Phaedon

Image: Bottles and candle from Phaedon (c)

Phaedon is a new line of perfumes where at least some of the scents are created by Pierre Guillaume. According to the buzz on Basenotes, Noir Marine and Dzhari are the two creations by Pierre. Those that are not created by him, is developed under his supervision. I have recived three samples of the Phaedon perfumes from the niche perfumeshop Fragrance & Art  . Here are my first impressions:

Noir Marine: This is a wearable, stripped, stright forward version of Harmatan Noir No 11 in the Perfume Generale line. Harmatan Noir is more complex but also harder to wear with a teanote that I perceive as metallic-bloody. Noir Marine is also dominated by the minty teanote in Harmatan Noir but it's a brighter and cleaner interpretaton. More aromatic-marine in it's tonality than Harmtan that is more woody- herbal. Personally I prefer the Noir Marine over Harmatan Noir. Notes of mint, tobacco and resins.

Dzhari: This is a beautiful blend with mint (again), sweet wine with some spice and dusty notes. The minty note is smoother compared to Noir Marine but connects the perfumes in the same theme. Dzhari really smells as I perceive ancient. It justifies the inspiration of the line from Sokrates and his disciple Phaedon. To my nose there are some similarities with Midnight Sun from Aqaba, a line inspired of the ancient times of the Queen of Sheba.

Cendres de The: A clean cardamom dominated scent with some sparkling peppernotes in the background. Reminds med the cardamom in Hermès Un Jardin Après la Mousson but Centres de Thè stays true to the cardamom during it´s whole drydown. I don’t feel the tea note but as spiced tea is one of the ingredients it’s probably so well blended that the note it self don’t stand out. Centres de Thè is the best cardamom scent that I have sniffed until now.

From the samples I have tried from the Phaedon Line, my overall impression is that it is a well crafted line in the spirit of Pierre Guillaume and with some characteristics from the PG line. But the Phaedons I have tried are in general more stripped versions, focusing on a few notes, and are easier to wear for a wider audience. To me the scents is smooth and relaxing and at least Noir Marine and Dzhari makes me think of the ancient times that the line gets some of it’s inspiration from. The Phaedons are comfortable and enchanting fragrances according to my nose.