First Impressions – Heeley Paris – Cologne Officinale – As promised, and continuing on my recent run of aromatic releases, here’s Heeley’s latest – a fabulous fresh homage to vintage 70’s masculine style perfumes. Heeley always does an excellent job with these fresher scents. For instance, Sel Marin is one of the finer marine scents money can buy. Orange and Lemons, Say The Bells of St. Clements is a euphoric blend of juicy citrus fruits and tea. Undeniably, Cologne Officinale carries on the brand’s high strike rate of producing fine fresh fragrances.
Taking inspiration from the French photographer and owner of the contemporary fashion store Jogging, Olivier Amsellem (a man the brand remarks has his finger on the pulse of everyday Marseille life), Cologne Officinale evokes the azure blue landscape of the Meditteranean and purportedly contains a Marseille soap accord. I’m not sure that particular soap has much of a scent, and it’s odd that the brand goes down the route of recreating a vintage scent profile, especially given they’ve chosen such an edgy fashion store for inspiration. But it works quite wonderfully!
Cologne Officinale is fresh and somewhat soapy, but interestingly, it contains no citrus notes. Instead, the fragrance is built around herbal, green, and mossy accords. Indeed, the combined effects of the lavender and herbs give the impression of old-school shaving foam. The green aspect smells modern, as the galbanum in this Heeley isn’t intensely green or sharp. And it’s not weighed down with heavy leather or overpowering florals. It combines with the herbal notes of lavender, sage, basil, and rosemary, recreating the feeling of a pristine clean barbershop shave experience. Heeley’s judicious use of notes ensures the emphasis is on streamlined fuss-free impeccable grooming.
Even though there’s no citrus, there’s an appealing balsamic veneer of spicy orange amber that bubbles under the surface at the beginning before rising to the fore in the concluding stages. This oranged-hued element reminds me of the earthy citrus effect from the Terre d’Hermes series of perfumes.
If you’re a fan of things like Terre, the spicy Guerlain Heritage, the bubbly soapy Exit the King from ELDO, or the lavender aromatic Tom Ford Beau de Jour, you’ll love this. Indeed, if you’re a fan of anything herbal and aromatic, this should be to your liking. A nod to vintage old-school colognes, albeit with a modern edge. Lovely stuff. One of my top perfumes of 2023 so far. It’s right up there with the new Guerlain Habit Rouge flanker that I posted my first impressions for last week.
Even though it’s labeled as a cologne, it’s a long-lasting EdP strength. Some might say that defeats the purpose of a cologne. But for the price, I’m happy it lasts me eight-plus hours. Would I pay full retail for this? I’m not sure, as I used discounts to purchase the bottle. Significantly, compared to the Thameen duo, it worked out to about 1/3 of the price. It’s well worth it at that price. The top notes are basil and galbanum, the middle notes are French soap accord, sage, rosemary, and lavender, and the base consists of amber and moss.
All images are my own. I purchased the bottle pictured, my first purchase this year.
