Pour un Homme de Caron: The Eternal Perfume Made Even Better

04/27/15 16:47:03 

by: Miguel Matos

Caron is a brand that I worship. There, I confessed it! But it's not the easiest brand to communicate with. It has been two years since I began trying to build a connection with someone within the house, with no success whatsoever. Last year's Esxence, Fragranze and Cannes were all failures when it came to getting useful information and establishing a good relation with the people at Caron. I even went to the two flagship stores in Paris with no success. Well, this is a symbol of French perfumery and so the mood of the staff is a symbol of typical Parisian manners: cold and snobbish. But I am persistent and in the last edition of Esxence, all my efforts paid off as I met a nice, friendly and professional guy named Manuel Ramos who took me on a guided tour around the Caron booth.

As I was salivating over bottles and sparkles (passing by the masterpiece which, to me, is Tabac Blond), we stopped at the Pour un Homme display, for there it was: a bottle I had never seen before. Apparently it had been launched last year and almost no communication was done around it: Pour un Homme Millésime 2014.

Caron is an unquestionable icon in the world of French perfumery and in this universe of utter luxury and vintage perfection, there is a landmark dedicated to all stylish men in the world. It's a universal scent, classic and fresh, natural and sophisticated at once: Pour un Homme. This fragrance has just turned 80 years old in 2014 and it remains relevant and successful. This proves that timeless compositions still find their way in this saturated market. The green floral freshness of lavender combined with sweet vanilla makes it a paradigmatic contrast that can only be compared to other giants like Guerlain's Jicky and Mouchoir de Monsieur, two other lavender-based male perfumes that never go out of style. In my opinion, choosing a classic old-fashioned fragrance and wearing it now is an act of modernity and a step away from smelling like everyone else.

Caron had already revisited the composition of Pour un Homme in the flanker Impact(2005) and the result was not too far from the original, only deeper and more intense. To celebrate 80 years of Pour Un Homme, Caron decided to improve the formula and, as I see it, go back to the original vintage scent. The new edition Pour Un Homme Millésime 2014 has a stronger oriental accord, as the perfumer Richard Fraysse chose to overdose it with more vanilla and amber. The animalic aspect is also more evident now, due to the increase of musk notes. So this is not just a lavender scent. The notes that were just in the base previously are now pushed to the heart. This is a soliflore only for the first ten minutes, as lavender fades and the deep, sweet, oriental facets emerge soon in the development. It all turns sweeter and warmer as it moves into the drydown and it becomes even more obvious the enormous influence this perfume has in the fragrance industry even 80 years after its creation. Just think about Jean Paul Gaultier's blockbuster Le Male and you can see the clear lineage from one to another. Well, this is only to explain the relevance of Caron's lavender, never consider choosing Le Male over Pour un Homme!

“Richard Fraysse, Perfumer Creator for Caron, has transcended the original formula with a unique selection of the most floral lavenders and noblest vanillas. The exceptional result, which remains true to the legendary accord, perfectly encapsulates the quintessence of Pour un Homme, capturing its many facets with the greatest intensity. A bolder vanilla and lavender come together in a fanfare of incredible sensuality. The amber and musk base notes are more persistent. A unique fragrance with an assertive character. The bottle is graced with green lacquer and a metal label to mark the occasion.”—Caron

All in all, it's not a dramatic change to the familiar Pour un Homme, and that's a good thing. What I find is that this is more true to the original edition back in the day and a good improvement in a fragrance that I already considered great.