HFC
PRIVATE CODE

2022

PERFUMER
Vincent Ricord

Osmanthus
frankincense
Plum

Leather
Orris
Date
Rose

Musk
Tolu Balsam
Benzoin
Incense Absolute
Oud Oil

I feel like ever since Tom Ford discontinued Plum Japonais, plum has been a note that I feel people have been on the hunt for. A year prior to Private Code, Scents Of Wood Plum In Cognac became a huge crowd-favorite. However, the plum in Plum In Cognac isn’t really there much to my nose. Enter HFC’s Private Code, which might be more plum in cognac than Plum In Cognac is (although not the better fragrance). Here’s why:

Straight from the opening you get a thick resinous sweetness in Private Code. It’s pretty gourmand, but it has some smoky touches and especially some fruity touches from plum and date. Private Code also reminds me a bit of carrot cake, with a carroty iris blending in with all the sweetness. It’s not really powdery, nor is it fully creamy, but it is thick.

After a while I get more of the osmanthus and leather, but not overpowering; it’s at least as sweet and resinous as it is either leathery or woody. It can get a tiny bit cloying with the sweetness if you’re not into gourmand-ish scents.

It’s definitely not identical to Plum In Cognac, but it gives off a similar vibe, with more plum to my nose and that fruitiness persists. It’s more resinous and leathery, and less lactonic. The cherry in combination with other notes is giving off the same cherry-tobacco vibe from Parfums de Marly Herod here too.

As often in my experiences with HFC so far, performance is above average, which does help in justifying the price point. I just wish they’d put a nice design and black cap on their Black line, as they do with their Asia collection. That being said, a very solid release and a potential crowd-favorite as well.