Osmanthus

I love the smell of the Henri Bendel Osmanthus candles sold at Bath and Body Works--an intoxicating green floral scent that may well be my floral HG. I hoped that all osmanthus products smelled the same, but was sadly disappointed to find that is not true! In my head, osmanthus should smell like apricots and green tea, and a bright and slightly grassy green. I've found three scents so far that are primarily osmanthus, but none of them quite measure up to my high expectations.

The Different Company
Osmanthus
Notes: osmanthus fragrans (China), leaf green, bergamot, orange, tangerine, rose, rose bay, castoreum, hay, musk

This opens with a quick burst of citrus, strongly bergamot like an eau de cologne, then the scent of green leaves. There's a floral aroma in the background that strikes me as slightly antiseptic, like the smell of bandaids. That soon fades, leaving a musky drydown. I'm not sure if I smell the castoreum, but then again, I don't quite know what beaver secretions should smell like :::wrinkles nose at the thought::::

Keiko Mechuri
Fleurs d'Osmanthus
Notes: Japanese golden osmanthus, white datura, tuberose, green notes

Where's the osmanthus? This is more a tuberose scent, very white floral and jasmine-like. The drydown has a green grassy quality and a creamy warmth. Overall, it smells like a florist's shop full of fresh blooms. Pretty, simple, fresh, but not what I wanted it to smell like!

Hermes
Osmanthe Yunnan
Notes: tea, orange, freesia, osmanthus, apricot

Opening notes of tea and orange and the slight funk of dried apricot blooms into a delicate floral that so far is the closest match to my beloved HB candle. Quite delicious, but unfortunately very fleeting. Osmanthe Yunnan starts to fade within 10 minutes, assuming a dusty apricot character with a very subtle background floral. That's all well and good, but I would prefer the orange and tea aromas to stay in the foreground and not fade away completely.

Can anyone suggest another primarily osmanthus fragrance for me to try?

tags: reviews