Aramis by Aramis

Forget the reformulations others have discussed; let’s talk about the bottle I own. About seven years ago my father-in-law came to town and when he stepped out of his truck he unleashed a powerful burst that I didn’t like at first yet it was unlike anything I had ever smelled before (Aramis). Over time in a few chats he told me it had been his fragrance since his youth so out of curiosity I bought my own. Although I used it I couldn’t find the right moment and put it away for nearly a year and a half; the scent didn’t improve but now that I’m using it again it gives me a sense of peace and abundance that I can’t quite explain. We all know we’re looking for something that smells good projects well and generates compliments but the feeling this fragrance gives me is far superior to everything else. The good thing is that it comes in large sizes (120ml and 200ml) so it will last a long time and it’s also very accessible in price.

The ‘absurd’ comparison many make between famous expensive fragrances from my adolescence led me to investigate them like an archaeological dig. It’s a losing battle from the start considering how REFORMULATED they are compared to their originals yet I want to share this: ARAMIS ARAMIS is a fragrance I didn’t love at the time but it did not disgust me. I met it at 15; some friends wore it knew each other and we frequented the same circles school etc. I always assumed they were those boys whose mothers aunts and grandmothers bought everything from socks to perfume; well the ones who wore perfume because many without lacking money didn’t use it and if they did they used their parents’. One of those boys had his desk very close to mine and I perceived it for three years with no room for error. I don’t know what he used before but I remember that like many other boys after 15 we switched to something more ‘adult’; I had just switched from MONIEUR BALMAIN to EAU SAVAGE. We lived facing the Caribbean with summer temperatures all year round. The ARAMIS line offered other options I never heard mentioned among my friends yet they were equally renowned. Today I am 63. These perfumes the three named in this text were in my adolescence advised and considered ‘very youthful and light’ for adult men with ‘hair on their chest’… ¡¡¡ Ejejjejjejeej !!! Today young people perceive them as smelling of old age; they knew them used by their elders or others because they result alien to the olfactory schemes of the new century. Reformulations make it impossible to judge these fragrances correctly. Today they are a pale reflection of what they were and it’s not a matter of nostalgia. Some of them are proposed to me as ‘replicas’ diligently and skillfully reworked by private perfumers experts in bespoke fragrances of ‘other times’ and smelling them when possible is a delight… INCONCEIVABLE. My generation among those who were privileged bought originals in Paris London or New York in that order in my case. ‘Imitations’ existed but they only applied to fragrances with less important brands; lawsuits for plagiarism were economically unapproachable. My generation and circle were very but very fortunate; we grew up smelling exquisite fragrances without thinking much about the millilitres consumed daily… no bottle brought a spray. Eight out of ten of those people from my youth still retain their love for perfumes and the truth is it’s not easy to access quality nectars unless a trip to Europe allows us to visit a few houses that preserve the Art. My desk-mate friend from school has lived in Europe for 35 years and just hearing ARAMIS ARAMIS mentioned makes him frown while for me… well it makes me smile; it corresponds to an endearing period of my past.

Several formulas or vertical tasting. Result: If you want a good modern formula of an elegant leather go to Bel Ami. Do not go to pay fortunes for a vintage Aramis bottle on eBay. This is what needs to be said: the new Aramis formula I suggest you not buy it unfortunately it’s anything but good but that is not Aramis. The Aramis sold now resembles Denim or what is sold now for Cerruti Lancetti Quorum; it’s not snobbery it’s that buying that is throwing money away to hate perfumery and get bored and confused. Edit: Oh as for money Zara’s Leather Jardin turns a thousand times the current Aramis formula.

What I like about this fragrance. I wear the vintage version that says ‘Cologne spray’ on the bottle and it reminds me how rare it is to find something so bold and at the same time so well composed. It comes with everything: aldehydes that sparkle like cut glass artemisia and bergamot that bite and then an armoured-animal heat that unfolds with an overwhelming confidence. It doesn’t sneak in or flirt. It arrives with shoulders firm shirt half-unbuttoned and challenges you to face it. What I like most about Aramis is how it manages to be animalic and polished at the same time. It has a slightly sweaty note of lived-in skin—probably castoreum—that gives it that sensual edge but it is balanced by clove sage patchouli and a floral mist like a barbershop that keeps it elegant. It’s not as brazen as Kouros nor as enveloping as Bel Ami; it’s sharper more compact more angular… but it remains profoundly human. Last night I wore the current version of Bel Ami which is rounder softer with a more marked balsamic touch and I love how both fragrances feel like cousins of very different temperaments. The leather in Aramis doesn’t overwhelm but vibrates in the background constant like a well-worn belt or the interior of an old car. Even now almost 60 years later Aramis feels current—not by following trends but like a good suit or a bottle of aged whisky: things that simply don’t go out of fashion. This is worn when you don’t need to give explanations. It lasts all day evolves with your skin and leaves in its wake a type of respectful silence. It’s not for everyone and that is precisely the idea. This fragrance doesn’t seek to please the masses—it’s about presence. And Aramis has plenty of that.

My nose gets tired with this perfume it’s very strong for older men who like very masculine scents.

