Portfolio Neroli Canvas
Al Haramain (2018)

Portfolio Neroli Canvas by Al Haramain (2018) is part of the Portfolio series of eau de parfums from the Emirati brand, and goes straight for locking horns with the expensive and overhyped Neroli Portofino by Tom Ford (2007). Now don't get me wrong, Rodrigo Flores-Roux does a damn fine neroli accord, one he's found fit to snuggle into many a John Varvatos masculine fragrance, as he was the unofficial go-to perfumer for that house just before JV had a shakeup. The real birth of that accord begins in the much further-upmarket Tom Ford line, and it has almost supplanted all other attempts at a longer-lasting eau de cologne at toilette or parfum strength, mostly on the power of Tom Ford's status alone among the well-heeled. As you might imagine, there are tons of brands, including high quality-to-cost brands from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, all trying to eat ol' Tom's lunch on this one, with Al Haramain being no exception.

It seems Portfolio Neroli Canvas really targets Neroli Portofino Forte by Tom Ford (2016), which is the even stronger version as some did have complaints with the original Neroli Portofino not having enough power. It's the usual overspraying numpties that use weaponized fragrance as a mating call or peacock feathers to ward off competitors who have this problem usually, not rationally-minded Human understanding how anosmia works; so if you want something somehow even stronger than Neroli Portofino Forte, Al Haramain has got your number. This is the singularly most-potent neroli scent I have ever experienced, and it is boosted with lemon and petitgrain, laid upon a thick white musk base, sharpened with some cedar, and given a hedione lift to keep the neroli front and center. This is almost potent to the point of nagging for some, and the closest comparison I can find is the aquatic-tinged Just Free by Luciano Soprani (2004), which is also nuclear in radiance.

I don't really smell any overt synthetic notes, no jagged unpolished lines, and is not as linear as one might expect something like this to be; all of these being wins in my book. Obviously, fragrances with higher credibility like Eau de New York by Bond No. 9 (1998), Castile by Penhaligons (1996), or Mugler Cologne by Thierry Mugler (1999) exist, in addition to a host of clone houses also doing their own Neroli Portofino takes. Ferrari even jumped on the bandwagon then discontinued their effort, creating a brief blip of a value competitor that was hyped into a sad little unicorn that cost more than what it was duping. Some say a lot of houses from the Middle East are clone houses, and there's no denying they do pad out their catalogs with easy-money clones done via GCMS and a little creative care on part of their perfumers, with this being one such effort. I can set my shame aside for 75ml of eau de parfum in a handsome bottle, selling for a price that's actually what most Tom Fords should be retailing for themselves; maybe you can too. Thumbs up