...I always thought notes were simply a marketing tool and should in no way be misconstrued as a guide to ingredients or development. Rarely do I see cis-3 hexanol or Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde listed as notes although they're in almost every fresh floral perfume ever made, and I don't think a real caramel isolate has ever actually been used in a perfume despite its popularity as a note.

...A tincture of tonka is almost 100% coumarin in fragrance, just a tad bit waxier and with a tiny arsenic aroma. It's not all that different, and I imagine the synthesized coumarin from then wouldn't be all that pure anyway.

...you very much for sharing your experiences, LovingTheAlien!I wonder if you were looking for something like the 19th century conception of Fougère, or something that came later. Wouldn't a portion of coumarin...

...No matter what classic Guerlain fragrance I wear, I always get comments saying I smell like incense. I suppose that's alright!

...Hmmmm... Probably Heritage, but I think that's some sort of influence from my childhood. It smells like rich people's Christmas parties to me, so it's hard for me to wear in an informal occasion.If it could be a classy scent that I find I can wear any time, it would be Mouchoir de Monsieur hands down. I think it's the definition of class for men. It's quite a shame it isn't marketed better as such - Cbanel No.5 uses that strategy to great effect (and deservedly so).

...I'll wear anything - I've given Secretions Magnifique several full wearings despite the guttural feeling of disgust it elicits in me!

...What a wonderful and thoroughly researched post!I've noticed how many creations are labeled "fougere" and there was a considerable amount of variance. In my search to discover what is or isn't an authentic fougere accord, I decided to blend myself what I had learned from various sources to be the building blocks of a "real" vintage fougere: Oakmoss (my own tincture!), Tonka Bean (my own tincture again), a little amber(in place of labdanum, which I don't have), sandalwood(Mysore tincture - also mine), a light floral blend (jasmine and rose, a tiny bit of each), lavender(another tincture) bergamot, and a teensy touch of (regretably) synthetic musk. It came out kind of muddled - something was weird. It had a spicy sweet edge something like a fougere, but something was missing. A little investigation, and a drop(well, smallish tacky glob) of patchouli was added. And there it was: Pinaud Clubman, Avon Wild Country, Dana Ambush, and Canoe! Despite the totally unmeasured nonsense amateur blending, it was as clear as day. I even got a hint of Indiscret on my skin as it wore on. It was a bit rough, with the tonka being quite strong, but so it is in the others as well (except canoe, which I find to be quite well-balanced). The "accord" was surely there - it was quite blended together, producing what seemed to be a fresh herbal resinous aroma with only the tonka really being identifiable.This has led me to believe that these are what would be considered "standard" in the fougere category, and although I have not yet smelled the original Fougere Royal, I have smelled Penhaligon's English Fern which is supposedly the same and I get the same results.The "aromatic fougere" genre certainly spans a large range of finished products, from the still very fougere-like Azzaro Pour Homme to the baffling Dali Pour Homme(one of my favorites) which emphasizes the metallic leathery quality of tonka with castoreum and plays with all kinds of bitter green notes in the top. I can still smell the fougere accord in most of these scents - it's kind of impossible to hide if you know what you're looking for, it seems!The new Fougere Royale is quite light on amber, oakmoss, and coumarin compared to these classics. Especially noticable is the totally cleaned up "musk." The old fougeres mentioned all have that dirty skin feel from the real sandalwood and nitromusks. Real sandalwood is such a fascinating material - there is really nothing like it. That really goes for too many fragrances today - they're so much cleaner.That's not to say that the new Fougere Royal is a bad fragrance. I really like it a lot, and I'm glad it exists. I just wish the price point was a little lower. Those Houbigant reissues are absurdly expensive, aren't they?Anyway, I would love to hear what you all think of my experiences.

...It sounds like you may have an issue with the sandalwood they use. Sheldrake is pretty fond of the wood, I'm aware, and it totally smells like unwashed skin on me, too. Which would be fine, except I'm not particularly fond of most of the Lutens fragrances. They are a bit too sweet and dense overall, but never in a way that just leaves me stunned. They're at the very least composed of very high quality ingredients, and I appreciate that.Notable exceptions: Bell Jar fragrances and Jeux de Peau. I would love to love Muscs Koublai Khan but I'm anosmic to ambrette which is the entire point of the fragrance.