Eau de Cade
L'Occitane (2014)

L'Occitane Eau de Cade (2014) is a masculine fragrance based around the entirety of the Juniperus oxycedrus, or Cade tree. Juniper berries and the associated perfume note often come from this tree, but with Eau de Cade, all of the tree is represented, from the berries, to the coniferous needles, and cade oil coming from the wood itself, which is also described in some perfumes as "juniper" instead of juniper berries. Like all non-freshie masculines from the house, Eau de Cade has an element of pepper in it, but unlike the black or red pepper found in L'Occitan (2005) or Eaux des Baux (2006) respectively, the pink pepper that shows up in Eau de Cade has more of an emboldening effect without adding any piquant sharpness to the mix. If the "lavender one" and the "tobacco one" don't suit you (also respectively), then the "woody one" should do the trick. It's very simple A = A or 1 + 1 = 2 logic here, but I find something missing from the execution. Eau de Cade feels a bit phoned-in to the "typical L'Occitane smell" more than usual, whereas the others to which it has been compared have a common thread, but stand on their own two feet rather than slink into the background. Maybe it's just my observation, but when sampling all three of these initially (before I started making any L'Occitane purchases), this was the one I remembered the least, which speaks volumes to me in and of itself.

The opening of Eau de Cade is bergamot and petitgrain, nice and sharp. There is instantly a bit of sweetness from the juniper berries in the heart that pokes through early, but it's nothing like Calvin Klein Obsessed for Men (2017) or even Penhaligon's Juniper Sling (2011) in terms of presence, since the note made from the berries is not the focus. Cedarwood and pink pepper join the juniper berries according to the official tree, but all I really get here is the roundish warmth of the pink pepper without much cedar to be found, but it's a nice if somewhat commercial accord found in most of your mainstream Chanel, YSL, and other big masculine releases. Now, I'm not insinuating Eau de Cade is anything like Bleu de Chanel (2010), as L'Occitane released Eau de Cedrat (2015) for that market demographic, and the pink pepper folds into the cade oil in the base anyway. Labdanum and a tiny puff of punctuated iris come out in the end to form the finish alongside some tonka and amber, which is where most of the "like every other L'Occitane" feeling sinks in, but without anything truly memorable on top of it all to make Eau de Cade shine above that house vibe. Wear time is about 8 hours with moderate sillage, as this is a bit quietier than other things L'Occitane has released. I'd use Eau de Cade in fall or spring, where the wood and aromatic themes feel strongest to my nose, and strictly in a casual sense.

Eau de Cade isn't a bad impulse grab for somebody looking for a mostly uncomplicated aromatic with a few modern-ish touches, but there is neither anything really good nor bad about the dry citrus, juniper, wood, and middling fougère-like base of this to scream "gotta have it". Now I'm not usually an oakmoss obsessive, because I've come to love modern perfumes which make do without it, and entire genres where oakmoss isn't even a key to the recipe (like ouds or ambers), but I'm going to concede that if Eau de Cade had been made in 1974 instead of 2014, and had a huge hit of oakmoss in the base, that buttery smooth diffusion might actually make the top and middle fan out a bit more, and just feel more interesting and substantial overall. I'm not suggesting to go drop a milliliter of oakmoss absolute into your bottle of Eau de Cade, but the top does screw off, just saying... In any case, this is another solid neutral that I can both live with and without, but find no harm in smelling on somebody else, or catching a spray of when cruising past the L'Occitane store in the mall. Eau de Cade isn't the label's finest hour, but I'd hardly call it a failed fragrance, just not my cup of tea. If you're a hardcore L'Occitane fan, you might want to wrap your nose around some Eau de Cade, but if you're not, there are better juniper and generally coniferous scents on the market that sell for even less than this does at retail.

Decent amount of pepper and woods. The added kick of iris gives this one that Bang by Marc Jacobs vibe.

Hmmm...didn't totally impress me as I'd hoped. But I did notice and appreciate the firlike petitgrain in Eau de Cade.

Overall, Eau de Cade seems like a pedestrian mix of spices and woods that feel like a cheap aftershave than a wearable, universal scent like others in L'Occitane's line. I have to say it does feel natural, yet nothing all too memorable.

Another disappointment from L'occitane. Nothing like the description on my skin. There is very little cedar and it's in the background for about 30-40 mins, then most of what I get before drydown is the pepper. Cedar is my favorite scent, not just in fragrance but perhaps in all of life, naturally this was my motivation to purchase this for that reason, especially after reading reviews that this smelled just like pencil shavings. I have used the Cade shaving products and couldn't get enough of the smell. It is almost addictive to me. I used to put the shave balm on my pulse points and neck just to extend that smell on my body. Having the same name and description I expected this to smell very close to that. At double the price, one would expect an EDT scent to be as strong or stronger than an after-shave balm or shaving cream. Apparently not.

Every scent I have ever tried or purchased from this brand has left me...literally left my skin very quickly. As if they replace the alcohol with water. I suppose 3.4 oz at this price point isn't going to get much of a concentration of the juice. I would be surprised if Cade had 1% concentration. There is very little sillage and I can barely smell myself after an hour ( I have sprayed this on my wrists, chest and neck and even in my hair). I always spray a new scent in the air before putting it on my skin. Mostly just to get the spray on the bottle started. My first clue that there would be little to no longevity was the scent disappeared from the air within a couple of minutes after spraying it several times.
By the way, the drydown for me is PURE iris. Absolutely nothing else! Very feminine. Let me also repeat that I am typing this just one hour after spraying myself all over. And it's gone. Completely gone. How can a body lotion that costs $25 from this brand have a scent that lasts several hours and an alcohol filled bottle of fragrance not even be noticeable? I am a fan of L'occitane Verbena body lotion and it lasts for several hours, longer still in the warm summer heat. I don't get it.

Very nice fragrance! Love the notes which smell natural and clean. Love the cedar wood and pepper notes as they dry down into the Cade wood and iris. This is a great casual, blue jeans type of fragrance it also reminds me of Blackwing pencil shavings, the cedar wood notes, that is. Good stuff with above average staying power for me.

One of the very best juniper fragrances on the market today, IMHO.

I am a fan of juniper. Especially juniper wood notes, which unfortunately seem forgotten in modern perfumery, but were quite abundantly used in many discontinued fragrances. I have often wondered if this is due to changes in tastes, or if juniper is perhaps one of those notes that is difficult to pair and/or sustain in a fragrance. I lack the knowledge to say, but can attest that most juniper fragrances do seem to have difficulty in sustaining the note for any significant length of time. What makes Eau de Cade different, is in the construction of complimentary notes that help to sustain the fragrance's juniper tone. L'Occitane uses a natural cedar wood, iris and pepper that pairs cleanly with the juniper wood and holds the fragrance together without any toxic use of a synthetic or Iso E Super support.

Eau de Cade is very much a natural outdoor fragrance that could be worn year round. It won't last an entire work day, but works perfectly well for casual weekend wear, dinner dates and seasonal social functions. Definitely a thumbs up.