Italian Cypress 
Tom Ford (2008)

Alchymia. Perfumare. Magnum Opus.

Mysterious incense marred by linearity and musk

This is an intriguing perfume with a number of peculiarities. After I saw its rating and realized this is the best niche perfume rating I have encountered on Basenotes so far among the hundreds I have seen, and considering my deep affection towards the Mediterranean theme, I knew I wouldn’t find rest until I smell it.

Here is how “Italian Cypress” performs on me:
- Citrus opening which is sharp, uninteresting and detached from the otherwise uniformed body of the perfume.
- About 15 minutes in which “Italian Cypress” seems lost and uncertain in what direction to take (if any).
- In the next couple of hours, the aroma begins to solidify into an incense scent with sweet and sour overtones.
- The whole thing entirely solidifies into a mellow and very well-made incense with sour overtones.

Thus, for me “Italian Cypress” is an incense perfume made with impressive craftsmanship that makes it almost impossible to dislike. On me it doesn’t exert any fresh or green notes, maybe little of the herbal ones. I certainly regret the last are not more prominent. There is indeed wood, but it is dry, heated and burned (not aggressively, but slowly, carefully and softly) - i.e., incense. But an incense so well-crafted that it quickly topped all other incense-based scents I have tried and can remember. This incense behaves very interestingly. It is almost completely linear, but not boring for a couple of hours, since it is fully accomplished and maintains a delicate sweet and sour note under the incense, which I attribute to the way the mint interacts with the woods.

This results in a mysterious and enveloping experience, much more suited for the night; an experience that might find additional benefit by mixing it with some tobacco smoke; but also, an experience banally and tangibly troubled by a dense synthetic musk projection from the base. I understand why some find “Italian Cypress” to seem so natural. The musk is just so well blended/hidden so it is misleading. But if you breath in the aroma of “Italian Cypress” deeper than your normal volume, you will discover how it hits your brain more and doesn’t go down into your lungs – which is a mark for a heavier synthetic presence. What a pity! Hence, to sum up, I am not head over heels for “Italian Cypress” for three reasons:
- The opening citrus which, as far as I am concerned, can be entirely absent from the formula, it adds nothing to the experience. If anything, it disturbs it.
- The overall linearity and simplicity of the perfume.
- The synthetic woods/musk which not only messes with my head but just makes the whole composition too heavy.

Still, as I said, this is a peculiar perfume. First it starts bad and then becomes very good. Not a desirable trait within the realm of modern perfumery that seeks to wow you into emotional/reactional purchases. Nevertheless, we have a strange case in this respect with “Italian Cypress”. Next, as noted by other reviewers, this is indeed a masculine scent – something I am able to truly define very seldom in niche perfumes. I am not saying this is good or bad, but it certainly characterizes “Italian Cypress”.

As a final note, I don’t find “Italian Cypress” to be old-fashioned at all, so don’t decide that before trying. Which is the next issue – being discontinued, you can’t find a reputable place to sample it, while the price range for a full bottle (still to be found from private sellers) is extreme. At this price range, I would rather go for Profumum’s “Arso”, which delivers a more truthful wood feel, or perhaps even “Fumidus”, if you prefer to go for a darker and more bitter wood experience.

I was deliberating quite a bit whether to give “Italian Cypress” a lukewarm positive rating, or a neutral one. But I realized I don’t find it alluring enough to wear it often. Secondly, as a rule, I don’t use price as a criterion since it can’t directly attest to the quality of a fragrance. And I think for outstanding masterpieces no amount of money can be equivalent. However, with anything less, asking as much as Tom Ford does is nothing but snobbism and feels too wrong. Conclusion: a neutral rating.

Tom Ford, Italian Cypress:
Composition: 8/10
Complexity: 6.5/10
Development: 5.5/10
Naturality: 6.5/10

I like the profile this is aiming for, but it is way too thick and heavy to carry the name, "Italian".

This should be called, "French Cypress".

7/10
Because I wish it was more aromatic, like the true 'Italian' style...