French fragrance house Initio Parfums isn’t a new brand, but it’s new-to-me. They’ve been around for a few years and have recently been stocked at fancy places in the United States. I did a Quick Sniff of the brand and Rehab, the newest from the brand and in their Hedonist collection, was one that stood out to me.¹ (I’m a Taurus so of course, something in “the Hedonist collection” would stand out to me).
Rehab opens as sweet and fruity with bergamot and something that reminds me of red berries. There’s also a rubberiness to Rehab that vaguely reminds me of Bvlgari Black. Rehab is a rubbery lavender-vanilla. As it wears, it’s like a smoky black tea and creamy coumarin. This makes me think of black tea and cigars. About halfway into the wear, it’s a sweet pipe tobacco that is heavy on the tonka/coumarin. It’s accented by dry spices and a cedar cigar box. It dries down to vanilla pipe tobacco and vapors of sweet smoke.
I’ll be the first to say that the niche perfume world is saturated with tobacco fragrances. There’s so many that I have been driven into the arms a floral’s warm embrace. This over-saturation has burnt me out on tobacco scents, especially those that lean sweet. So, why am I, a person that is tired of tobacco scents talking about a tobacco-heavy perfume? Well, it’s the lavender in Rehab. The lavender is sweet, balsamic and hay-like. This lavender comes across like cigars in a humidor. This lavender keeps me interested.
Notes listed include bergamot, lavender, vetiver, cedar, gaiacwood, sandalwood, vanilla and musks. Launched in 2018.
Give Rehab a try if you like vanilla-tobacco fragrances. Or perfumes like Odin 11 Semma, Dolce & Gabbana Intenso Pour Homme , Tokyomilk Dead Sexy, Histoires de Parfums 1899 Hemingway, MAC Velvet Teddy and/or Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille.
Projection is average with longevity being above average.
The 3.0 oz bottle retails for $330 at Osswald. Samples are also available for purchase. A little story – while wearing this my spouse said I smelled “expensive” and he’s right! I better smell expensive when wearing this.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Lavender cigars. Even as someone burnt out on tobaccos, I’ll allow it.
¹This isn’t usually how I do things but with so many perfumes and so little time, I sort of have to only try what stands out to me initially. I also like Magnetic Blend 7, a truly funky-animalic musk, and may review it later if you’re interested.
Want more reviews? Try…
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*Sample obtained by me. Product pic from Fragrantica. Billy Dee Williams pic from the 1972 film “Lady Sings the Blues” that starred our queen Diana Ross.