Top Notes 
Lemon
Cinnamon
Pepper
Heart Notes 
Geranium
Tobacco
Lavender
Frankincense
Base Notes 
Amber
Cedarwood
Cistus
Vetiver
MrHonest
118 Reviews
MrHonest
Helpful Review
2
HeRoD!!
That was the first word out of my mouth when I initially sniffed it. The next one was WoWww - with 3 w's. I can’t remember the third because my body suddenly hit the floor, flailing in ecstasy in the wake of another successful blind buy.
All joking aside, I’m rather impressed with the execution of Armaf’s Radical. After a nearly year-long dry spell of sternly avoiding clones or “inspired perfumes”, I decided to have some fun and scoop up something relatively new and unknown, yet incredibly intriguing, judging by the notes and scattered impressions online. Fortunately, there was something very familiar about the note breakdown that I almost immediately recognized from my collection – cinnamon, tobacco, frankincense, pepper, cistus, sweetness, cedar and vetiver – a combination that can only be summed up in one word – YES. Or perhaps 4 words? Hide the young males!
Fortunately however, those who have suggested that this could be a clone of Bvlgari’s Man Black Orient (MBO) or Guerlain’s L’homme Ideal Parfum (LIP) are definitely not far off the mark. All 3, including Parfums de Marly’s Herod share Radical's dark cherry-like vibe, that becomes quite prominent in the mid onwards, with brief stages throughout that give nods to each fragrance in turn. But I gotta say, on paper, the drydown 6 hours in smells so much like LIP that it’s rather difficult to tell which one is closer… a triumph in and of itself!
On skin, the opening is a flirty, and perhaps even a bit feminine cherry candy with a hint of fleeting lemon - not quite the quality you can expect from Allure Homme Edition Blanche, but with the same gourmand nuance. Within seconds, the similarity to Herod becomes apparent as the cinnamon and amber push through, albeit without that characteristic vanilla that makes Herod so smooth. But don’t be fooled! It gets better and better…
The transition into the mid about 10 minutes in is the best part. As the notes begin to settle, the dark cherry aroma (LIP) becomes prominent as the cistus (a resinous floral) combines with the amber, cinnamon and cedar to produce a warm and comforting gourmand-esque base that persists well into the 5th hour. And just like in Herod, the scent is absolutely heavenly. But there certainly are slight differences…
Whereas Herod (on my skin) remains perfectly balanced throughout, Radical takes some interesting turns in the mid that allow brief bursts of frankincense (MBO) or lemon to poke through, adding a touch of sophisticated charm to the already sweet and playful sexiness. Interestingly, the frankincense even resembles a minty anise in the early stages on paper before plunging back into the abyss, only to re-emerge more seldom than the Lock Ness Monster.
In the far drydown, it basically becomes a spicy amber, cinnamon and tobacco skin scent with a dream-like whisper of green vetiver at the very end if you REALLY dig your nose in. My advice – don’t bother. Just enjoy the overall warm cherry bubble that surrounds you for the first few hours, because that’s about all you’re gonna get.
As can be expected, the projection and longevity are nowhere NEAR the strength of Herod, but it’s no slouch either, especially if sprayed on clothing. I get about 7 hours total with the first 2 hours sporting a rather impressive sillage - par for the course in terms of spicy gourmands I suppose. But the attention….oh my.
This might come as a shocker, but I’ve actually gotten just as much positive feedback from this as I have with Herod. In fact, due to its slightly brighter nature, I find it to be the better unisex AND warm weather option – not to mention the more wallet-friendly one. Sure, the stability of the formula may be inferior, but for the price, I’m CERTAINLY not complaining.
As far as the bottle goes, the thin, coloured plastic adorning the glass is more reminiscent of a children’s toy than a luxury product. Oh it stands upright on its own alright - and the atomizer has the logo on top – but it’s the same plastic cap, clicking plunger and cheap rubberized trim that you can expect from the rest of the Armaf line. Nevertheless, the overall design vaguely reminds me of a bottle of cherry liqueur – a theme that isn’t far from the actually scent itself!!
