Papyrus Moleculaire by Maison Crivelli

Santal 33, are you? Look, this one is from 2020 while the original was 2011. Do we really need to create a fragrance that smells this similar? And on top of that, it costs a fortune. Honestly, I’m getting tired of niche houses copying each other’s scents. It’s not the first time, but I keep seeing more cases like this. What a drag! 🤷♀️

Paper becomes structure. With Papyrus Moléculaire, Maison Crivelli offers its most cerebral and architectural take on green. It’s not that typical bucolic or vegetal green; here, the green is mineral, dry, almost technological, as if the jungle had been digitised. From the outset, the fragrance opens with an incisive freshness, green and aromatic, where papyrus (a rare and fascinating note) shows its most austere and sophisticated face. There’s no sweetness or opulence at first: there is texture, bark, stem, dry fibre. It’s a structured green, like wood sun-dried, with a touch of soft, distant vegetal incense. To me, it sounds like the smell of cardboard moving boxes. The interesting thing is that it doesn’t seek to evolve dramatically. It’s more of an olfactory atmosphere that remains stable but reveals details depending on the moment. Over time, resinous tones emerge, slightly smoky, and a base of clean, almost crystalline musks that stabilise the composition and lend it elegance. In that base, one also senses work with synthetic molecules—hence the name—which don’t sound synthetic in the bad sense, but are perfectly integrated. It’s a modern fragrance that doesn’t try to imitate nature, but to construct a new one. Unlike other, denser or more enveloping perfumes from Crivelli, Papyrus Moléculaire is ethereal, diaphanous, but never invisible. It’s noticeable without imposing, leaving a sober, dry and refined trail. You can wear it in any situation without saturating, but it won’t go unnoticed if you pay attention. It has an elegant, almost intellectual presence. In fact, it’s an Eau de Parfum with a 26% concentration, so it lasts quite well. It’s not for those seeking sweetness or sensuality. It’s a fragrance for lovers of dry green, light spice, and well-worked synthetics. Ideal for temperate climates, sober offices, or moments of creative introspection. Papyrus Moléculaire is an elegant, sober and profoundly contemporary fragrance. A way of wearing green without seeming wild, and of speaking in a low voice with surgical precision. It’s not wild nature: it’s nature reconstructed in a laboratory, and the result is fascinating.

Of all I’ve tried from Maison Crivelli, this has the most pleasant aroma, although it’s not the one I’d highlight most; Iris Malikhan takes the crown as a fragrance. I could describe it, but it remains a fragrance based on the well-known and rather repeated DNA of Le Labo’s Santal 33, a DNA we find in Pour Monsieur by El Ganso, Santal Blanc by Van Cleef & Arpels… and many others that, as I haven’t tried them, I don’t know, but it’s curious that they don’t mention sandalwood among their notes. The point is that of all mentioned, this is the one I like most and bears quite a resemblance to Santal Blanc, just less milky and drier. It’s a woody aroma, slightly earthy and finely treated, neither sweet nor dry, nor creamy nor bitter, a middle point between all these options. By its nature, I’d say it works phenomenally as a signature fragrance; the only ‘but’ is its high cost, just under £2 per millilitre. Olfactorily, although it seems really pleasant, not few are those who can’t stand this DNA, so a test is mandatory before buying, especially given its price. It’s quite linear; what you smell at the beginning is practically what you find at the end, with slight nuances accompanying the changes of its scant evolution, such as a very well-executed light tobacco that peeks through after about three hours. That lack of evolution will deduct points for those already quite deep into this world of perfumes and looking for something more challenging or complex. It’s recommended if you’re interested in a fragrance with the Le Labo Santal 33 DNA for a lower price and with high-quality components, but we must be aware of its numerous alternatives at a better price and the known nature of the aroma, as well as its poor evolution and moderate performance. There seem to be many cons, but it’s really a pleasant and very well-assembled aroma. Personally, I think it’s the best aromatic alternative, and if it doesn’t hurt your wallet, without a doubt Papyrus Moléculaire would be the fragrance I’d choose within the ‘Santal universe’.