Avon
Avon
104 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Corn mint and eucalyptus hit with striking immediacy, their cooling sharpness accentuated by citrus brightness and a subtle anise-pepper spice that feels almost peppery-dry rather than aromatic. The first five minutes are almost aggressively green, like crushed herbal leaves rather than a perfume.
Fig and jasmine soften the composition's hard edges, though lemon grass and that smoky tea note keep everything grounded and slightly austere. Apple blossom adds a whisper of brightness, but the smoke accord prevents any drift towards sweetness.
The tobacco flower and seagrass base materialize faintly, contributing a subtle hay-like, briny whisper that feels more suggested than present. Within four to five hours, the fragrance fades to skin scent—a faint herbal impression rather than an actual olfactory experience.
Aspire Essence reads as a cerebral fragrance dressed in botanical sharpness—the sort of scent that appeals to those who prefer clarity over romance. Laura Bosetti Tonatto has constructed something deliberately austere here: corn mint and eucalyptus collide with litsea cubeba's bright petrol-like character, creating an opening that feels almost medicinal in its precision. The citrus accords (lemon and orange) don't provide sweetness; instead, they amplify the green spice of star anise and aged pepper, which lends a peppercorn bite rather than warmth.
What's fascinating is the heart's attempt at softness: fig and jasmine emerge alongside lemon grass, apple blossom, and tea. Yet these floral and fruity elements never quite overcome the fragrance's fundamentally herbaceous disposition. The tea note—smoky, slightly astringent—acts as a dampener on any potential femininity or sweetness. This is a scent for someone who finds conventional florals cloying; someone who wears it to work, to the garden, to a quiet reading afternoon. It's unisex by necessity rather than design, occupying that peculiar early-90s zone where "gender-neutral" often meant "aggressively green."
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4.0/5 (120)