Tom Ford
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Violet leaf and galbanum strike first with a crisp, almost eucalyptus-like greenness, their green-metallic quality immediately established before frankincense's dry, resinous dryness tempers any floral expectations. Magnolia arrives as a whisper of white, almost imperceptible beneath the leafy assault.
As the composition settles, hyacinth finally emerges—but it's a subdued, almost shy version of itself, constantly pulled back by jasmine's creamy weight and pink pepper's sharp geometric spice. The fragrance becomes noticeably powdery here, that benzoin beginning its slow ascent from the base, creating a soft haze around the green-floral core.
The musk and benzoin dominate entirely, softening the composition into something warm and gently animalic, though the violet leaf's green ghost still lingers at the edges. By this stage, it's primarily a powdery, skin-scent affair—intimate and fading.
Ombre de Hyacinth arrives as a study in verdant restraint—a fragrance that whispers rather than announces. Calice Becker has crafted something genuinely unusual here: a green floral that privileges the structural clarity of its supporting cast over the hyacinth itself. The violet leaf and galbanum form the true spine, creating that distinctive metallic-green bite that feels almost architectural, whilst the hyacinth plays a surprisingly demure role in the composition, softened considerably by jasmine's creamy roundness and pink pepper's bright sting.
This is a fragrance for those who find traditional florals cloying. There's an almost herbal quality to its presentation—the frankincense in the opening lending an almost ecclesiastical dryness that prevents the florals from ever becoming sweet or sugary. The powdery base notes (that musk-benzoin foundation) eventually emerge to soften the green edges, but never enough to make this feel like a conventional feminine fragrance. It's decidedly unisex precisely because it avoids the seduction angle entirely; instead, it offers contemplation.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
3.8/5 (165)