Pecksniff’s is a fragrance house based in Brighton, England. I know very little about them other than what information is available on their website: they are an independent, family owned company that has been in business for around 20 years. Lusciouscargo has recently started carrying the line and last night I tried two of their scents: Classic Chypre and Green Chypre.

Classic Chypre has notes of ylang ylang, basil, galbanum, jasmine, cardamom, clove, vetiver, vanilla, moss and patchouli. The basil lends an unusual touch to the top notes, which are otherwise sweet, heady florals. The spices are subdued, and while it is nowhere near as heavy as the notes might suggest, it is very, very sweet. There is a slight touch of green in the dry down, perhaps from a lingering bit of basil or perhaps from the galbanum, but the florals pretty much drown out everything else. I catch very little moss or vetiver, and while the patchouli undoubtedly adds to the sweetness, I’m not sure I can identify it. Classic Chypre is not necessarily a bad fragrance, although it is too sweet for my taste, but it is not at all what I expected from the name. If it were not for the obvious basil in the top notes, I would think that perhaps I had the wrong sample.

The Green Chypre is more to my personal taste. It has notes of pink grapefruit, mandarin, lemon, orange, galbanum, bergamot, freesia, water lily, orchid, pink pepper, geranium, violet, rose, musk and sandalwood. This one starts with bright citrus top notes. As the citrus fades, the galbanum adds a nice green note to the florals, which are slightly sweet, but not nearly so much so as in the Classic. There is a tiny bit of an aquatic note from the water lily, although it doesn’t last long, and I can faintly make out a bit of violet and rose. Interestingly, the oak moss, which is not listed in the notes, is much heavier in this fragrance than in the Classic. The oak moss intensifies as the fragrance dries down, and eventually this smells rather like a flatter, more feminine version of the classic fresh chypre, Eau Sauvage by Christian Dior. Nicely done, and I will give this one a second try.

Tomorrow: Pecksniff’s Fresh Citrus & White Floral