OLFACTIVE STUDIO
FLASH BACK

2013

PERFUMER
Olivier Cresp

Rhubarb
Grapefruit
Orange

Pink Pepper
Granny Smith apple

Vetiver
Cedarwood
Musk
Amber

Right off the bat Flash Back reminds me of Hermes Terre d’Hermes, which is one of my most worn fragrances of all time. So, good, but losing points for originality.

My main (and only) issue with Terre d’Hermes is the harsh opening, which I feel causes olfactory fatigue almost instantly for me if I’m not careful. Flash Back is less harsh, a little lighter and the fruits are less pronounced in the opening.

You could perceive that as better balanced, or less interesting, depending on your taste. At the same time the fruits are one of the differentiating factors after it starts to dry down, with the apple note coming through. It’s a nice clean, almost soapy vetiver, which lands somewhere between Terre d’Hermes and Tom Ford Grey Vetiver to my nose. I’d say it comes off more youthful and more unisex than those two fragrances.

The comparisons mean that I really like the fragrance, but unfortunately they also give me personally no reason to add Olfactive Studio’s Flash Back to my rotation. However, if you don’t own Terre d’Hermes or Grey Vetiver yet, if you’re in the market for a more stacked rotation Flash Back is a really solid option to consider and one of the standouts from Olfactive Studio.