11 years ago
Thanks for the link Cincy. Kind of funny how he writes so much like his idol LT hehe.
Anyway, what I was trying to imply in my OP is the question whether there is a new Iris in the industry. Apparently, the success of big Iris centered niche releases (Iris Poudre, some of Chanel's Exclusifs and others) inspired a trend in upper mass market, just like what happened with Oud. These 'iris' notes are everywhere now, but they are definitely not the terribly expensive orris butter, nor the complex molecule compounds which were used in Chanel 19 and the pre-reformulation Dior Homme.
This latest Iris can be compared to the latest Musk. Did you notice how they've used the same vaguely Musky aromachemical in a bunch of recent releases (especially those signed by Morillas and Demachy)? Seems like it's the cheapest of the current bunch of musk-like formulas and it renders all perfumes it's used in very similar to each other in their nostril singeing industrial finish. It's impossible to mistake for any other musky compound and it seems to be the go-to musk molecule in the industry today. The same goes for all these so-called Irises in the reformulated Homme, Shalimar Initial and ironically Chanel's own Coco Noir. There's a strange similarity among these scents, a big, hovering, airy, bland accord, vaguely reminiscent of the niche Irises circa 2007 and unmistakably chemical in nature.
Again, like what happened with Oud, it seems that niches brought Iris back, some by use of the real orris butter, others by meticulously recreating it from expensive high quality molecules.
Fast forward the Oud trend to today - everyone and his dog are making oud perfumes, mostly little chemical woody numbers which claim to contain oud notes. Needless to say, chemists must have been pretty busy churning out the cheapest oud alternative possible. And Iris. Because Iris seems to be the feminine Oud nowadays.
I'm a big Iris fan. I love the rootinesss, the funky carrot nuances, the old_lady_lipstick connotations and the lush air of sophistication , but these new Iris-wannabes I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.
/end of rant/
So, the question remains: whodunit? What's this new chemical stinker being shamelessly passed for Iris?