Sycomore Parfum
Chanel (2022)

I have already reviewed Sycomore EDP, so this address one issue only: the difference between the parfum and the eau de Parfum.
At the Chanel boutique when I first bought the 200 ml of EDP, I sprayed the EDP on one wrist, and dabbed the Parfum on the other. I was surprised that the EDP was richer and more nuanced to my nose.
Some perfumes are composed to be experienced in extract or perfume form. Others seem to be built as lighter compositions, and given the late breaking 2022 date of these 15 ml bottles, I suspect that parfum is not the fundamental architecture of at least some of the exclusives. Chanel publicizes the parfums as their most pure and powerful concentration, but I would argue that the adjectives "pure" and "powerful" describe the concentration more than the fragrance writ large. I thought that applying the parfum over a spray would make Sycomore a more projective scent, but I don't find that really to be the case. For me, the nature of Sycomore is to bewitch in the opening, and then become very light with the sudden magical--but unpredictable--reappearances for which Chanel is famous.
The parfum is lovely too, and may be the least expensive formulation, but I would argue that Sycomore is what it is, and that the best buy is the 200 ml bottle so that one can spray amply and, if desired, frequently.

I'm sure the fact that I've never smelled Sycomore before (in EdT or EdP concentration, either one), makes my impressions considerably less valid than those of CHANEL lovers who've tried and/or worn every version of this vetiver fragrance multiple times. So, keep in mind that this review comes with a Sycomore virginity warning label.

The pure parfum opens with the scent of something that smells to me like drying alfalfa. I'm a farm girl from way back and recognize and love the smell of sun warmed hay; along with the smell of horse hair/hide, it's one of my favorite odors. Here, this exquisite agrestic note lasts for only a few moments (sadly!) before transitioning into a much more expected, but still somewhat lighthearted note of vetiver. I swear a bit of some type of mint floats past now, along with some nicely realistic cedar. Both of these notes hold the typical rootiness of the vetiver in suspension, so that the whole scent continues to feel both delicate and fresh, and almost creamy in texture. I know there's supposedly iris and vanilla in here somewhere, but everything is blended so incredibly well that I can't quite ferret out either one. As the perfume continues to dry down, the basenote of vetiver, along with a bit of leather becomes ever more apparent. The fragrance goes on in this lovely and somewhat quiet way for several hours.

In my innocence (or perhaps ignorance), I find this particular version of Sycomore gracefully captivating. Based on reviews I've read, I'm guessing the extrait is no longer as smoky or semi-bitterly pungent as the famed Eau de Toilette was/is. And it now probably leans just a tad more toward the feminine side of things, as well. None of this bothers me however, since this beauty is so enchantingly elegant and sophisticated that I really can't imagine what I'm missing.