Scandal Essence For Women

Scandal Essence follows Jean Paul Gaultier's Scandal Intense: it opens with a warm prickle of cardamom that gives it a subtle herbal-spicy lift, before a lush, exotic ylang-ylang takes the heart, honeyed and a little solar. The drydown is the centre of gravity - a rich, creamy vanilla absolute with a honeyed sweetness that feels cosy and seductive. Against the original, the PP take keeps that cardamom-ylang-vanilla idea intact but reads a shade sweeter and simpler, losing a little of the immortelle-like floral nuance of the drydown. Scandal Intense was a respectable performer (notably better than the weaker Absolu); this dupe holds reasonably for a budget oil but projects and lasts a touch less. A warm, sweet, honeyed floral-gourmand for cooler-weather evenings and dates.