Dior Homme Parfum
Christian Dior (2014)

Referring to very first batches from 2014

Dior Homme Parfum is "the oddest one" from the whole Dior Homme family and in the same time the most powerful and mature in terms of smell.

Yes, leather is very strong here and it's an undeniable fact. But this fragrance is not about leather. At least not for me.

It's quite hard for me to describe it "just like that". I've read somewhere that someone called iris in Parfum as "burnt iris". I agree with that. I bet oud must be here because it gives me that smoky-woody feel that I remember from many fragrances containing oud. Oud and leather hit me in the face almost straight after application. They mix with iris. Iris here is very dry, straight opposite to DHI or DH, where iris is almost greasy to me.

Longevity is comparable to DHI, but it barely projects. That's why I thought at first it might be more concentrated than just EDP. Now I'm not sure about that.

Very good release. Was it necessary? Well, to be honest - to me not so much because I love that iris greasiness from it's predecessors that is gone here. I can surely say I didn't fall in love with it. I simply like it.

No other way to describe this other than as a beast mode fragrance with a loud and potent opening. A fragrance that resonates confidence and masculinity.

It feels as an almost unending fragrance, with skin scent present event after 20 hours and a shower!
The sillage is strong (3-4ft easily 1-2hours), strong lingering effect several hours afterwards too. It does have this suffocating cloud effect after application, due to its explosive opening, those who are sensitive in that case might find it unbearable. It’s a fragrance you should not over apply, at most 2 sprays is sufficient.

Scent 9/10
Sillage 8/10
Longevity 10/10
Value 8/10

As far as I'm concerned, this is "nice," rather than great.

Conventional citrus and an unexciting iris note introduce this note, while a vague, somewhat annoying sweetness comes in (there's a thin vanilla note in the background).

Character and depth comes in once the soft, supple leather accord makes itself known, though it never comes through strong enough to overcome the sweet fog surrounding it. Still, it's a nice effect.

Dior Homme Parfum is one of the designer releases of the last few years that I really loved from first wear and came really close to purchasing, but always postponed doing so to a later date thinking it'd be there whenever I'd be ready. I'd get to wear it every few months passing through a department store or an airport. Then it was discontinued, then covid and next thing you know I couldn't find it anywhere and I felt as I did when Sycomore edt went, regretful.
I was lamenting when giving my impressions on Zegna Iris Florentine earlier this year that I hadn't encountered a masculine Iris centric fragrance that had the 70s 80s vintage treatment.
DHP is not it sadly, but by toning down the sweetness of DHI, upping the rose a bit (almost if not a la Egoiste) and adding a good amount of an almost IsoQuinolic leather we somewhat get in the vicinity. Don't get me wrong, the base is still heavy on "amberwoods" and not nearly as striking as the first third of the wear but I enjoy it and I guess I don't smell as "old man" as usual (not that I care).
I did managed to get me that long postponed bottle in the end. Quite happy, as I see it now going for 400 plus bucks on the net.I can't really make out the status of DHP, discontinued,75ml limited to Europe I don't know.

Good, but not amazing. Nicely done, but ultimately not as good as the original Dior Homme.

While the original Dior Homme registers to me as mostly iris brightened with violet and warmed with vanilla and suede, the Parfum smells to me like the focus is shifted to the leathery vanilla. It's a bit animalic, while the iris is relegated to a small supporting role. It's perfectly fine, if not as wondrous as the original, but I feel like it kind of falls apart in the base, where a terpine tonka and smooth pink pepper wrap the vanilla in an unsatisfying clash of rough and fuzzy with just enough cheapness showing through to guarantee that this isn't as good as the practically perfect original version.

Don't get me wrong - in a universe full of smell-alike aquatics and candy garbage, this still merits an enthusiastic thumbs up, but I'd stick with the original.

Easily the most interesting of the Dior Homme men's line, but definitely not the best.

This takes the exotic part of DHI, and the practicality of DH, mixes them together, adds more depth, more unique, and definitely more intense. This should really be called Dior Homme Intense, because it doesn't have much DHI in it, it's more of an intense version of DH.

The opening.. it's loud, very strong, very potent. It's like a full bodied Dior Homme, with a sweetness that I get from DHI, but I don't really get any cocoa here. It's more of a Rochas Man sweetness, like a vanilla/tonka combination.. I think because I am so used to DHI, I wanna say it smells like cocoa, but it really doesn't, at all. The middle is where it starts to get weird. A noticeable rose note creeps in, but it's not that nice jammy rose I'm used to, it's more of a old school rose, feminine smelling rose. The only other fragrance I own that reminds me of the same rose note, is Calligraphy Rose, with a rose/saffron combo, that's what it smells like. It then gets smokey, very, very smokey, so smokey that it started to smell like grilled barbecued meats (if you know the infamous bbq meat smell from Voyage d'Hermes, and Sel Marin - also the cocoa fragrance from Slumberhouse - not sure the name). It sort of becomes a turn off for a good hour through the middle. A couple hours past, I am left with a fantastic vanilla and iris dry down. Iris, in the base?? Works for me! The iris here comes off the same as it does in many other men's iris fragrances, as more of orris root, than iris flower itself, creating a woody sort of smell. Ambrette adds a boozy, oak barrel sort of whisky-ish and oud like note. Every time I have smelled this note of ambrette, I think of a very subtle oud, mixed with some sort of boozy aroma.. but it's usually more of just a faint oud. Add it all up, and the dry down is fantastic here, probably the best dry down out of all the Dior Homme's, but not the best overall.

To me, it isn't worth seeking out, with how rare it is to find in the US market. It's literally just a stronger Dior Homme with a different dry down, and big hit of grilled meats in the middle. Maybe the middle will grow on me. The positives outweigh the negatives for me, enough to warrant a thumbs up review, but I doubt I will spring for a bottle. I will enjoy this sample I have, and see if my perception changes with future wearings.

After wearing this more.. I am not particularly fond of it. The rose is too dry and smokey. The BBQ meats smell lasts way too long, during most of the beginning and all of the middle of the scent, it makes it unappealing to me, and also being as strong as it is, it's hard to avoid this smell. I almost don't like this one at all.. but the first 15 minutes, and the last few hours make are redeeming. Overall though, it's certainly not worth seeking out, with how hard it is to find. It's like a mix of DHI and Calligraphy Rose, or maybe even the old school Tea Rose fragrance from Perfumer's Workshop.

Sorry for this review being more of a brainstorm, than an actual well though out reviewed, I must have revisited it several times, and just added to, or changed something. In due time I will give this another full wearing and finalize my thoughts with an affirmative review. This review/summary was however based on 4 full wearings, but I usually like to do 5 as a personal thing before writing a review.