Stone Cold Heart

Stone Cold Heart is one of the first perfumes from Altra, a UK house that makes its Eau de Parfum entirely from natural materials, produced by hand in small batches. The brand describes cool elemental components with volume and spaciousness, a velvety composition, and a mood of poignant melancholy: heartbreak has never felt so good. The lead is aromatic maté tea, smoky and herbal, with earthy Haitian vetiver and a touch of orris that the perfumer uses with frankincense to make a cool, airy space. Himalayan cedar rounds the middle and evolves into a soft musk skin accord, with incense through it. Wearers find far more maté than orris, a fresh and spicy opening, incense joining later and a woody, mossy finish; one finds it like dried tea cakes, another like aniseed sweets, and the liquid itself is a deep green that can mark fabric. Performance is moderate on both wear and projection. It leads in autumn and spring, works in winter, and is the weakest in summer. Leisure and daily wear lead the votes, with the office and evenings close behind. It reads as unisex on the votes. The brand sells a 25 ml bottle at 112 pounds with a 50 ml refill flask at 142 pounds, and most price votes call it overpriced. It suits anyone who wants a cool, green, tea-and-vetiver scent that is closer to a fresh woody aromatic than a conventional floral, whatever the name suggests.