FREDERIC MALLE
NOIR EPICES

2000

PERFUMER
Michel Roudnitska

Geranium
Orange
Rose

Clove
Nutmeg
Pepper
Cinnamon

Sandalwood
Patchouli
Cedarwood
Vanilla

‘Depths of black. Composed like a Rothko painting, where layer upon layer of somber notes form a deeper, more textured darkness. A thick coating of spices rests on a wooden base of sandalwood and patchouli; top notes of orange and geranium are subtly illumined by rose, which, like all masterful paintings, reveal that even darkness is made of light. Unafraid of the dark.’ – Frederic Malle

Dare I say the most underrated Malle of them all?

I say that, because Noir Epices never seems to come up in any conversations about the best Malles (as opposed to Portrait of a Lady, Musc Ravageur, Carnal Flower or even Promise). As a matter of fact, even in the couple of top 10-20 Frederic Malle lists that I’ve seen, Noir Epices does not even get a mention.

Maybe that’s not so surprising, as I think there is a thin line between masterpiece and cheap smelling going on with Noir Epices, and it happens to have fallen on the right side for me. Far to the right side, as Noir Epices has worked its way up into my overall top 10 and it is in a constant battle with Portrait of a Lady for being my favorite from the brand (with Rose Tonnerre creeping up as well).

Straight from the opening you get a strong orange blast. It’s not a natural orange, but rather an almost creamy, sweet, pungent orange akin to perhaps an orange popsicle.

Combined with it, the ever-divisive overload of clove. Depending on the wear I get a more floral (rose and geranium) orange or a full-on spicy (clove, nutmeg, pepper, cinnamon) orange. I’d say it’s less warm and less sweet than most spicy and clove-heavy fragrances.

Mostly, it’s spicy, sharp and retro smelling, making Noir Epices lean masculine in my opinion. It’s reminiscent of more vintage, harsher, aftershave style fragrances. There’s a soapy, shampoo-y quality to this, that’s quite refreshing (think Nicolai New York Intense). For me, there’s a ton of brightness here and not at all the ‘depths of black’ as per the brand’s description, which I frankly found unusual.

At the same it is an absolute beast of a performer; one of the loudest projections in my collection. I’d say this is a perfect office scent… scent-wise, but one spray might suffice.

A criminally underrated fragrance to me.