent, and I more or less come to a similar conclusion with Extreme, which, while performing better, has a little less magic to it than the original. Overall, as with the original, though, I quite like it, but don’t quote love it to the point of pursuing a full bottle.

Frapin Extreme is sold at boutiques like Luckyscent (where I got my sample) for $190 for 100ml, slightly higher than the $165 pricing for most of the rest of the line.

7 out of 10