New Niche Fragrance Review Parfumerie Generale No. 22 Djhenne- Pierre Guillaume’s Oasis + Sample Draw

My anticipation when I get a new sample is usually directly in proportion with who it is coming from. If it is a brand-new perfumer I spritz with caution and like getting into a swimming pool I creep in at the shallow end until I feel like getting wet. When the sample comes from one of my favorite perfumers, like Pierre Guillaume, I just spray with abandon like diving into the deep end of the pool. This is exactly what happened when my sample of his new Parfumerie Generale No. 22 Djhenne was delivered to me. This time the water was very cold and I came up shaking and sputtering with water going up my nose. I learned right away Djhenne is not a fragrance to apply with gusto it is a fragrance which requires a light application to appreciate the subtle milieu M. Guillaume is trying to create with Djhenne.

Djhenne is a variant spelling of the oasis town of Djenne on the Niger Delta in Mali. This is not the Maria Muldaur “Midnight at the Oasis” kind of oasis. Instead think of frontier trading post of the Sahara; sister town to Timbuktu. For over a thousand years the goods moving through this region of the world were traded in Djenne. M. Guillaume’s Djhenne captures the sense of the trading post in the Saharan sun as a variety of comestibles populate Djhenne the fragrance.

Djhenne starts off with a very sharp and astringent pairing of lavender and spearmint. This was the overload that so shook me the first time I tried Djhenne. If you spray too much this is all sharp edges and it can be very tough going. So much so that if you don’t take care to let it develop you will miss the good part of Djhenne. Sprayed judiciously the lavender and spearmint come across like a cool balm to the sweaty brow and a bit of what is called seringa blossom, in the note list, adds a bit of orange blossom character to blunt any tendency for the early going to get sharp. In the press materials M. Guillaume says the remaining notes in Djhenne are to come together to create a “blond leather accord” but that never happened on my skin. The remaining notes stayed steadfastly in their own place in my olfactory consciousness and so a powdery cocoa mixes with a hay-like wheat absolute and the base is sun dried cedar with a hint of myrrh to add back the sweetness of the wood bleached out by the sun.

Djhenne has excellent longevity and below average sillage.

Djhenne was a different experience for me with one of M. Guillaume’s creations. I had a hard time until I took some baby steps to approach it. I also wonder if others are going to experience the “blond leather accord” that never came together on my skin. Because of that I wonder if this is just one where my skin is somehow not allowing for M. Guillaume’s vision to flower fully. In any case this twenty-second Parfumerie Generale fragrance is worth a trip to the oasis to see how you experience it.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample provided by Osswald NYC.

Thanks to Osswald NYC we have two 2mL carded samples to giveaway. To be eligible leave a comment on your favorite Parfumerie Generale fragrance. We will draw two winners on September, 9, 2012.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

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55 comments

  • My favorite is Felanilla.The combination of banana wood and hay absolute make it one of the more unique vanilla scents

  • My favorite changes with seasons, right now it is Tonkamande, next week might be Un Crime Exotique or Myrrhiad also favorites.

  • I find that Pierre guillaume ‘s quirkier non gourmand scents do well on me
    For example bois de naufrage and indochine
    I love lavender and the thought of it mixed with a bit of cedar and syringa makes me swoon
    Thank you to Osswald which is my new favorite store I never have been to
    When will their website be up?

  • I have not tried any Parfumerie General yet either, but am quite interested in them and hope to try soon. Praliné de Santal sounds fantastic, among others, as does the one offered in this draw. Thanks for the draw!

  • My favorite PG is n. 11 Harmatan Noir, and this new PG 22 could be the next one.
    thanks for the draw!

  • My favourite is L’Eau de Circé. It smells like the pure mediterranean wilderness with fresh leaves and blossoms and in the middle of all this beauty stands the most extraordinary woman and she really knows the magic of seducing.

  • thanks for sharing your experience with djenne! I’m curious…
    my favorites are cologne grand siecle, cadjmere, psychotrope, brulure de rose, but actually I think at the moment I like the new corps & ames eau de toilette apaisante most…

  • Praline de Santal! Roasted caramel hazeluts, delicious perfume and the perfect gourmand! 🙂

    Thank you! 😀

  • My favourite Pierre Guillaume creation is Papyrus de Ciane..His ode to Mousse de Saxe accord is such a pleasure to wear on these impossibly heavy humid days..

