It seems in the last few years we have seen a number of fragrances reach for a stripped down minamilist Asian esthetic. The idea that simplicity in and of itself can also be complex is a very Eastern view of the world. When that vision is applied to perfume it takes a skilled artist to convince my nose there is something to be admired in a less is more fragrance.

 

 

Caron has also taken an approach of less is more when it comes to making masculine fragrances. The triumvirate consisting of Pour un Homme, Le Troiseme Homme, and Yatagan are a trilogy Tolkein would be proud of. The last masculine fragrance Caron released was 2000’s L’Anarchiste which is one of my favorite off-beat fragrances but in its eccentricity it was not as lauded as the original three. Eleven years on Caron is releasing their fifth men’s fragrance Yuzu Man.

 

 

Yuzu Man is the first citrus fragrance of the masculine Carons and in-house perfumer Richard Fraysse chose to use the Japanese hybrid of lemon, Yuzu as its core as well as its name. Yuzu when used in fragrance seems to add a note which feels like a mix of lemon and orange. The lemon is not so tart and the orange is not so sweet, as yuzu seems to hold the middle ground. M Fraysse uses the yuzu as an exotic focal point with which to hold its own middle ground in the construction of Yuzu Man.

 

 

Yuzu Man opens with the citrus quality of yuzu paired with verbena and basil. The herbal quality of basil gives the opening a nice kick. The yuzu stays in place and in the heart is joined by a green fig. The greenness of the fig playing off the citrus aspects of the yuzu really serves to create a brightly shining core to this fragrance. The base is a very standard combo of sandalwood and cedar. The sandalwood appears first on my skin and there is a moment where the yuzu is starting to fade, the fig is holding its own and the sandalwood is starting to rise where Yuzu Man shows off the synergy three well-chosen notes can create. This accord always seemed to show up as my spirits were starting to flag, late in the day, and they provided a nice fragrant pick-me-up.

 

Yuzu Man is very unlike the other Caron masculines. I would say it is closest in character to Pour un Homme. The main difference being the lavender in Pour un Homme carries much more of a presence than the yuzu in Yuzu Man. Yuzu Man fits more closely with the original trilogy than L’Anarchiste does. If you wear the original three, Yuzu Man definitely feels close enough in style to be in their neighborhood. As I have been wearing Yuzu Man in the warm-weather I was thinking this could be the summer alternative to Yatagan, which I rarely reach for in the heat. M Fraysse has done an excellent job at capturing an Asian esthetic in Yuzu Man, he creates an olfactory Haiku in six notes.

Yuzu Man has average longevity and below average sillage.

Yuzu Man is currently available throughout Europe and will be available in the US in September.

Disclosure: This review was based on a sample purchased form Aus Liebe zum Duft.

–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

"Summer zashiki
Make move and enter
The mountain and the garden".

-Batshou Matsou

*zashiki: Japanese-style room covered with tatamis and open to the garden.

 

All art  by Japanese artist Ohno Bakufu.

Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, EIC