Bergamot, Basil & Patchouli

Bergamot, Basil & Patchouli is a fresh green-woody aromatic that sets out to smell like sunlit woodland. It opens bright and crisp: sparkling bergamot and lime sit with green leaves and the peppery snap of crushed basil, with a hint of lavender and nutmeg in the longer note list. A soft floral heart of lily, freesia, violet leaf, rose and geranium keeps the green from turning sharp without ever making it sweet. Underneath, patchouli leads a dry woody base of vetiver, sandalwood, cedar and amber, with a little musk and vanilla smoothing the finish. Wearers describe the bergamot and patchouli pairing as lively and uplifting, and one finds it matches its listed notes more closely than the other scents in the range. Performance is the part to set expectations on. The house calls it an all-day Eau de Parfum Intense, and a lone community report says it lasts long with a strong trail, but the range as a whole is described as light on evolution. Expect the bright opening to be the star and the woody finish to be quieter. It reads masculine in character yet sits comfortably as unisex, a spring-to-autumn daytime scent for work, weekends and sport. The house files it under fern, the fougere family of fresh green woody fragrances, and pitches it at an athletic, polished wearer. It comes from a small London house that makes its perfumes by hand in the UK.