Light Blue Forever
(Pour Homme)

While not being a huge fan of the Light Blue line, I've been obsessed with this flanker ever since it appeared on store shelves, and I'm just glad I got myself a bottle before they discontinued it. When I tried this for the first time this was so uniquely fresh and original and still is! With the initial spray you're getting a blast of a grapefruit that you've never smelt before. Citrus bitterness that is so absurdly ultra-realistic for perfumery that it almost feels like a fragrance from far future.

Grapefruit is at the same time the most difficult and the easiest citrus for a perfumer. You can't put grapefruit oil in a formula and expect it to smell nice, realistic and long-lasting because of its chemical nature. The oil degrades quite fast, and steam distillation simply cannot capture many nuances. You'll have greater success smelling like grapefruit by just rubbing the peel on your skin. Then why is it the easiest note? Well, we've long had access to different aroma-molecules that smell quite convincingly of grapefruit, and we've been lucky enough to have vetiver, which has grapefruity nuances and provides a fresh-woody scent that lasts for ages in the base. No other citrus oil can be extended as much as grapefruit.

Before looking at the formula, I was ready to expect anything – captive molecules and even unknown citrus bases. But when I analyzed it, I was simply stunned by the mastery of the perfumer who made it. I didn't stumble across some over-complicated accord or captives, there’s even no Methyl Pamplemousse. All this time it was grapefruit oil (probably white one), vetiver, Magnolan and a touch of Rhubofix. But most importantly, its unique freshness is built upon ingredients that I myself would never consider using for a grapefruit fragrance. I already knew that the ozonic note probably comes from Floralozone and the violet leaf nuance from Undecavertol, but I wasn't ready to see such an amount of Aldehyde C12 MNA and Rose Oxide. Suddenly everything fell into place. The latter molecule is actually a clever decision to boost the sharp freshness of grapefruit alongside Rhubofix. And I'd assume that C12 MNA slightly moderates the aggressiveness of Floralozone and its chlorine nuance.

Light Blue Forever truly deserves its place in the niche world.

Olfactory profile: citrus, green, aldehydic.
Concentration: eau de parfum.