Lost Cherry

Lost Cherry is the fragrance that launched a thousand dupes, and the All Over Body Spray is Tom Ford's own lighter reading of it. The brand lists black cherry accord, bitter almond, griotte syrup, rose absolute, Peru balsam and roasted tonka for the can, which is the Eau de Parfum's core with the cedar, vetiver and spice pared back. Griotte is the French sour cherry used in liqueur, and it is doing the work that makes this smell like preserved fruit rather than fresh: sticky, dark, faintly boozy. Black cherry sits on top of it and bitter almond runs underneath, which is the trick that gives the whole thing that unmistakable cherry-stone bitterness instead of cough sweet. Rose absolute is barely legible here but it stops the fruit reading flat, and Peru balsam plus roasted tonka supply a warm, resinous, slightly smoky finish that lasts longer than the fruit does. The concentration is the point. The Eau de Parfum is loud enough to be antisocial in a small room; the aerosol is not, and it makes the same idea usable in the afternoon or under the Eau de Parfum as a base layer. Two hours of clear scent, minimal trail. Autumn and winter, evenings and dates, and a much cheaper way to live with a fragrance most people only ever sample.