Fortitude

Fortitude is the first fragrance from House of Vision, the perfume house founded by the Manchester rapper Bugzy Malone, and it was composed by Julie Pluchet of CPL Aromas. It launched exclusively through The Fragrance Shop in autumn 2023 and became the retailer's biggest launch of that year, which tells you something about how squarely it aims at a mainstream British taste. The opening is peppery and bright, with black pepper and pink pepper set against bergamot, mandarin and cardamom, so the first ten minutes read sharper and more citric than the rest of the composition ever does. That sharpness does not last. The heart turns the fragrance towards a warm spice cabinet, with clove bud and cinnamon carrying most of the weight and lavender, rose and geranium softening the edges rather than adding a floral character of their own. The base is where it settles for the long haul: vanilla and tonka bean give it a sweet, almost dessert-like body, while patchouli, sandalwood, amber and musk keep it from tipping into anything too sugary. The overall shape is familiar, close in spirit to the spicy amber territory that Spicebomb and Baccarat-style compositions made popular, but the execution is clean and the materials feel better than the price suggests. Longevity is strong and projection is generous in the first two hours. Best in autumn and winter, and best after dark.