Amaranthine by Penhaligon's bottle
Penhaligon's

Amaranthine

3.9/5 · 835 votes Feminine 2009
Main accords
Where to buy
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Fragrance notes

Top notes
Heart notes
Base notes

Character

Longevity3.4/5
Sillage3.0/5
Day100
Night40
Spring80
Summer66
Fall60
Winter30
Our take

Amaranthine opens like a greenhouse after a sudden tropical rain, palm leaf and freesia fresh with a sharp green bite, while cardamom and coriander add a fizzy, aromatic warmth that keeps things from tipping into primness. The tea note is there, but it’s more of a suggestion than a steamy cup, a quiet thread through the opening. Then the heart blooms into a creamy riot of ylang-ylang, jasmine, and orange flower, with clove and carnation adding a spicy, almost powdery depth. It’s a floral that feels lush but not indolic, softened by the milky, vanilla-tinged base that arrives like a lazy afternoon nap on a sandalwood daybed. There’s a sweetness here, but it’s lactonic and smooth, not cloying, and the musk keeps everything close to the skin.

The overall character is a silk sari draped over a spice bazaar cart, green and floral and faintly sweet, but never loud. That’s where the weakness lies, the sillage is modest and longevity fades after a few hours, so you’ll be reapplying if you want anyone else to notice. This is a very wearable, subtly idiosyncratic creation, more niche in spirit than mainstream, and it rewards the person who wants a creamy, green-floral hug rather than a statement. Wear it on a breezy spring afternoon or a warm summer evening when you want to feel polished but not perfumed to the rafters. It suits someone who appreciates Bertrand Duchaufour’s knack for balancing the strange with the familiar, but skip it if you need a sledgehammer or if lactonic notes make you queasy. This is a scent that whispers, and only if you lean in.

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