Either way, I’m more than happy to label this my “daytime Herod” and be done with it. And considering the brand's history of spotty releases to date, Radical [brown] is an astonishing win. Just don’t get caught calling it the King of anything…or you might just end up skipping town to avoid all the unwanted attention. Young males be warned!
All joking aside, I’m rather impressed with the execution of Armaf’s Radical. After a nearly year-long dry spell of sternly avoiding clones or “inspired perfumes”, I decided to have some fun and scoop up something relatively new and unknown, yet incredibly intriguing, judging by the notes and scattered impressions online. Fortunately, there was something very familiar about the note breakdown that I almost immediately recognized from my collection – cinnamon, tobacco, frankincense, pepper, cistus, sweetness, cedar and vetiver – a combination that can only be summed up in one word – YES. Or perhaps 4 words? Hide the young males!
Fortunately however, those who have suggested that this could be a clone of Bvlgari’s Man Black Orient (MBO) or Guerlain’s L’homme Ideal Parfum (LIP) are definitely not far off the mark. All 3, including Parfums de Marly’s Herod share Radical's dark cherry-like vibe, that becomes quite prominent in the mid onwards, with brief stages throughout that give nods to each fragrance in turn. But I gotta say, on paper, the drydown 6 hours in smells so much like LIP that it’s rather difficult to tell which one is closer… a triumph in and of itself!
On skin, the opening is a flirty, and perhaps even a bit feminine cherry candy with a hint of fleeting lemon - not quite the quality you can expect from Allure Homme Edition Blanche, but with the same gourmand nuance. Within seconds, the similarity to Herod becomes apparent as the cinnamon and amber push through, albeit without that characteristic vanilla that makes Herod so smooth. But don’t be fooled! It gets better and better…
The transition into the mid about 10 minutes in is the best part. As the notes begin to settle, the dark cherry aroma (LIP) becomes prominent as the cistus (a resinous floral) combines with the amber, cinnamon and cedar to produce a warm and comforting gourmand-esque base that persists well into the 5th hour. And just like in Herod, the scent is absolutely heavenly. But there certainly are slight differences…
Whereas Herod (on my skin) remains perfectly balanced throughout, Radical takes some interesting turns in the mid that allow brief bursts of frankincense (MBO) or lemon to poke through, adding a touch of sophisticated charm to the already sweet and playful sexiness. Interestingly, the frankincense even resembles a minty anise in the early stages on paper before plunging back into the abyss, only to re-emerge more seldom than the Lock Ness Monster.
In the far drydown, it basically becomes a spicy amber, cinnamon and tobacco skin scent with a dream-like whisper of green vetiver at the very end if you REALLY dig your nose in. My advice – don’t bother. Just enjoy the overall warm cherry bubble that surrounds you for the first few hours, because that’s about all you’re gonna get.
As can be expected, the projection and longevity are nowhere NEAR the strength of Herod, but it’s no slouch either, especially if sprayed on clothing. I get about 7 hours total with the first 2 hours sporting a rather impressive sillage - par for the course in terms of spicy gourmands I suppose. But the attention….oh my.
This might come as a shocker, but I’ve actually gotten just as much positive feedback from this as I have with Herod. In fact, due to its slightly brighter nature, I find it to be the better unisex AND warm weather option – not to mention the more wallet-friendly one. Sure, the stability of the formula may be inferior, but for the price, I’m CERTAINLY not complaining.
As far as the bottle goes, the thin, coloured plastic adorning the glass is more reminiscent of a children’s toy than a luxury product. Oh it stands upright on its own alright - and the atomizer has the logo on top – but it’s the same plastic cap, clicking plunger and cheap rubberized trim that you can expect from the rest of the Armaf line. Nevertheless, the overall design vaguely reminds me of a bottle of cherry liqueur – a theme that isn’t far from the actually scent itself!!
Either way, I’m more than happy to label this my “daytime Herod” and be done with it. And considering the brand's history of spotty releases to date, Radical [brown] is an astonishing win. Just don’t get caught calling it the King of anything…or you might just end up skipping town to avoid all the unwanted attention. Young males be warned!
Darkbeat
Cacca
DoctorJay
Skapa6
Sejano
Theris
Maren11
BillyBumbler
Mantus
Basti87
