Paradis Perdu
Frapin (2013)

Close your eyes and take a stroll through your garden. These thoughts are very pleasing to a fella eager for spring to arrive. Fiercely organicky, with a sort of stony integrity to it, no compromises, no sweetness, no flowery messing about, just definitively and beautifully green.

It's sharp furious opening. Then it settles a bit and opens the door to a little labdanum and elemi, which sands off some of the angularity and buffs down the noise levels. The hay makes a bold and pungent statement right out of the gate, but is firmly anchored on a deep woody foundation with just a hint of funk to keep things interesting.

Alchymia. Perfumare. Magnum Opus.

Money better spent on the cognac

Frapin seems to be lost when venturing outside the liquor-based scents. Although with “Paradis Perdu” it tried harder than the aromatically orphaned and crippled “L'Humaniste”. Yes, there is an almost astonishing and very interesting green oriented opening, placed in an alcoholic-based (not citrusy-based!) sour-acidic geometrical aromatic sphere. First time I encounter this so prominently, and a remarkable merit that I think needs to be paid attention to.

Other than that, there is nothing enticing or charming about “Paradis Perdu”. The unique opening quickly deteriorates into an above-the-average powdery synthetic metallic violation, cutting through your throat, brain and lungs. Quite pronounced and, frankly, obnoxious as time passes, so brace. Yet, some weird umbilical cord between the green sour acidity and the chemical drydown remains, bearing witness to the poor structure of this perfume.

Even if that alcoholic sour acidity were to somehow be decoupled from the artificial base and maintained on its own, this would still be insufficient to stay with “Paradis Perdu”. With this one, the money for one of “Paradis Perdu”‘s bottles will be much better spent on one of Frapin’s cognacs. Stick to the them.

Frapin, Paradis Perdu:
Composition: 5.5/10
Complexity: 6.5/10
Development: 5/10
Naturality: 4/10

Absolutely fabulous! sexy, seducing. The combination of fruity juicy paradise fruits, patchouli with the dryness of aromatic woods, and cedar with vetiver makes it a very unique and original perfume. All through the perfume, you can smell a dry aromatic Gin with more subtle aromatic botanicals like coriander, cassia, angelica, and orris root. Can be worn day or night time. I can't understand the bad reviews, Don't be afraid, nothing weird or fruit salad as wrongly stated, is worth blind buying.

On first blush, this reminds me strongly of Mona di Orio's Vetyver. Ginger isn't listed but it smells of green and juicy ginger. Paridis Perdu rises above the generic green barbershops with its use of spices. This is exquisite.

Being number 5 in a series of 16 reviews on critically acclaimed and noteworthy scents.

Paradia Perdu has the following notes listed on my sample. Top: bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, mandarin. Heart: basil, elemi, galbanum, grape blossom. Base: hay, labdanum, moss, musk, rosewood, vetiver, cedar.

As a result, it reads like the structure of a classic chypre. And in broad terms, that's pretty much what you get. However, there are a few surprises along the way. To start with, there are some subdued citruses, especially grapefruit, with an earthy rather than zesty edge. The heart is the most outlandish - vetiver joins the grapefruit, but there is also something there almost mentholated in character. At this stage the scent is sharp and fresh. The drydown emphasises a vetiver that is friendly and spicy, highly accessible and without the sharp edges of something like Guerlain's vetiver. Never overpowering, PP constantly challenges you to guess what is coming next.

I find it wearable, original within generic limits, and fulfilling. Possibly I am reading too much into the name and marketing, but perhaps the answer to Darvant's conundrum - that PP is wild but at the same time civilised - is a nod to the subject matter, the point in mythical time at which nature became as much an enemy as a friend.

Pretensions aside, this is a modern but generically correct take on a green aromatic chypre and would be recommended for those who have a taste for such things. No complaints from me about longevity and sillage.

This is a lovely scent and one which any fan of green should investigate. It starts with a strong galbanum note, supported by various herbs. Then, the citrus appears -- mostly yellow grapefruit which compliments the initial notes. Hay and light wood notes follow. Finally (and surprisingly, given its position in the pyramid) the bergamot appears and in fact remains for the duration of the scent. This is a plump, fruity-berry note and it is for this reason that the scent is not bottle-worthy for me. The fruity note is not what I look for in a green scent. It is a very good bergamot note, not faux or in-your-face (as that note can sometimes be in cheap men's scents). But, it is still a fruity note and those are not to my taste. Thus, I recognize the quality of the scent and commend it to your attention; but don't seek it out myself.