MONTALE
BE MY PLUM

2025

plum
pink pepper
oud

plum blossom
tiare
ylang-ylang
tuberose

coconut
vanilla sugar
white musk

‘A carnal whisper of promise and provocation: be my plum, my forbidden fruit. Juicy Plum sparkles with Pink Pepper as White Flowers glide over the skin while Coconut, Vanilla and a soft hint of Oud melt into velvety Musk for an unforgettable embrace.’ – Montale

Be My Plum didn’t register as something that I would enjoy initially, but ended up being nicer than I figured. To me, this one isn’t for plum-lovers per se though, as it’s a very sweet fragrance.

Straight away, the sweetness hits you, as well as a typical, women’s designer vibe with non-descript white florals that are too sweet and too vague to really feel like flowers. What is perhaps most prominent to my nose is the coconut in the first hour. It has a diffusive, sun tan-esque coconut-floral vibe. The fruitiness from the plum is mostly there when I put my nose close to skin (which makes the fragrance better), but it’s barely perceivable in the air.

It grows sweeter and a tad darker. At one point I was even reminded of a lighter Parfums de Marly Herod or a less leathery Nishane Nefs. However what it settles into on my skin, is a Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille-like ambroxan-vanilla and brown sugar. Maybe those comparisons are a bit of a stretch, but it should give you an indication of how far into sweeter territory it goes.

Not bad at all, but there’s something keeping it from being great. Like the aforementioned women’s designers, it lacks clarity and the overall composition feels too sweet and dense to fully enjoy.