Launched: 2008
Group: Oriental woody floral

INTRODUCTION

I've been a long-time fan of Prada fragrances for testing purposes as this luxurious house does tend to cobble together interesting and great quality scents that apart from their rather poor staying power, do recall many aspects of traditional perfumery that has been using mainly locally sourced raw materials for centuries in Italy and the south of France.

THE PACKAGING

Infusion d'Homme comes in the same packaging as the rest of the Infusion line meaning a chunky and heavy rectangular glass bottle emblazoned with an engraved plaquette that bears the name of the brand and the fragrance. I really like this packaging which is classic, very retro and traditional and looking like vintage decanters one can still find on ebay. With the outer packaging, a discreet, non-fancy white carton with black lettering, it still conveys a sense of luxury and quality.

THE FRAGRANCE

Top notes: neroli

Infusion d'Homme starts out with a burst of fresh lemon and mandarin to my nose together with an instantly recognisable powdery-vanillic baby powder note that's soon joined by a fresher, grassier aspect with a touch of woods and spices. After a few minutes, the fragrance is still fresh but tilts towards being powder-fresh suggesting there's more of it to come.

Heart notes: iris, vetiver

Indeed, a few minutes later, Infusion d'Homme turns into a powdery vetiver along with a full-on iris that's strong and soapy. The vetiver is strong, spicy and nose-tingling as often found in male's fragrances. At first I suspected black pepper but then it didn't really smell like it so I knew if there were any to be found in the fragrance then it would smelled real and unmistakable.

It projected well at about half a meter radius around me (I sprayed my neck with the fume as men do) and I could definitely pick up lots of the dominantly soapy and powdery sillage even without moving much about in the next 3 - 4 hours. Luckily, there was another facet rather than the linear, soapy one so it didn't ruin the accord entirely.

In a couple of hours, a more rounded and smoother accord emerged accentuated by only the slightest hint of shampoo (the musk fixative?) lent by the vetiver or the iris itself. The clean, powdery and slightly spicy accord reminded me of Bulgari Blv, especially the men's version as the peppery spiciness gradually dissipated into the base.

Base notes: cedarwood, incense, benzoin

Fast forward another few hours about mid to late afternoon, I was greeted by a lot more muted and less soapy but still powdery, non-sweet and almost unisex or at least, exclusive collection worthy natural iris. The tender and neutral iris was backed up by light woods, insense and something dark, spicy and resinous, possibly labdanum.

A gentle veil of musk floating about further softened the last phase of the composition and offset the powderiness of the iris balancing it towards a light and airy oriental base. After an impressive 5 - 6 hours of projection, in the last two hours Infusion d'Homme stayed closed to the skin which added a refined and sophisticated aura to it.

CONCLUSION

Actually, my interpretation of the notes is not that far off from the actual ones listed on the internet. As you can see, I only mistook neroli for a mixture of mandarin and lemon, ignored cedar as it's largely overshadowed by vetiver, added musk (which is a standard fixative anyway) and interpreted benzoin as a deeper, darker and more resinous labdanum due to the intensity of insense.

This just proves how natural, quality-driven and well-made this fragrance is and all the significant raw materials are well-blended and beautifully expressed. The only way I can fault Infusion d'Homme is its intensive soapiness however if the goal was to create a just out of shower flower fresh yet distinct and masculine scent it's spot on.

The scent will not be to every guy's taste as it neatly belongs to a growing trend of florals formulated for men such as Dior Homme or the more unisex Kenzo Power. The main difference is however that Infusion d'Homme isn't at all shy about its flowery aspect, on the contrary, it boldly showcases iris and by almost exaggerating its shower fresh and soapy tones, it pushes the envelope further than any fragrance has done before.

I recommend Infusion d'Homme for guys who have unusual, innovative and sophisticated taste in fragrance and prefer discreet, refined but noticeable and distinct powdery, soapy, spicy, woody aromatic and floral scents. The vetiver keeps the fragrance from becoming too floral and suffocating while giving it a classy, masculine touch too. Best worn in cold seasons, if applied sparingly it should work in summer too.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

I recommend buying Infusion d'Homme online where prices are a lot more competitive (£31 / 50ml and £39.95 / 100ml Eau de Toilette on Amazon sold by CheapSmells) as opposed to the full price that's between £50 - £90 for the same size. Make sure you buy the eau de toilette version as it's more concentrated than the also available cologne.
Thanks for reading.

©powered by lillybee also posted on ciao.co.uk