Aramis
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The aldehydes strike first with a crisp, almost metallic brightness before the bergamot and cumin create an unexpectedly peppery, almost savoury effect. Thyme and clover add herbal sharpness—this feels green and slightly bitter, more armpit of a garden than its flowers.
As the aromatics settle, clary sage and cardamom reveal themselves as the true skeleton of the composition, whilst jasmine emerges with surprising restraint, almost tentative against the spice. The clove and myrtle deepen the chypré character, transforming the opening's brightness into something considerably more serious and wood-tinged; this is where Aramis becomes genuinely interesting rather than merely spicy.
The fragrance telescopes down to leather, vetiver, and tree moss—a sombre, earthy resolution that sits close to skin. What remains is more whisper than statement, though what whispers is decidedly warm and woody, with barely perceptible coconut and musk softening edges that have already become quite austere.
Aramis is a forceful aromatic statement that rejects subtlety entirely. Bernard Chant constructed something genuinely bifurcated: the opening is all brightness and spice, yet the fragrance rapidly pivots into something considerably darker and more textured. The artemisia and cumin create an almost savory opening that feels almost culinary—you might expect herbs and earth rather than what emerges from the bottle.
The real character lives in how the heart notes bend this towards something altogether more sophisticated. The clary sage and cardamom don't sweeten the composition; instead, they sharpen it, creating an aromatic backbone that the clove and jasmine lean against without ever softening. There's a peculiar tension here—jasmine typically reads as lush and creamy, but it's held at arm's length by the spice matrix, rendered almost austere. The myrtle acts as a structural element rather than a decorative one, maintaining green sinew throughout.
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4.0/5 (260)