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.
Love the sound of your description, curious to smell the scent! Beautiful captures, as usual!
Thank you very much, Tetê. Yes, it’s a good one. Fingers crossed you get to sample.
Great read, Daniel. I ensure that my sampling rotation is varied to avoid becoming too familiar with certain notes, which can skew my perspective. I’ll definitely try Mandi Rhubi, especially since you mentioned Signature by Aedes de Venustas. It’s one of my favorite rhubarb perfumes.
Thank you, Flaconneur. That’s good thinking. I’m intrigued to know what you’ll make of it, though I find it quite different from Signature.
Thank you for linking to my piece.
I need to wear Mandi Rhubi again, I wonder how it will play out in our now much cooler & wet autumn.
I enjoyed its less heady use of rhubarb & the aromatics & vetiver may well make it an autumn citrus
No worries, Alityke. You could be right. That will be an interesting experiment. Those vetiver and cypress notes do create an autumnal feeling.
The palate cleanser, usually in the form of a refreshing and fruity drink or sorbet, is often one of my favorite parts of a multi-course meal. Mandi Rhubi sounds very juicy and brightening. Thanks for sharing your impressions! Hope you are having a great weekend.
Thanks, Nose Prose. Yes, I needed something to expel the ambery wood demons and Mandi Rhubi hit the mark.