Bond No. 9
Bond No. 9
107 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The aldehydes announce themselves with snapping white floral electricity, whilst peach provides a deceptive sweetness—almost immediately undercut by coriander's insistent pepper and bergamot's sharp citric clarity. Within moments, you're confronted not with prettiness, but with presence.
As the opening fades, the florals stage a coordinated assault—jasmine's creamy butter mingles with iris's cool powder whilst lily of the valley tries unsuccessfully to anchor the composition in delicacy. Orris root adds a slightly animalic earthiness that makes the heart feel dense, almost suffocating in its richness, whilst tonka bean sweetens the base's approach with vanilla undertones.
The woody accord emerges as the true protagonist, with sandalwood and vetiver establishing a cool, slightly austere foundation. Benzoin and opoponax create a resinous amber warmth that feels skin-like rather than abstract, whilst the spiced elements linger as a ghostly reminder of the fragrance's complicated personality—beautiful, yes, but fundamentally uncompromising.
Ernest Beaux's creation arrives as a paradox: a fragrance named for peace that bristles with contradictory energies. The aldehydes don't whisper—they announce themselves with crisp insistence, cutting through the stone fruit sweetness of peach like a knife through silk. Bergamot and neroli provide citric scaffolding, but it's the coriander that refuses to be subtle, introducing a peppery bite that immediately signals this isn't a conventional floral.
What unfolds is less a garden and more an argument between opulence and restraint. The heart drowns in florals—jasmine's buttery indulgence collides with the cool, almost medicinal green of orris root whilst lily of the valley tries desperately to maintain innocence. Rose and iris add powder, tonka bean threads sweetness underneath, and ylang ylang contributes an almost creamy animalic quality that borders on uncomfortable. It's this friction that makes the composition magnetic rather than beautiful.
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4.2/5 (193)