When I receive a press release there are certain ingredients which heighten my anticipation for receiving the sample. The converse is true too. When I received the copy for Creed Green Neroli I saw that two of the three keynotes were among my favorites and one was among the list of those I’m not fond of.
Green Neroli is part of the Acqua Originale collection. Green Neroli is the eighth fragrance to be added to it. These have all had a lighter aesthetic while still feeling like a Creed. It was that part which I was going to help me get through my adversarial relationship with the ingredient I wasn’t fond of.
Olivier Creed
That is mint. Mint has a difficult time making me not think of the smell of dental products. It is especially problematic when it is featured in a luxury perfume. It cheapens it because of my mental association. Olivier Creed had two other ingredients with which to keep that attitude at bay. Neroli has become one of my very favorite florals recently. There is an attractive combination of green and flower which does the trick for me. Caraway has been one of my favorite underused ingredients. It has an herbal freshness like bergamot but with more presence. I have long wondered why it isn’t used more. It gets a star turn in Green Neroli.
That mint I was concerned with greets me right away. Thankfully so does a set of lemon and petitgrain which bring a brilliant tart contrast. It sets up the arrival of the neroli. This is everything I enjoy about it with the green finding harmony within the mint and the floral piece reaching out for the caraway. The caraway energized the floral quality forming an expansive neroli effect. Rosemary and tarragon are also around to make sure the green piece of this is not just the mint.
Green Neroli has 6-8 hour longevity and average sillage.
This is a perfume of fleeting pleasure. Mr. Creed has managed to make a fragrance which is packed with refreshing turns, even the mint. I wonder if the overall effect could have been achieved without it. As I’ve been told by the lyrical poet Meat Loaf, “Two out of three ain’t bad!”
Disclosure: This review was based on a sample supplied by Creed.
–Mark Behnke
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