Seven Days of Eric Buterbaugh*

Eric Buterbaugh is a well-known floral designer based in Los Angeles. Last year, he launched a line of perfumes, Eric Buterbaugh FLORALS, inspired by the medium he knows best – flowers. The Noses work with Firmenich, creating many of my most-worn perfumes from designer to niche. I’m dedicating a week to reviewing this line because like Eric Buterbaugh, I too love florals. 

Oh, violets. I love them so much. They’re so fragile, so delicate. Foolish humans have mostly bred the scent of violets away looking for heartier, more showy varieties. If you ever smell an actual violet flower, it smells powder-y but rooty/earthy. Most of what we smell in perfumery are synthetic and bring to mind French cosmetics or powder. The leaves of violets are also very popular in perfumery. They are cool, green and faintly metallic…and somehow like a cucumber. Violet stems/leaves are also popular in perfumery. If you smell something like “woody violet” in perfumery, it’s most likely violet root which reminds me of orris/iris. Violets are these fragile little things that perfumery has learned to utilize “petal to root”. They’re versatile little things. Eric Buterbaugh Florals Fragile Violet combines two elements – the leaves and the flowers.

Compared to the other Eric Buterbaugh fragrances, Fragile smells the most “commercial”. It’s a cool, watery floral that opens with a citrus and white tea combo that reminds me of the sort of perfumes I used to wear twenty years ago. The violet wears fruity, like a cucumber and red berries. The heart is an aquatic floral, mainly water lotus. It’s the dry-down that wins me. It’s this perfect clean musk that smells the clean laundry of royalty.

I expected for Fragile to be my favorite since I’m often drawn to anything violet, including dark purple “juices” like this. I like Fragile but out of the Eric Buterbaugh line, it’s not my favorite. Granted, the others were exceptional. Overall, I like Fragile. And I hate to admit it but these are the sort of fragrances that I do end up wearing a lot in the summer months (when you have to stand on a 90° subway platform with strangers, you start finding yourself attracted to aggressively fresh/clean scents). Fragile ins’t my favorite but it’s the most versatile out of the line.

Notes listed include yellow mandarin, white tea accord, mulberry, purple violet, lotus flower, wisteria, Atlas cedar, liquid amber and musk. Launched in 2015. PERFUMER – Alberto Morillas

Give Fragile a try if you like watery florals or white tea scents. Or if you like perfumes like Bvlgari Eau Thé Blanc, Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline, By Kilian Bamboo Harmony, Estee Lauder Pure White Linen, Narciso Rodriguez Essence, DKNY Pure, Alfred Sung Shi and/or Yves Rocher Ming Shu. Like I’ve already said, it’s a good one for summer or for day/work wear. I feel like I already have this base covered since I own all the Bvlgari Thé scents.

Projection is above average. Longevity is average.

The 3.4 oz retails for $295 and the 8.5 oz for $495 at Eric Buterbaugh Florals. A travel size is also available for purchase.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – White tea and violet. It’s one of those “clean and fresh” scents that you either like or you don’t. I act like I don’t but in reality, this is the sort of stuff I spend 90% of summer wearing.

*The brand actually has 8 perfumes, but I tried 7 and 7 make for a week of reviews!

Want more reviews? Try…

Perfume Posse

Brooklyn Fragrance Lover – Interview with Eric Buterbaugh

Fragrantica – Member reviews

*Disclaimer – Product provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my reviews. My opinions are my own. Product pic from Fragrantica. Liz Pringle 1953 from pleasurephotoroom.wordpress.com.