Malbec Eau de Parfum by O Boticário

This was one of the purchases I made during my last trip to Rio de Janeiro and, curiously, it was also one of the ones that surprised me most once I got back. It is hard to imagine a fragrance like that being born in a city where winter usually hovers around 25 or 30 degrees. Malbec EDP asks for exactly the opposite: cold. I stopped by an O Boticario shop and tried the Malbec line; the EDP was the one I liked best. From the opening, there is a fresh black pepper, as if straight from the grinder. It is not aggressive, but extraordinarily aromatic, marking the character of the fragrance from the very first moment. Then a high-quality woody structure begins to unfold. Although I do not see oud listed among its notes, there is something in that dark, resinous, deeply aromatic wood that inevitably makes me think of it. The whole thing is accompanied by a very successful leather accord, with a slight animalic nuance that gives it a great deal of personality without ever being excessive. What I like most is that the perfume conveys a very organic feel. I do not find any synthetic edges or accords that seem artificial. Everything feels solid, complex and very well integrated, as if each material had naturally found its place. It is also a decidedly masculine fragrance. Not by resorting to clichés, but because it builds a very defined image: mature, confident and with a robust elegance. I cannot imagine it being fully enjoyed under the heat of a tropical summer (it must feel suffocating). Instead, when the temperature drops, Malbec EDP seems to wake up. The cold allows it to unfold all its depth and turn that blend of pepper, leather and woods into a truly enveloping scent. During my time in Rio de Janeiro, I brought back several Brazilian perfumes. Malbec EDP was one of them and, over time, it ended up becoming one of those souvenirs I especially treasure. Every time I wear it, I remember that trip, even though the perfume seems to have been created for a European winter far more than for a Carioca beach. Maybe that is what I like most about it. Brazil is usually associated with bright, tropical, carefree perfumes. Malbec EDP proves that it also knows how to build deep, complex and masculine fragrances.