AKRO
GLOW

2024

PERFUMER
Olivier Cresp

pink pepper

incense

vanilla
amber

‘The perfect fragrance for glow-getters. (…) Thanks to AKRO’s Glow eau de parfum, it’s never been easier to become the life and soul of the party. Inspired by those late-night escapades where you can try on a new character among a sea of strangers, this warm and sensual scent ensures that every evening is one to remember.’ – Harrods

Have you ever smelled a fragrance that is like a 9 out of 10 for you, but at the same time, doesn’t excite you? Glow does exactly that. This is a beautiful scent, but one that I do find redundant. If you don’t have the frame of reference and collection that I have, this may be a top-notch option, but the lack of originality does take it down a notch.

Straight away this smelled very familiar to me and in this case, the Fragrantica ‘this fragrance reminds me of’ recommendations are correct in my opinion. Glow is quite similiar to Guerlain’s Spiriteuse Double Vanille. Which means it also smells like about a 100 fragrances I’ve tried over the years that include a smoky, incensy or tobacco scent with a lot of vanilla.

A lovely scent profile, hence there are so many popular fragrance in this category and Glow may be an unnecessary addition, but a good one nevertheless. You get a lot of incense here, but not in any bright, medicinal or even honey type of fashion. It does add a ‘golden hue’ I guess, which relates to the concept; otherwise the fragrance was a bit less bright and vibrant than I would expect given its name. The incense adds a smoothness, smokiness and some oiliness to what is mostly a vanilla fragrance. I do think the vanilla smells great.

I’m also reminded quite a lot of Parfums de Marly Herod. Maybe it’s the pink pepper, because I don’t think there’s cherry listed, but I sense a light cherry-tobacco(blossom) hint throughout Glow.

I’ve only wore Glow once, but based on that; I don’t think you have to upgrade from existing options to this for performance either. It wears nicely, smooth, very soft, which I tend to like. But if you’re looking for strong and projection, this Akro is probably not your first option.

Not much else to say. Scent-wise and the way it wears, this is a 9/10 for me and one of my favorites from Akro, but because of the existing options, some of which I already own bottles of, I don’t feel the excitement of a 9/10 fragrance. Especially given that it’s a special edition and higher priced release for the brand, I was hoping for something a little bit more unique.