Mancera
Mancera
424 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Sicilian citrus explodes with synthetic brightness, all lemon zest and bergamot sharpness, immediately joined by a punchy blackcurrant note that borders on cassis cordial. Pink peppercorns add a fizzing, almost effervescent quality, whilst something vaguely aromatic—possibly cardamom—hovers in the background, tempering the fruit with warmth.
The sandalwood and oud emerge as a singular woody bloc rather than distinct entities, creamy yet dry, whilst the leather accord manifests as burnished suede dusted with saffron. Jasmine weaves through intermittently, its indolic sweetness softening the composition's harder edges, and the patchouli adds earthy depth without going full head-shop.
Vanilla becomes increasingly prominent, melding with white musk to create a pillowy, skin-like base that's decidedly sweet but never cloying. The oakmoss provides a mossy, slightly bitter counterpoint that keeps proceedings from collapsing into pure confection, whilst trace amounts of amber add warmth and a subtle saline quality that lingers for hours.
Mancera's Intense Cedrat Boise throws open the shutters on its namesake predecessor, flooding the room with magnified citrus and a brasher, more assertive woody spine. The Sicilian citrus accord—bright with bergamot and lemon—crashes into a tart wave of blackcurrant, creating that signature synthetic-sharp fruitiness that Mancera does so unabashedly well. It's an amplified, almost shouty interpretation, the sort of fragrance that announces your presence three metres before you enter. The spice accord adds a peppery, slightly metallic edge that prevents the opening from veering into pure fruit juice territory.
What makes this iteration "intense" is the beefed-up woody heart: the sandalwood and oud feel less nuanced, more broad-stroke, painted with a heavy hand that thickens the composition considerably. The leather note reads as saffron-tinged suede rather than animal hide, while jasmine floats somewhere in the middle distance, never quite taking centre stage but adding a honeyed floral whisper. As it dries, the oakmoss lends a retro chypré-esque backbone, though it's the vanilla-musk combination that ultimately dominates, sweetening and smoothing the woods into something almost gourmand-adjacent.
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3.9/5 (364)