Akro Dark (Photo: Despina Veneti)©
ACCRO (French slang): addicted; passionate about something; clipping of ““accroché”, French for “hooked”.
It was approximately a year ago when Firmenich Master Perfumer Olivier Cresp launched his own fragrance brand, Akro, in creative collaboration with his daughter, Anaïs, and her partner, Jack Miskelly. The introductory collection of Akro comprises six scents, each one being an olfactory interpretation of an addiction/vice: Dark corresponds to chocolate, Awake to coffee, Smoke to nicotine, Malt to whiskey, Haze to marijuana, and Night to sex. Though the fragrances are clearly identifiable with the “addiction” they’re connected with, one would find them striking even without knowing anything about the concept behind them, since all of them are conceived and executed in a most imaginative, non-gimmicky manner. From all six, it was Akro Dark that emerged as my personal favorite, closely followed by Awake and Smoke.
The Akro team: Olivier Cresp, Anaïs Cresp & Jack Miskelly (Photos courtesy of Akro)©
When I asked Olivier Cresp if he felt that a specific concept is necessary for a new niche fragrance brand to succeed (even when there’s such a widely acclaimed perfumer as himself at the helm), he answered: “Our conviction was that, in order to be successful, we needed a story, a strong concept. We didn’t want it to be just about me, or my career in perfume. We felt that having a real story behind our fragrances, one that we believed in, was much more important”. Regarding who came up with Akro’s concept, he said: “Everything was a team decision, starting with the concept and going all the way to the fragrances. My personal style is figurative, and – with that in mind – we decided together what would be possible, focusing on staying true to the real life experiences/addictions that are the theme of each Akro perfume. Each of us has, of course, their own role in the company: I create the fragrances, my daughter Anaïs is our branding expert, and Jack is in charge of sales and social media.” As for whether the Akro team intends to follow the concept of “addiction” for their future releases, Mr. Cresp was unable to publicly reveal details for the time being, promising us nonetheless interesting ideas and beautiful fragrances to come. As “father” of gourmand fragrances, he predicts that their popularity will continue, and (as it is already apparent) they will become increasingly genderless. Mr. Cresp predicts “a fantastic future for gourmand scents, and a growing trend for grain notes, like sesame, corn, or rice.”
Irving Penn for Vogue 2001©
Concerning my favorite of the Akro line, Akro Dark, my enthusiasm for it somewhat surprised me – for, as much as I adore real chocolate, I am not often that enthusiastic about literally smelling like it. However, Akro Dark is far from being just another photo-realistic, whimsical even, chocolate-dominated scent; its creator incorporated the main theme of chocolate in an adult, sensuous, urbane olfactory composition of utmost sophistication. Olivier Cresp proves that not only is he the historical “father” of gourmand fragrances (I hardly need to remind our knowledgeable readers that in 1992 he composed the very first gourmand, the wildly successful Thierry Mugler Angel), but also an undisputed master of the genre, capable of creating an astonishing variety of scents within that olfactory family. Proving the latter, Akro Dark is as far removed from Mugler Angel’s polarizing and for some overwhelming combination of edible notes (chocolate, praline, candyfloss, red fruits, honey, caramel) as can be, being a rather austere, dry, atypical gourmand fragrance that “marries” dark chocolate with woods.
“Chocolate Woods” (via www.blacksgallery.ca/artist unknown)©
Akro Dark opens with a blast of unsweetened, robust chocolate with the caffeinated undercurrent of bitter cocoa, the distinctive nutty vibe of toasted hazelnuts, as well as a hint of liqueur booziness. Mr. Cresp confirmed my suspicion that he worked with the Firmenich-exclusive ingredient Cocoa Decol PG, an exceptional natural cocoa extract of great richness and intensity, sourced in the Ivory Coast. The chocolate accord is warmed and spiced up by a touch of cinnamon, but it’s the combination with the vigorous woody and earthy notes (I mostly perceive oud and patchouli) that gives Akro Dark its intensely raw, animalic effect. Even as the fragrance dries down (longevity surpasses 8-10 hours), and the vanilla progressively sweetens the composition, the woody/chocolatey effect of Akro Dark never turns milky, let alone dessert-like.
“Milk and Chocolate” by Elena Vizerskaya©
Smart, seductive, and with a texture almost tangible, Akro Dark is a fantastic choice for those who seek a delicious, but not “foody”, fragrance. A refreshingly restrained, sophisticated gourmand scent that emanates waves of ripe sensuality, realized by a true master of this olfactory genre.
Notes: Cocoa, Dark Chocolate, Cinnamon, Hazelnut, Vanilla.
Disclaimer: This review was based on a bottle of Akro Dark I won in Mr. Cresp’s Instagram contest. My thanks to Jack Miskelly of Akro for making communication with Mr. Cresp possible. The opinions are my own.
– Despina Veneti, Senior Editor and Paris Brand Ambassador
Akro discovery kit (Photo: Despina Veneti)©
Thanks to the generosity of Akro we have a draw for a discovery kit that contains 2ml samples of all six Akro fragrances (Dark, Awake, Smoke, Malt, Haze, and Night), in the brand’s signature black tin box, for one registered reader WORLDWIDE. You must register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what you enjoyed most about Despina’s review of Akro Dark, which of the Akro fragrances you might like in addition to Dark and where you live. Draw closes 9/27/2019
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Editor’s Note: Olivier Cresp was the recipient of the 2018 Fragrance Foundation Lifetime Achievement award which you can read about here.
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