I will no longer complain about Amouage’s commercial direction. It’s too easy to sit back and take potshots at the house. They’ve gone in a completely different business direction under Renaud Salmon, and that’s fine. That’s their prerogative. Think about it; it wouldn’t have made artistic sense to keep producing scents that mimic the style of the Christopher Chong era. Perfume Brands, like our favourite bands, continue to evolve. If you don’t enjoy the Omani house or their business strategies, there are plenty of other brands to explore. They’ve built up so much goodwill with me over the years that I continue to give their new releases a sample. So, with that out of the way, let’s discuss their latest fragrance in their Odyssey collection, Existence.
My impressions of the scent differ from the brand’s marketing. They describe Existence as a delicate and heartbreaking lily of the valley, but I find it quite loud. The initial whoosh of aldehydes rushes out of the bottle with the intensity of a gushing waterfall. There’s a hint of Chanel to the over-the-top champagne sparkle of the aldehydes, but Existence feels distinctly modern. In contrast to Chanel’s classic aldehydic scents, No. 5 and No. 22, which smell rounded and aloof, Existence feels sharp and piercing like a saber.
Despite the fragrance containing lily of the valley and rose, it doesn’t feel entirely natural. Existence is a Bisch after all. To be sure, I get rose and lily of the valley, but it’s almost like I’m viewing the flowers from behind smoky Perspex. The brand’s signature frankincense, along with the Givaudan captive, Mystikal, adds that smoky touch. The aldehydes and musk reinforce the distortion, conjuring an image of a steamed-up bathroom mirror. It’s soapy and clean, but not necessarily pure, somewhat in the style of the mineral metallic inflected Exit the King from ELDO.
The intriguing part of the scent lies in its floral transitions. After an hour or so, Existence starts to take on a rosier feel. It has a hint of their Guidance, but here I think the roses smell more translucent, much whiter. But just as in Guidance, when they combine with the basenotes, Existence takes on a powder-like or lotion-like, skin-hugging, slightly more comforting guise, which replaces the sharp bite of the opening. The benzoin in Existence allows for a somewhat softer landing pad than the woodier Guidance.
Despite all the smoke and mirrors, Existence still feels honed, sharpened, and cutting. Once the smoke subsides, the residual aldehydes, floral, and musk notes lend it a bright, seemingly omnipresent glow like the harvest moon. No doubt there’s a hefty dose of synthetic amber in the base. Maybe it’s Ambroxan acting as that backing board, trumpeting out the musk and aldehydes and the florals to almost epic proportions. You’re in for a commitment with Existence; this thing lasts all day, and if you let it, all night.
I mentioned Perspex glass in my review, but the waterfall analogy might be just as apt. The florals come in and out of view in Existence, like they’re being bent and distorted by light refracting on the surface of the water. I get a similar effect with the lily of the valley and musk in Aqua Universalis from MFK. In the final wash-up, I find Existence rather compelling, even if I wouldn’t wear it myself.
Have you tried Existence? It’s much more interesting than the new men’s scent, Decision, which I didn’t find particularly memorable. I sampled both in-store.
Note: The bottle image is from Amouage, but all other pictures are my own.
