Carthusia
Carthusia
106 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Bright, almost aggressive bergamot and lemon burst forward with artemisia's herbal-green undertones creating an unexpected dusty quality. The marine notes add a cooler, almost saline backdrop that prevents the citrus from becoming straightforwardly cheerful.
Geranium's peppery florality emerges alongside delicate lily of the valley, with magnolia's creamy weightiness adding structure. The clove and pink pepper create a subtle spice that elevates what could have been a pedestrian floral arrangement into something with actual tension and complexity.
The base settles into a whisper—tonka bean sweetness and elemi resin's resinous warmth attempt to anchor the composition, but white musk and vanilla feel uncommitted, fading into skin scent territory with surprising speed, leaving behind only impressions rather than presence.
Carthusia's Essence of the Park arrives as a fragrance caught between two intentions—a fresh, verdant declaration that never quite commits to staying. Luca Maffei has constructed something genuinely photogenic: the opening salvo of lemon and bergamot collides with artemisia's dusty, slightly metallic greenness, whilst marine notes inject an ozonic shimmer that suggests standing beneath Manhattan's glass towers on a spring morning. The transition into the heart reveals geranium's peppery sweetness playing against lily of the valley's characteristically indolic whisper, with magnolia adding a waxy floral density that momentarily grounds the composition.
What's most intriguing is how the pink pepper and clove create a subtle spice—not aggressive, but a gentle prickling sensation that prevents the florals from becoming saccharine. Yet there's a transparency here that borders on diffidence. The base offers tonka bean's caramel undertones and elemi resin's slightly resinous warmth, but they arrive with the confidence of a timid guest, overshadowed by white musk and vanilla that feel oddly detached rather than enveloping.
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Lorenzo Villoresi
3.9/5 (83)