Cacharel returns to men’s fragrance after a nearly seven year hiatus with the masculine counterpart to 2003’s Amor Amor, aptly entitled Amor pour Homme. The bottle has changed from red to blue and one of the Amors has been dropped, but the real story is the composition. With notes of bergamot, aromatic tea, mandarin, rose, cardamom, palisander wood, benzoin and tonka bean, Amor Pour Homme, created by Sophie Labbe and Pierre Wargnye, bears little resemblance to its feminine predecessor.
First, a word about Cacharel. Overall, I love their collection of women’s fragrances (though I found Promesse a phenomenal bore) but am saddened by the marked lack of men’s scents. Cacharel’s first men’s fragrance, Pour L’Homme, is an odd combination of nutmeg and ylang tempered by floral and herbal notes. I know it has a loyal following, but this scent never worked for me. Then the surprisingly impressive Nemo arrived, an oriental symphony of incense and vanilla that smelled more like it should have been the male counterpart to Fendi’s Theorema than Cacharel’s Noa. I felt that the design house had made some real progress there. And now there is Amor Pour Homme…and I feel we’ve moved backwards again.
It’s not that Amor is awful. It isn’t, really. It’s just about as far from my tastes as a fragrance gets. In fact, I had to wonder if what I was smelling was indeed the real thing and not a mistake….so what does it smell like? The 1980s. It reminds me of all the heavy, woody, masculine scents that I’d happily relegated to my scented memory, thrilled to never have to smell them again. You know the kind: heavy, rubbery, dark, pine trees and alcohol. I was hoping for an intense gourmand re-mix of the women’s scent, the sweetness tempered by something a little sultry and spicy. Sadly, Cacharel forgot the sweetness. Actually, I think they forgot about amour altogether when they dropped the other Amor from the name.
Amor Pour Homme is a reference to all of the incense-tea-wood scents of the last 5 years or so, with nods to everything from Gucci pour Homme to the Comme des Garcons Incense series. The focus of the composition is the palisander wood, dark and almost smoky, which is given a lift by tea, rose and cardamom notes, none of which ever play a major role. With almost no development, and average longevity and sillage, there’s very little that’s new here, and after you smell it, I’m sure you’ll be searching for the name of the magic 80s scent that Amor will undoubtedly remind you of. If Amor Amor is the proverbial enchanted fruit, then Amor pour Homme is the gnarled wooden branch on which it grows.
Cacharel Amor pour Homme is currently available for purchase at strawberrynet.
First of all, I LOVE Nemo! It is such a beautiful, comfort scent that I just can't believe Amor is a step back. Like you, I was hoping for an over-the-top gourmand, but now I'm not even sure I would like to try it.
Can't resist commenting, M, just to say that this one sounds like something I'd like…I'll take the “gnarled wooden branch” over the “proverbial enchanted fruit” any day, at least in fragrance, and nothing makes me happier than to hear that they left out the sugar, LOL…I'll have to look for this one when it releases in the US.
i found the observations that it both smells like the 80s AND references all of the incense-tea-wood scents of the last 5 years, interesting. i don't know about a step-back, but an over-the-top gourmand would have been to late-90s. 😛
Hello Marlen, I personally didnt like nemo, but a throwback to the eighties wouldn´t be THAT bad… I will wait to smell the thing though, there are a lot of Cacharel stores here in Buenos Aires, so I guess it will be here soon.
Frankly , from your description and some of the notes… it reminded me of Globe de Rochas (an aphrodisiac gem that has been sadly discontinued)
Plus I am looking forward for a fragrance to do some experiments on layering (i.e. if this is as strong as it seems, I would layer it under Terre d´Hermes or Eau des Merveilles, both of which I have tried but have found too bland)
Regards.
p.s.: I gave the CDG Palisander to my BF for his last
birthday… It is intoxicating and lovely, but I would´t wear it, as I am too sensitive to the pure palisander on that one and would surely drive me mad… I use the odeur 71…wich I think is on the antipodes to this Amour pour Homme….
Cacharel pour l'homme was and is one of my favourites – if somebody wears it I swear eternal friendship so I can find an excuse for friendly smooches, snuggles and sniffs…….. Nemo had (and has) the most gorgeous drydown (and unusual bottle)…. Amor seemed nice, if a bit unexiting in comparison, but your gnarled branch comment will have me re-visiting it. I tend to favour enchanted trees (especially gnarled ones) over enchanted fruit, I'm afraid!
Dear Gent-
Alas, the photo was promising [fortunately for all, my tastes run more deeply than mere eye candy !]
Will dutifully sniff, but your thoughtful review gives food for thought…
Hope your move was a success, and that you will soon feel at home…