MONOM
IRMAO

2014

PERFUMER
Nicola Bianchi

Blond tobacco
Amber
Clove
Heliotrope
Vanilla
Ginger
Cinnamon
artemisia
Vetiver

I think 100% concentration perfume oils will be a trend we’re going to see more and more of in Western perfumery in the years to come (if only for it being allowed to ship internationally as a non-dangerous good). Monom is one of the first brands I’ve tried that are fully dedicated to it.

Irmao is a comfort scent. It’s a beautiful blonde tobacco fragrance, that will smell familiar to most, but adds it’s own touches. I get a white chocolate vibe from the opening.

After, you get very sweet tobacco. It’s not as dry or sugary as Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, perhaps closer in texture Parfums de Marly Herod, while closer to the Tom Ford in scent. There’s a slightly nutty almond hint from the heliotrope, but mostly you get the usual spice combination of cinnamon and clove. Lastly I get a tiny hint of smoke from the tobbaco, that feels almost green.

One of the advantages of an oil is that it’s less harsh and all notes feel blended into one more, which keeps the spices in Irmao in check. In my experience they tend to get less dry and powdery as well and here the vanilla feels syrupy and almost boozy to me. Overall it creates a very sweet blonde tobacco scent, but it feels a bit more mature than it’s counterparts that I’ve tried.