Penhaligon's
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Mandarin and bergamot burst forth with citreous brightness, but within moments the clove and nutmeg begin their emergence, transforming what could have been a clean aromatic into something immediately spiced and complex. The rosewood's peppery undertone materialises almost simultaneously, signalling this won't be a conventional cologne experience.
The florals—jasmine, ylang ylang, rose—reach their fullest expression here, but they're constantly negotiating with the relentless spice accord; clove particularly refuses to recede. The woody character becomes more apparent, rosewood weaving through as the citrus fades, whilst iris adds a subtle structural dryness that prevents the composition from becoming cloying. This is LP No.9 at its most complex and three-dimensional.
Vanilla and amber move forward, softening the spice's edges whilst patchouli grounds everything in earthy warmth rather than darkness. The florals fade to a whisper, leaving a skin scent that's fundamentally amber-woody-spiced—closer to a dusky room than a fresh morning, closer to memory than present moment.
LP No.9 for Men is a fragrance that announces itself with the confidence of a man who knows his worth. Christian Provenzano has constructed something decidedly unfashionable by 1998 standards—a spiced oriental that refuses to whisper. The opening bergamot and mandarin provide a citrus gateway, but they're merely the foyer to what lies beyond: a densely populated heart where clove and nutmeg dominate, their sharp, almost peppery edges cutting through creamy jasmine and ylang ylang that might otherwise drift into feminine territory. This is the fragrance's central tension—those warm spices actively wrestling with floral sweetness, neither winning completely.
The woody accord (88%) isn't the airy sandalwood of a fresh cologne, but rosewood's slightly resinous, almost peppery character threading through everything like a structural beam. As it settles, vanilla and amber emerge from beneath, creating a base that's neither gourmand nor masculine in the conventional sense—it's warmer, more ambered, with patchouli adding earthy ballast rather than darkness.
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4.2/5 (132)