Coal Andrea Maack 2012

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7.4 / 10 49 Ratings

A perfume by Andrea Maack for women and men, released in 2012. The scent is woody-spicy. The production was apparently discontinued.
Pronunciation

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Main accords

Woody

Spicy

Smoky

Leathery

Earthy

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Juniper berry

Pink pepper

Sichuan pepper

Heart Notes

Coal

Cedarwood

Papyrus

Base Notes

Patchouli

Leather

Sandalwood

Perfumer

Richard Ibanez

Ratings

Scent

7.449 Ratings

Longevity

6.840 Ratings

Sillage

5.642 Ratings

Bottle

6.541 Ratings

Submitted by Aava, last update on 02.07.2021.

Reviews

2 in-depth fragrance descriptions

08/30/2015

ColinM
516 Reviews

ColinM

2

Boredom Labs Inc.

Perfectly consistent within Andrea Maack range, Coal is an entirely-artificial, minimalistic exploration of an imaginary thick “grey” concrete-like matter, pretty much as its name suggest. It evokes in fact something smooth and threatening at once, dark and “organic” with a sheer, balmy lab-like vibe, smelling basically as a really tight and aseptic blend of musk, synthetic woods (Iso E Super), nose-tingling pepper, with a hint of something slightly sweet, Gucci Rush-like, which I guess is due to some, again, artificial note of cashmere wood or sandalwood. Basically a sneaky yet apparently successful rebranding of any Azzaro Visit and similar cheap plastic woody-pepper stuff (something also other “post-modern” niche brands seem good at doing, like MiN New York). I find it exceedingly boring and itchingly pretentious, as I see zero true innovation or creative research, but I admit they seem skilled in turning cheapness into avantgarde - if you’re a fan of that, then help yourself.

5/10

09/08/2013

7.5
Bottle 2.5
Sillage 5
Longevity 6
Scent

Drseid
819 Reviews

Drseid

Helpful Review 5

Is This The Fragrance Present You Were Looking For?...

Coal opens with a gin-like juniper berry and very subtle pink pepper tandem, as a sweet near sugary accord permeates the composition early. As it reaches the early heart the juniper berry disappears, leaving the pink pepper and slightly diminished sweetness to meld with a strong slightly synthetic papyrus and dark coal-like woody accord with hints of rough leather rising from the base. As the fragrance transitions to the late dry-down the woods and leather never quite recede as they now support newly uncovered patchouli that steals the starring role with the earlier underlying sweetness now all but extinct. Projection is below average and longevity is average at 7-9 hours on skin.

Coal has an amazing list of published notes that I expected to love based on my similar preferences. What I did *not* expect was the rather significant sweetness that hits you right from the open, lasting well into the heart phase of the fragrance's development. What I also did not expect (or desire) were the tell-tale traces of synthetics used to approximate the papyrus and coal woody heart accord... My guess is it is my nemesis norlimbanol as the culprit. That said, the synthetics in Coal are much more skillfully integrated than the norm with the overall effect improving as time passes. The bottom line is the $135 per 50ml bottle Coal has its moments and is certainly a cut above the norm, but it never quite reaches its potential, held back by synthetics and overt sweetness, earning a "good" rating of 3 out of 5 stars.