Pink by Undergreen

*****

Year: 2012

Notes: lemon, orange, strawberry, clove, elemi, rose, vanilla, caramel, praline, cedar

Undergreen is one niche house that has failed to set the niche fragrance world alight. Sadly, Pink isn't going to do much to turn around this house's fortunes.

As expected, it's a very feminine fruity-gourmand, with a highly notable scratchy or powdery demeanour. All the chords are clearly represented and well-proportioned, and the composition follows the contemporary gourmand formula to a tee.

But for all its excessively sweet and creamy fruitiness, that scratchy or powdery aspect (which comes across as yeast-like) fails to completely subside. When it finally does, the most intriguing accords have already faded, leaving a humdrum praline, caramel and cedar drydown.

If it wasn't for the intrusive yeast-like effect, it might have been awarded an extra star. Both sillage and tenacity are respectable.

Gold by Undergreen

*****

Year: 2012

Notes: grapefruit, lime, cardamom, ginger, lemon tree leaf, orange blossom, labdanum, myrrh, benzoin, tonka bean, Tolu balsam

Gold is supposedly inspired by "gold, warmth and the richness of life".

Behaving like a spicy-aromatic, with lively and spicy top notes, the cardamom is well-behaved and the ginger is detectable. While it lasts, the orange blossom is focused and unobstructed, with the ginger dancing around the peripheries. With a resinous base, the drydown isn't as sweet as originally anticipated, with some frankincense arising with unexpected regularity.

However, soon the composition completely falls apart – smelling chalky, peppery, vapid and incessantly hollow. While the opening provided some promise, the drydown is utterly terrible. Both lasting power and projection are below average.

Black by Undergreen

*****

Year: 2011

Notes: black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, liquorice, coffee, tonka bean, frankincense, birch bark, oud, guaiac wood

Comment: Eau de Parfum review

While Black smells unequivocally dark, one wouldn't necessarily view it as addictive, or particularly seductive, if Undergreen's 'modest' press release is anything to go by...

With fleeting traces of pepper, cinnamon and ginger, it initially comes across as a murky woody-aromatic. The majority of the accords work together towards generating a burnt woody aura, but the chalky and slightly milky sawdust undertones of the composition doesn't leave much room for any sensual warmth.

For a brief period, both the coffee and liquorice heighten their poise, before duly surrendering to the tonka bean, frankincense and woods. But within moments, all that remains are faint ashy remnants of what went on before, featuring a grey powdery woodiness that's both masculine and rather striking.

With minimal sillage and poor longevity, it's too detached and insubstantial for one to really enjoy. Furthermore, its eye-watering price tag is extremely perplexing for what it actually offers.

White by Undergreen

*****

Year: 2011

Notes: aldehydes, white mint, coconut, African orange blossom, ylang-ylang, jasmine, tuberose, orris, styrax, amyris

Comment: Eau de Parfum review

Proclaiming a manifesto that promises 100% natural fragrances, Patrice Cardenoso and Jérôme Bonnet's new niche brand, Undergreen, still has a rather long way to go in order to convince. Although Black and White (both composed by perfumer Fabrice Olivieri) are classified as unisex, each one heavily relies on incorporating a set of notes that are stereotypically associated with one gender or the other.

As for White, it's an insipid, chalky and high-pitched floral, with poorly integrated aldehydes, orris and coconut, set alongside pleasant creamy traces of white florals. Even with an open-mind, the accords are quintessentially feminine. But the overall impression, especially with regards to its styrax-laden drydown, is one of the lingering odour of floral hair conditioner in a mildew-infested bathroom.

With atrocious staying power, one hopes never to smell this clinical floral disaster again.