  • I have not had the pleasure of trying these fragrances but I´m very intrigued by the description (via the PG website) of Tubéreuse Couture – it sounds like a slightly dangerous, slightly “too much” kind of fragrance that would be something to turn to for very interesting special moments! Thanks for the draw.

  • Iris Oriental, a friend kindly gave me a sample of this beauty as I love iris. I had never come across Parfumerie Generale before. It was love at first sniff. I am now the proud owner of five fragrances from this house.

  • My favourite Parfumerie Generale scent is Un Crime Exotique..Gingerbread cosiness…a real comforter for colder days..

  • I love Indochine – one of my fall favorites! I am excited to hear this has Seringa and look forward to testing!

  • I have never tried Pafrumerie Generale, but the Iris Oriental sounds nice. This one sounds a tad masculine, but I’d love to try it on me and my boyfriend. Thanks.

  • I’ve yet to try a Parfumerie Generale scent but I’ve been aching to. So many, including this one, sound wonderful

  • I love Psychotrope! It’s so strange and beautiful in an otherworldly way.
    I also have tried Felanilla — love the saffron there. Thanks for the draw.

  • Can’t choose just one! I have loved almost every perfume from PG that I have been fortunate enough to try– Bois Blond, Un Crime Exotique, L’Oiseau de Nuit, Iris Taizo, Cuir d’Iris…

    There are quite a few on my to-sample list as well…

    I would love to try Djhenne—thanks for the evocative and forthright review.

  • DjHenne sounds to me as it takes a special appreciation in order to wear it
    Whilst coze and oiseaux de nuit are easy to wear I appreciate querelle and the chypres of all chypres corps et Ames because they are not crowd pleasers
    I enjoy a fragrant challenge and always am up for anything by mr guillaume
    Thanks for the opportunity and thanks to Osswald for the draw
    Wish more retailers would be so generous because we perfumistas care that they care

  • Olga (Warum) says:

    It is excruciatingly hard to pick out just ONE favorite Parfumerie Generale fragrance. But if I have to pick just one…

    Drama Nuui.

    Thanks for the draw!

  • A great bottle I purchased from someone looking to downsize- Praline et Santal- so increadibly yummy, wearable and non-offensive to all.

  • I haven’t had the opportunity to delve into this perfume house as of yet, but I do hope that this draw will give me a chance to try this brand and these scents.

    Thanks!

  • Anyone who’s had the misfortune to listen to my howling knows of the agony of Drama Nuui. Broke my full-bottle heart, it did. I have heard such lovely things about Indochine – I think that would be my next possible love. The Djhenne, with a ‘blond leather accord’? Oh, that sounds lovely!

    Thanks to Osswald for the opportunity!

    xoA

  • I haven’t yet smelled any Parfumerie General fragrances. I need to order some samples. Thank you for hosting the draw.

  • amberosmanthus says:

    Yet another house added to my sample wish list. I haven’t tried any of them and just couldn’t narrow my interest down. There are too many that tempt me. I’m also fascinated to read the other comments and rarely is the same perfume mentioned more than a few times!

  • Ok, I never took French and I’m too Lazy
    to look this up, but it’s something like Nuits de Oiseau, and I think it means nightbird or some such? All I know is when I put it on I’m instantly transported to a French cafe, sipping dark back coffee, wearing a beret and holding a cigarette. Oh yeh, and I’m 20 years younger. Great stuff!

  • I have yet to try any Parfumerie Generale scents yet, but I’m definitely intrigued by this one!

  • I haven’t had the chance to try it, but Un Crime Exotique makes me want to, really, really bad! Djhenne sounds interesting, too.

  • Have a friend who lives in Paris. She has let me know that this is an exemplary Parfumerie Generale fragrance!

  • Yep, I most definitely got the “blond leather accord”. About half way thru’ it develops a lovely soft suede like character in the background. It is subtle but nevertheless distinct & unmissable to my nose. I think it smells rather suave & chic.
    And interestingly, to me Djhenne had absolutely no “sharp edges” whatsoever. In fact quite the opposite, I found it rather soft & smooth. I was particularly amazed that Pierre managed to make the ‘spearmint’ smell ‘cool/refreshing’, but NOT at all “minty” or “toothpasty”, which I would have hated. Even the ‘lavender’ smells rather atypical to me. In fact I’d easily urge those who usually avoid ‘spearmint’ or ‘lavender’ to give Djhenne a try, u might be pleasantly surprised. – I was !

  • I adore the PG line and have several favorites. I can say that my Bois de Copaiba and Bois Blond bottles are becoming quite low from so much use. I am looking forward to trying this new offering.