Patchouli Mania
Eau de Parfum, Essential Parfums (2023)

There are two sorts of patchouli in this, a camphoraceous oil and Clearwood, a patchouli replacer with a creamy amber side.
To give it more variety, there are different accords surrounding the patchouli, all of which are more or less prominent. Going by the note list you can pick out hazelnut, cocoa, metallic aniseed, coriander, tea, oily-salty ambergris, castor sugar, white floral.
After going through this rigmarole, I found myself wondering ‘Will this merge into a coherent picture, or is it always going to be Joseph’s Coat of Many Colours?’
To be honest, I’m not bothered either way; the camphoraceous patchouli is too strident and the decoratives are a bunch of second hand quotes (Fat Electrician, Dior Homme, Azzaro pour Homme, seveties chypres, various tea perfumes, Eau des Merveilles Bleue, blah blah blah).
Apart from that, it’s most egregious fault is to be a niche version of the Spiky Woods, that most crass of masculine trends – which is already on its way out, thank the gods…