Chily by Dara Caro

The previous review is pathetic; it only shows that the person knows absolutely nothing about perfumery and just spouts hatred for no reason. The fragrance is genuinely very good: it has a typical leather, rather like an Ombre Nomade, but taken to a boozy place; it’s a fabulous blend of ingredients and you can sense the quality. It lasts for an eternity, projects like a beast and has a tremendous sillage; the scent lingers wherever you go for a long time, and on clothing, forget getting it out… This combination fascinates me; this perfume is my weakness. Oud is already a note I love, and here it feels quite animalic, but it’s very well softened by the sandalwood, the fruity part and the pepper. It’s quite pungent, and the aroma that arrives is so rich: sweet, serious, nocturnal, formal, very accomplished. I find it exquisite and it has quickly become one of my favourites. I always detected iris in it, but when I look at the notes I see it doesn’t contain it; it must be my olfactory memory associating it with similar fragrances, since it has a certain likeness to Dior Homme Parfum or Reserve Privée, for example: an aromatic profile that fascinates me, but taken to its highest expression in terms of quality. A truly incredible perfume; Chily and Dara Caro have outdone themselves.

Here we have a fragrance based primarily on spiced leather as the protagonist. As is customary in my reviews, paraphernalia of declared notes aside, we go straight to the aromatic sensations: an opening with a fleeting liqueur, close to the aroma of whisky… but what about the bergamot? I perceive an acidity at the start, but it’s also ephemeral; a rather interesting opening that quickly fades to make way for the main protagonist: a dark leather of the polished kind, close to black vinyl/plastic. It’s not a tarry leather like Falcon Leather, nor a shoe-polish leather like Ombre Leather, and it certainly doesn’t have the robust dryness of the famous Tuscan Leather… this is different. It’s a good representation of what a black, cold, polished leather would be, adorned with various spices which, due to the heat, could be likened to black pepper and nutmeg… the floral heart also quickly shows through, but only to soften the cold texture of this spiced leather that in no case smells stately or very complex. In fact, it’s quite pleasant to wear in climates that don’t exceed 20 degrees C; of course, it shines at night and in cold weather. Let’s move on to the oud issue: obviously, and due to its content and value, here it’s an accord, no natural oud. I might dare to assert that it’s the lovely ‘Pretty Oud’ accord from Givaudan, created from derivatives of labdanum, cistus, osmanthus… you know the drill; an oud with a dark texture, somewhat oily, thick in a certain way… integrated into the neat black leather and spices, nothing challenging, much less urinous or faecal. Finally, we have a faint dark sweetness of amber, always below the rest of the breakdown, which is generally close. Excellent longevity on skin, good projection for the first 40 minutes, then it becomes more intimate for the rest of the development, although it’s always there and will let out an occasional trail from time to time when you move. Uses? I think we’ll get the most out of it at night or in cold climates; it’s a scent that enjoys a certain elegance, it’s not rough, it’s not for parties in a club; it’s serious, somewhat distant and distinctive, though close in its dry-down. Comparisons: the final dry-down reminds me at times of the old ‘My Heroine’ by Mac, which was a dark, spiced leather loaded with incenses and somewhat vinylic/plastic/smoky sensations… a complex and unusual perfume coming from Mac. Another one I recently tried that reminds me a little of the type of perfume, not the aroma, is Cordoban by Monegal, another polished, clean, not very dark and spiced leather. To be honest, coming from Dara Caro and knowing a large part of their collection, I didn’t expect too much, but this ‘Chily Parfum’ is quite interesting and would be a good addition to the collection of any fan of leather scents.

Chily opens with an unusual combination, whisky bergamot and a slight sweetness that must be honey, that combo lasts a few minutes and is SPECTACULAR, then that combination fades away to give way to a leather in the style of Tuscan Leather, although unlike Tuscan this leather becomes a bit dark and chocolatey, which is the sensation that chestnuts give, I suppose it has them, the same vibes as the drydown of Gentleman Reserve Privée, but it has something distinctive which is the presence of oud, it’s not the fecal oud characteristic of these combinations, it’s the classic oud of Dara Caro, with the stinky part removed, in the style of Oud Wood! That said, it’s a powerful elegant perfume for special occasions or nights out, it has a very noticeable evolution in the scent, 10 points.

Dara Caro x Chily (Tamarasco 2025) is an ultra-dark and intense perfume, an aroma characterized by earthy and boozy notes, leather, and wood. Its performance stands out; a powerful perfume that makes itself felt as soon as you take it out of its box, excellent longevity (+12 hours), and very good projection/sillage. One of the favourite fragrances in my collection.

A dark, powerful fragrance with very predominant leather and woods, typical of Dara Caro’s style, with a noticeable oud accompanied by cedar and creamier sandalwood. Initially it’s a blast of “leather oud” with a slight citrus. Then you notice the whisky, but what stands out most behind it is the white floral note of jasmine, which, when it starts to be more noticeable, rounds out the fragrance reaching its best moment. It’s a perfume that evolves, and in my opinion, improves. It lasts a lot. On clothes, an eternity. I would wear this perfume for special occasions, more at night. Not for small enclosed spaces where it can be overly intense. It conveys darkness and a certain seriousness.

I found myself at a very nice event, a package of a niche perfumery in Recoleta. At that event was the master Monegal showing off his far from underestimated Matador. And I, with rosé wine in hand, was treating myself to trying perfumes from all over the world: Mancera from here, Gris Charnel from there, a bit of Tiziana Terenzi, some Initio, and so on… a pleasure. I had about 6 perfumes applied on my arms and Chily showed up: “try this, bro” and PUM, he fired on my left hand. The event ended, I went home drunk on perfumes but with an aroma above the rest… Chily Parfum. It was burning on my skin, today I still remember it after that one time I tried it. Did I like it? I’m no longer sure, I’ll have to buy it and try it as it deserves. Do I miss it? Yes, because that perfume became a neuro-olfactory pattern that reminds me of that night when I went out with my friend to meet Monegal and I ended up “wrapped up”. What does it smell like? Imagine you’re in an old wooden bar, celebrating with whiskey and card games, that’s what it smells like. Do I recommend it? In winter yes, but for summer I’ll wait for the summer flanker, because with this perfume in summer I smell like a burned bar.

It’s basically a Gentleman Eau de Parfum Reserve Privée by Givenchy without the iris note and with a leather note that doesn’t really dominate much, to be honest. It’s a fragrance for cold weather and night-time, sort of elegant and dark, and although the bergamot adds something, it ends up being redundant. Honestly, it’s not worth paying that price; add shipping on top of that. Better buy the Givenchy one, which is much better and cheaper. They say it has leather and jasmine. All I can smell is the smell of a leather jacket that has absorbed the smoke of 400 cigarettes and has never seen a dry cleaner’s. The ‘oud’ here isn’t mystical; it’s that stale smell of old, damp furniture you find in a hoarder’s house. If your goal in life is for no one to come within 5 metres of you and for them to think you sleep in an illegal drinking den, buy it.