Now and again, I need to do a factory reset on my nose. It’s usually after I’ve been exposed to too many woody amber scents with their spiky, uninviting drydowns, like last week’s Ormonde Jayne – Vetiveria – From Fizz To Flat. Maybe I should call it an olfactory palate cleansing. I typically accomplish this by not wearing perfume for a few days, but if I feel the urge to wear a scent, I inevitably turn to citrusy colognes for this meaningful work. When I saw the notes for Isabelle Larignon’s Mandi Rhubi, it looked ripe for the job. Indeed, after reading Alityke’s https://alitykescents.wordpress.com/2025/08/21/apples-apples-everywhere-a-stick-of-rhubarb/ thoughts on the scent, I was more than a little excited to test the sample I had purchased. Here are my impressions.
Mandi Rhubi turns out to be more than a palate cleanser. It’s far from neutral. It bursts from the bottle with happiness. The quartet of citrus notes led by lime and mandarin smells almost drinkable. To borrow a lyric from Katrina and the Waves, I’m walking on sunshine. Right away, I know it’s going to be good, and almost immediately, I sense the star of the show, the rhubarb.
The rhubarb doesn’t bash you over the head, because I sense there’s a lot more going on behind the tartness and tang. It’s not a one-trick pony, and it’s remarkably well-balanced. Pepper, with its woody vibrancy, maintains the lively up-tempo energy. Blackcurrant adds a further tangy and slightly sour flavour. However, it’s never too tart or acidic, as one might expect from a blend of blackcurrant and rhubarb.
The fruity freshness effortlessly seeps into a green base of juniper, vetiver, and cypress, all without ever losing the tang of the rhubarb. After the energetic opening, Mandi Rhubi becomes more sun-baked and scorched. Its woody vetivert base turns grassy and dry as it sheds its sprightly opening. When I think of rhubarb scents, my mind goes to Aedes de Venustas Signature, but it’s different enough from that one. That’s sharper with a more biting tomato leaf note. In contrast, Mandi Rhubi feels more citric and sparkly. Perhaps, the closest comparison comes courtesy of Olivier Cresp’s vetiver/rhubarb composition for Olfactive Studio, Flash Back.
The overall effect is akin to a head-clearing walk through green rolling hills, which is pretty much the intended outcome laid out by the perfumer. I could easily see this fitting into the Aqua Allegoria collection and becoming one of my favorites from it. I can’t pay it any greater compliment than that. Indeed, after spending much of the week wearing Mandi Rhubi, my nose feels a lot better, too. I’m ready to take on the weekend with renewed vigour.
Hope you have a good one!
Note: Bottle image from Isabelle Larignon. All other photos are my own.
