Pour Un Homme Parfum
Caron (2017)

Pour Un Homme Parfum by Caron (2017) is third generation perfumer William Frayse's take on the limited edition scents his father made for the 70th and 80th anniversaries of the original Pour Un Homme by Caron (1934), respectively. The second of three Caron masculines that he would create, and the most limited of the three, Pour Un Homme Parfum merges the deep base of Impact Pour Un Homme (2005) with the naturalness of Pour Un Homme Millésime 2014 (2014), sitting somewhere between the two. For me personally, this rectifies my problems with the former, and offers a more-concentrated base-heavy experience of the latter, which corrects the problem some had with Pour Un Homme Millésime 2014 due to it seeming to live more in the top and heart than base. Like Impact, this came in only a 75ml bottle and not a 125ml, and also like Impact, is a pure parfum. As you can expect, super-fans ate this up when it was available directly from Caron, and it never really hit secondary or gray markets. Like Pour Un Homme Millésime 2014 , this release is so extinct that you never see a bottle of this stuff anywhere, and if you ever do, it will sell for way too much money. Oh well, at least I can tell you what you missed, and reassure you that the only one you really need is the 1934 timeless original.

The opening is the natural French lavender of Pour Un Homme Millésime 2014 , sparkly and round, not the medicinal dry affair of lavandin communelle that is the staple natural material in original Pour Un Homme. Compared to synthetic lavandin materials that appear in designers, original Caron Un Pour Homme's lavandin is downright technicolor anyway, so this is even better yet. Like Impact however, Pour Un Homme Parfum quickly descends into its base of tonka, musk, and vanilla. Clary sage is more present in this edition of Pour Un Homme, and the natural vanilla is less sweet than the ethyl vanillin used in Impact and standard Pour Un Homme, meaning the sage and tonka take on a bit more of a hay-like and tobacco-like essence that is then rounded slightly by the vanilla. The "Play-Dough" factor that proved too difficult for me in Impact is lessened here, and the listed cedarwood along with some form of earthy amber comes through too, making this the deepest edition of Pour Un Homme I have yet smelled. Musk is here and smells like it does across all modern versions of Pour Un Homme. Wear time is eternal and projection sits close, even closer than Impact (which is also a pure parfum), probably due to the slight down-turn of sweetness here. Still plenty sweet and plenty dandy though, so beware if that's not your thing.

All told, another variation on a theme of classic Pour Un Homme and not only the darkest Pour Un Homme ever produced, but arguably the most intense too. It's a shame this or some semblance of it didn't come in a larger 125ml size and sold as a non-limited edition like Pour Un Homme Sport (2015) and Pour Un Homme L'Eau (2018), because owners could then have a "William Fraysse Pour Un Homme Triptych" of sorts. I guess it wouldn't have mattered anyway, as he was bounced out of Caron like a tenant evicted by a slum lord when Catttleya Finance bought Caron from The Alès Groupe in 2019, after only a year in the official capacity as house perfumer taking over for his retiring father. Maybe Cattleya didn't trust a relatively new perfumer to the job regardless of pedigree, or maybe they looked at father Richard's track record of unsuccessful original compositions and said "waiter, check please" on the whole thing. Either way, Jean Jacques took over, has so far sent Caron in a slightly more commercial direction, and most release from Fraysse and company beyond the proven classics have been discontinued, being sold through until they're gone. This means that eventually Sport and L'Eau will join Parfum in the Caron afterlife anyway. The dark side of Pour Un Homme, if there ever was one. Thumbs up

I have been wearing Pour un Homme de Caron in one form or another for almost 50 years: All through the 70's and 80's, Caron made the complimentary "necessaires de toilette" that were offered to passengers on Air France flights: Men got Pour un Homme, and the ladies initially got "Bellodgia" then later they changed it to "Eau de Caron." The men's version contained two glass flacons and a small bar of soap encased in a heavy clam shell carrier. My inaugural introduction to Pour un Homme occurred while submitting helplessly to severe trouble after having excused myself to visit the loo, always a fun experience when you are on a jet, and you are 5, to empty an entire flacon over my head then emerge screaming that it had burned my eyes, also handily perfuming the entire cabin just for everyone's pleasure. Having traveled back and forth from France constantly (Paris-NY, then later Paris-LA) I collected whole drawers full of these flacons and soaps, considering them like precious cargo. I was a dapper smelling 7 year old: Perfectly groomed in my little navy suit with the white pearl buttons, and matching hat. It stood to reason, and was perfectly logical, that Pour Un Homme would stay with me. I considered it a precious "perfume," when my mother would send me huge bottles of Eau du Coq or Eau Impériale when I was off at school. A tiny splash of Pour un Homme layered atop these maintained my now famous aura of fragrant perfection. As I grew up, I toyed with other things. Jicky, then, when the Guerlain boutiques finally began selling it to the public, Mouchoir de Monsieur, became my signatures, and they remain so to this day, only, they are almost always augmented by a bit of Pour un Homme: Caron now even make a fragrant hand sanitizer for these barbaric times of plaque. In the winter months, when the world turns frozen, I have taken to using first finger dabs of "Impacte," and now strategic puffs of "Parfum" both of which I find comforting. These intense versions do something the Eau de Toilette doesn't, as their base notes are increased dramatically, and the strength of their vanilla and musk foundations are far more noticeable, though "Impacte" is more gluey. Each version of Pour Un Homme is indeed different, "Impacte" being the most noticeably altered: It has so much coumarin in it that it truly does smell like glue, or, as most Americans will define this note, "Play-Dough." The newer version, aptly called "parfum" is simply deeper, more velvety and in many ways more suave and sensual. It is for use exclusively in cold climates, and in those cold climates, during times the world is frozen: There is nothing more delicate and comforting than the effluvia of Pour Un Homme Parfum lingering endlessly on a scarf, or, more seductively, on the rolled part of a roll neck cashmere jumper. Pour un Homme in any strength requires a certain amount of confidence to carry, though it is simple, it presents a gravitas that not many mens scents might match. There are few things that have remained as they were for all of the long years of our lives, but I might confidently attest that this menu of refined indulgences is one of them. Approach with caution, but if you dare, indulge with abandon. Life is short. Savor every moment.
⁝

I have worn Pour un homme (edt) for over two decades and I was merely expecting Pour un homme parfum to be a more concentrated and longer lasting version of the classic edt. I was surprised to discover a totally different fragrance. PUHP is darker and richer than the edt. I also find it much dryer and yet not too hard. It has a better longevity as well. I was told by friends that it leaves a subtle sillage when I pass by which is rare for a masculine fragrance (with most men edts and edps, if you leave a trail, it often means that you put too much on!). I have not tried L'Impact by Caron (it is not available where I live) but according to what I read, it is not exactly the same fragrance. However, on the package of PUHP (a beautiful black and silver box, by the way) there is Pour un homme de Caron Parfum on the front but if you look on the back side, there is L'Impact Vaporisateur Natural Spray. Anyone knows what this is about?