This 60s version is like Kouros but spicier and more characterful. YSL is rounder and finer whereas Aramis is rough difficult and very masculine which is why I don’t see it on female skin. That coarseness is its hallmark something that suited the 80s but today only appeals to nostalgics seeking potent scents far from the YouTuber trend of complimentary reviews. It’s a piece of history worth smelling and wearing if you dare or love the good smells of yesteryear and today. Decent performance but be careful not to overdo it in enclosed spaces.

A great perfume with a sparkling opening where hyssop and thyme lead supported by bergamot for light and acidity before yielding to exquisite leather with jasmine and patchouli. I bought it blind; the spiced citrus opening overwhelmed me at first but over time it won me over and today it’s one of the best in my collection. I don’t see much resemblance to Cabochard; the base is there but little else. To me Aramis seems more feminine and Cabochard more masculine although both are perfect unisexes.

The popular men’s Cabochard a woody chypre with guaranteed testosterone and no Energisil. From 1966 by Bernard Chant made in the USA with 19 notes and French reminiscences. A more classic perfume than Danone strawberry or any industrial product. It laid the foundations for 80s macho man fragrances like Bijan or the softer cinnamon-scented ones from Giorgio or Oscar. It’s an old-school aroma. A millennial might reject it but a man over 40 with character might like it and find it a good complement for winter and autumn. If you consider yourself knowledgeable about perfumery owning this is mandatory. It remains on the market thanks to Lauder and its faithful followers. Reformulated but it retains its hours of longevity and its macho trail. My wife likes it although she hates Bijan Bentley Creed Aventus Fahrenheit Dior Homme Ted Lapidus John Varvatos Encre Noir and many more.

This fragrance is as most comment a proper vintage with a very classic masculine aroma. I like it for being different from current trends. What disappoints me is the longevity and intensity: it’s not as long-lasting or intrusive as I’ve read. I think it’s quite soft and wearable; I would add more potency. I’m speaking of the current 2023 version. It’s available at a good price so I recommend its rich spiced and woody aroma classic with depth. It’s not heavy or just for older people. It can dress a young man well who wants to stand out. It has a nice dry-down and you can tell the quality because it’s not excessively alcoholic.

A classic and quality scent. Scents like this so spiced and heavy don’t work for me but it’s just a matter of taste. However I can’t help but highlight its longevity and trail which surprise me and speak of a quality fragrance.

Boss of the chypres, damn it. No half-measures, it smells like an older person, like mothers. It’s not that it’s bad, but it’s truly vintage, timeless (even though my collection is vintage). What a personality, although it doesn’t project much, it’s a heavy and invasive scent. With so much personality, it requires a hell of a lot of trousers to wear it. To my taste, a Calandre or Cabochard for men, hell of aldehydes, aggressive herbal top notes. No rose, but a potent rose nuance, and a base of old leather with earth and classic moss of the era. Extraordinarily good.

It’s a reformulated fragrance that no longer has the same punch, yet remains unmistakably Chanel Antheus. It smells of an older man, almost like mummy talc. It has a unique, ancient personality, elegant, and older women find it attractive. Don’t wear it in your thirties; you need grey hair for this. It has that green spiciness of rosemary, forgotten leather in a corner where dust is part of the scent… the sandalwood isn’t quite as sharp, nor the cardamom, with lily and musk in the base. The dry-down is soft and pleasant, the opening repels many noses but it can be worn in heat. Perhaps the most famous chypre of all time. It reminds us of older men, and women will say you smell like your father or your uncles; today’s girls will say you smell like a Sugar Daddy.

It’s one of those vintage fragrances that reminds you of someone from when you were young; perhaps that gives it partiality. I like it very much, it’s strong, with personality, but it smells of decades ago. I like it and I’ll keep using it as long as they make it. As it’s strong, not recommended in heat. Its scent is unmistakable, very gentlemanly.

The first time I tried it left me speechless due to its originality, although I know it’s an old fragrance. In this 2021 version I don’t notice the clear notes; upon application it smells of leather, wet earth, or herbs. For me, it’s difficult to use and I don’t know what occasion to put it on, but it’s a bottled surprise. I used it once without receiving compliments. It lasts 6 hours on skin and 8 on clothes. The price is very good, I found it for 950 pesos. It’s not bad, it’s good and versatile, but it’s not a current scent for young people. I’ll keep testing it.

Yesterday I tried Aramis out of curiosity and, to summarise, it’s Cabochard. Since I sprayed it on my arm it hasn’t stopped reminding me of that other one; for me, they are the same. I would even say that Aramis, for men, seems more feminine to me than Cabochard, which, being for women, being drier and sterner leans more towards the masculine. Aramis seemed sweeter and cloying to me. It’s curious that being so similar, one pleases me and the other not so much. Perhaps the day wasn’t the best because it was hot and it bothered me a bit. On Fragrantica there are 282 votes for similarity against 100 for difference, and those 100 people who don’t see the connection seem like a lot. Then I saw that the perfumer is the same, Bernard Chant, and I imagined a comic scene: Bernard’s wife asking him how he’s going to wear the new perfume for Monday on a Friday, and him scratching his belly. Damn perfume, he puts on the recipe, adds a bit of tarragon, removes this and puts that, smells good and has it. Very well, and how are you going to name it? Eehhh, well, as I can name it right now… Aramis. Aramis!!