Excelsis has launched Benedictus, a new fragrance in honor of Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood:
Doctor Frederick Hass, founder of Excelsis, created this fragrance appropriately with linden blossom from Benedict's native Germany, frankincense from the Holy Land and bergamot from Italy. The result is subtle and dignified, befitting a man of finely cultivated tastes. Barely perceptible is a nuance of citrus, and as it evolves, a discrete hint of musk. The overall impression is one of understated elegance. A slightly astringent and balsamic quality makes it a soothing and refreshing aftershave.
Excelsis Benedictus is available in Eau de Cologne, size unknown, for $27, and can be purchased at the Excelsis website. (via press release)
Musk?! For the Pope?!
But it’s only a discrete hint! Anyway, it’s probably a very clean synthetic musk
Pfffffft, we all know how discrete cheap synthetic musk is! LOL!
I am not Catholic,so I shouldn’t even have an opinion, but I really think I’d prefer my Pope musk-free.
Mind you, it won’t stop me from buying this as a stocking stuffer for my Catholic husband!
Haha,
I may have to tell my sister to get it for my brother-in-law who is strongly Catholic:).
but musk is in so many different types of fragrances
I am a huge musk amplifier, so I definitely have a strong bias against it. The merest hint of musk in a perfume smells like straight up Jovan Musk on me! (And I think that was the only perfume anyone wore at my high school, which probably worsens my bias!)
JolieFleurs, there are almost no fragrances on the market (outside of the naturals) that don’t contain one or another (frequently it’s a “cocktail” of) synthetic musks. It’s easily over 90% of the fragrances on the market, probably more.
Probably why I tend to prefer soliflores; less obvious in the musk department? Or else maybe my jasmines are so dirty I can’t detect the musk!
One musky scent that I do really love is the one that is supposedly vegetal ( not sure if that is the correct word!) Ambrette seed, I think it is? I get the newborn baby scent from that, and I really enjoy it.
Actually, they made a typo (or maybe not)–I assume what they meant was “discreet”, meaning prudent or judicious. “Discrete” means separate, unconnected, or noncontinuous. So “discrete” musk would be musk that stands apart from the rest of the fragrance, unconnected to the other notes.
HA…you are so right, and I repeated it without even noticing!! My bad.
I can’t, can’t, can’t…
You mean he doesn’t wear Avignon?
Is this what Jesus wore?
(no offense meant to anyone but I don’t remember any of the gospels describing him as a man of finely cultivated tastes. Oh my gosh *revelation* if I ever converted to Christianity I would have to be a protestant?)
Pope Benedict XVI isn’t Jesus
Good question – and there’s an answer: John 12:3 “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.”
I guess I’m more intrigued by him being described as an aesthete – but then there has always been the beauty of the catholic cathedrals, and excessive finery…
Very true, but keep in mind, the original Christians and Christ himself obviously, were Jews; it was a thousand years later before all the cathedrals came into play!
Presumably though the great temple of Jerusalem (where Jesus kicked out the money-lenders) was the grandest, or at least the most opulent, of them all!
Just to clarify my position: I am racially Jewish; spiritually agnostic and culturally exploitative (in the sense that I will accept presents on any occasion!)
Even though there’s a long historical association between worship and scent, I’m having a hard time getting my head around the idea of a holy celebriscent!
The connection between worship and scent (so far as I have understood it) has been about inducing a sense of the sacred. Also, as you pointed out, in offering the finest material to the god(s) as an act of worship. The marketing on this seems angled towards conservatives who want to feel, or believe themselves to be, ‘refined’, ‘educated’ and ‘nuanced’. Really, they are selling an image to those ‘too sophisticated’ to want to model themselves on Beckham, but who wouldn’t mind exuding a pope-ly aura!
Ha, ha – I like your idea of someone preferring to exude a Pope-ly aura rather than a Beckham-ish force field!
After actually looking at the website, I see that Dr. Hass really seems to have a special interest that led him to Benedictus, which is not his first Pope-inspired cologne: “Excelsis was founded in 2005 by Frederick J. Hass, M.D. for the purpose of producing and marketing a cologne made from the original formula of Pope Pius IX (1792-1878). He called it The Pope’s Cologne.” Talk about a niche!
“holy celebriscent” LOLOL!!!
It says it was launched in honor of the pope so I have to wonder does the pope even know someone is using him as a marketing tool?
A Pope perfume?
Holy water?
wasn’t there another Pope-centric perfume, a few years ago?
btw – still giggling over the early comment:
” I’d prefer my Pope musk-free”
xo
just checked and yep – it’s from the same company – “The Pope’s Cologne’ – and you can get a free holy card, too!
xo
When does the Dali Lama get a fragrance?
Around the same time as the chief-Rabbi-from-somewhere-or-other…
Mmm,
I thought I have heard of everything.
I am not Catholic, I am Protestant. Beliefs aside, apart of me wants to run from this fragrance(that doesn’t have to do with the fact I am Protestant btw:)..the whole idea of this fragrance just doesn’t seem fitting at all:))..apart of me is just plain curious how it smells? lol.
It feels uncomfortable at the core because aren’t colognes supposed to, at some level, attract a woman? Though, the Pope has a vow to celibacy, correct? That’s one of the reasons why I would just feel plain weird or awkward around a man who was wearing this, that is of course, if I were to find the scent attractive. I am guessing this is a very clean scent as well.
I love to mix fragrances and often do! At first glance, the intended compliment of scents is attractively relevant and assumedly well-balanced. The intended notes of Bergamont from Italy, Frankincense from Syria and linden blossom from Germany are attractive fragrances together. Nevertheless, Benedictus falls far short of the ideal in merging these complimentary fragrances. For one, the hints of musk overpower any attempt to emphasize the latter three scents and is hardly “understated”. What are understated, are the very qualities that would have made Benedictus an excellent fragrance; Bergamont, Frankincese and Linden Blossom. Instead a persistent musky fromaldahyde-like nose that ruins the lot. Mind you, this is not a masculine musk, so if you are someone who likes powerful musks (I’m not one of them) this is not that. However, if, like me, you are someone that loves natural fragrances with a fresh bite, this may “seem” like the cologne for you, but let me warn you, it is likely to fall short of your expectations.