A New Masculine Tradition: Dior Homme Parfum

by: Serguey Borisov

In the modern fragrant developments of Christian Dior Parfums there are two directions that I find infinitely interesting. These are the exclusive collection of La Collection Privée Christian Dior (formerly Christian Dior Couturier et Parfumeur) and masculine Parfums. The first collection is a wonderful encyclopedia describing individual perfume components in very refined language, using Christian Dior cultural codes. The second group cannot be called a collection. It's an add-on upon all collections of Dior`s masculine fragrances, which increased masculine olfactory capabilities and the tastes of modern men.

Who would have thought 30 years ago that Fahrenheit and Eau Sauvage, the embodiments of male virility, would appear as extraits de parfum for men? Well, meet the latest known example—Dior Homme Parfum. As with the previous two examples, the perfume bottle is quite large—75 ml of perfume—and differs from the original Dior Homme (2005) by its strong tilt towards darkness (where, as we know, cookies are the bonus).

Just like all the classic fragrances of the past, Dior Homme Parfum is not a flanker. It's an absolutely independent fragrance that preserved some features of the eau de toilette and the eau de parfum (if we take Dior Homme Intense as the EDP version). As before, this new product was created not for the sake of substitution, but for the effect of layering different fragrant products. At first the light eau de cologne is applied lavishly all over the body, then the eau de parfum is sprayed under the garments, and finally the most expensive and richly scented product—parfum—is applied at strategic points of the body: neck, pulse points, etc. The classic of feminine fragrance rituals becomes a perfumed game outside of genders and ages in the 21st century.

Previously, such luxury was available only to women. Think of the light touch of the rosy dirty musk of Bal À Versailles Eau de Cologne, the luxury of resinous smoky flowers Bal À Versailles Parfum de Toilette and then a perfume that completely defies any destructive analysis, Bal À Versailles Parfum. It was assumed that it is quite possible (and sometimes necessary) to use all three types of perfume products at once. This could be seen in the Caron and Guerlain perfume ranges, for example, in the 70s.

The original fragrance Dior Homme (2005) was a vegetal-woody fragrance on the theme of orris and a gourmand chocolate accord. New perfume Dior Homme Parfumdives deeper into the leather fougère base, and moves the main accents into the kitchen, but in the course of its home run it manages to touch all the bases gently. To wink at the iris butter of the original Dior Homme, to come up to the gym with the modern woody freshness of linalool, ionones and wood materials like cedarwood and sandalwood, to taste some soft and greasy taste of pink lipstick on a lunch date, and show a winning combo of exotic beans (chocolate cocoa and tonka) and hear the resounding echo of burned birch bark, smeared with butter caramel ... all that has been done before the appearance at a dinner party in a black tuxedo and starched plastron. What is it? How many hours do you have in your day?

Do not judge based on the three official perfume notes declared by perfumer François Demachy on the official Dior site: Dior Homme Parfum holds many more different accents, shades and facets than a modern masculine scent usually allowed to have. However, that brings many more opportunities to find fault in it. And just as many opportunities to love it wholeheartedly.
 Everyone can choose their pros and cons in the Parfum—my heart is full of the sweet and rich chocolate orris—orris beurre noire-like—and masculine coumarin-vanilla-musk base.

It would not be smart to create Dior Homme Parfum as a bigger, concentrated copy of Dior Homme Eau de Toilette, on a scale of 3:1. To create something different and share some facets with the beloved familiar floral-woody is a much more interesting development: some bright sporty energetic or luxurious leather sweet fragrance, shower gel fragrance or dry aroma of black tea with vanilla flavor, a rubbery smell or smoky whiskey aroma. Adding new shades, shifting the angle of the view, changing the focal length and lighting. And all together—to teach men how to use all the perfume layering possibilities and to create a new masculine tradition of using fragrances.

Another bonus of the Parfum concentration is better aging ability. Perfumes tolerates long-term storage much better than colognes or eaux de toilette. Any fan of vintage fragrances can confirm this, as Parfum has less water and alcohol, so fewer chemical reactions are possible. So if you like Dior Homme Parfum, make a good stockroom for it. You can store it in its boxes and keep it stored for decades. Forty years later, young perfumistas will not believe you that in 2014, Christian Dior launched not only masculine Dior Homme Eau for men, but also Dior Homme Parfum and you'll have some real proof.