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777ke777 – :
I agree with “gypsy parfumista” below, especially the comparisons with the discontinued Mat;Very Male which had been my favorite anise scent but is now ridiculously expensive to replace even if it can be found, and LL au Masculin which is too candy-ish and not age appropriate for me. Concept N. 18 is one I’m glad I found a few years ago when I ran out of Mat;Very Male as it’s easier to wear casually, but like Very Male it has very natural smelling ingredients (au Masculin does not). It won’t embarrass you.
I’ll only add that this is one of those fragrances that initially smells better from a slight distance, and I don’t recommend putting your nose to skin right away. You won’t need to anyway as this doesn’t become a skin scent for many hours. The intense green ivy-geranium open will somewhat resemble celery if smelled near the skin. This ends in a matter of minutes and isn’t perceived by others. Then as “Bigsly” mentioned a maple syrup note can sometimes develop, but again it’s only if you smell right at the skin. Others don’t get that and neither will you if you take in the scent normally. This false perception also fades out and within 15-20 minutes you can smell your arm if you must! Don’t allow this to keep you from wearing this nice scent.
This really is a fine fragrance and I guarantee you are unlikely to ever run into another guy wearing this. It’s a mature man’s anise scent and not one that will leave you feeling as if you wore something meant for the under 25 crowd.
levve – :
I have seven Pal Zileri fragrances–love or like ’em all–and feel that this designer is definitely underrated…except for N 18. Sorry, Pal!
Concept N 18 opens green, leafy and with just a brief hint of citrus. Within moments (and I literally mean moments) I am detecting a wave of spices–think “spicy notes” found in Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan but much lighter–along with some patchouli, pepper, geranium and coriander. I don’t see any coriander listed in the notes pyramid, but that’s what my nose detects.
Sounds pretty good so far, huh? It’s really not. First, I gotta hand it to Pal Zileri for trying something a little different and somewhat unique for a designer. Really, N 18 starts off ringing some interesting bells that are usually only played by niche houses. But in the end I find Concept N 18 to be a bit of an oddball in my Pal Zileri collection.
Let me frank and state that it’s not a bad fragrance…it’s just a bit weird. And it looks as though it would be a sporty, in that Concept N 18 bottle, but it’s more of a Fall/Winter type scent. Sadly, the spiced aromatic patchouli vibe doesn’t last but two ours before changing into an aromatic musky type scent during the drydown. Again, not unpleasant…just an odd fragrance that can’t seem to find it’s place.
Another issue is performance. While this scent lasts 6-7 hours on my skin, it only projects moderately for about an hour or two before becoming a skin scent. I give Pal Zileri high marks for concept (no pun intended) but a grade of “F” when it comes to execution; everything out-of-the-box that Sartorial got right, N 18 got wrong. Overall, I just didn’t like this one.
doalim – :
Very disappointed with this one after the amazing Sartoriale. That was a blind buy and so was this, but while that was like ‘WOW’, this made me wonder what went wrong with it!!
The only dominant note I can smell is the peppery Star Anise smell, rest of the notes are far into background. Once it goes beyond 2 hrs, i get the base notes which are again sitting very close to the skin. No projection whatsoever.
CANNIBAL – :
With first spray, I have a strong feeling that if I drank this scent it would taste of ouzo – that’s how much anise note intensive is in here. It is very sharp – maybe even harsh and it could even be reppelant to someone, but the drydown is great, as well as longevity. It projects pretty well on me, and creates 3 feet aura or so. I havent noticed any citruses in this one
hhhqqqtpoazx – :
Absolutely perfume which does not fit sporty attribute, what more can I say that the mere illusion of perfume reminiscent of some more expensive brands Designer if that is important throughout the opening story.Occasion of the opening,anise pepper and cardamom come to an absolute expression and as such completely nullify initial citrus fruits (citrus that does not necessarily mean anything, because they are not just ‘lemon citrus but it of course and sc.tangerine). Then to develop the fragrance, sweet patchouli, combined with sandalwood gives the dominant red color perfume, that he support the hibiscus musk and vetiver while he gives the green ‘wooden.Parfume has a nice aura, beautiful drydown also projections of the perfume is very good and my conclusion is that this is a typical red hot perfume and the top manufacturer of men suits really did not expect this, but all his cast on it.
stalker-228 – :
The anise note here doesn’t last long with much potency (it’s a bit like the anise in Rive Gauche Pour Homme but this isn’t a fougere). Instead, there is a kind of maple syrup quality to this fragrance, at least for a few hours or so. The patchouli isn’t too strong, and other than the maple syrup kind of accord, nothing else is too strong. Over time, the vetiver seems to dry it out and it gets slightly woody too. It’s never too sweet and the balance is good, though it does stay sweet for a long time. The one “issue” I have is that it’s a bit too blended for my preferences; the note separation isn’t particularly good. However, what I’ve found is that accords I haven’t smelled before sometimes require a few wearings in order to detect many of the notes. It’s natural smelling and lasts well. Projection (“sillage”) is in the moderate to good range.
subbochev – :
A more complete notelist:
TOP: ivy, geranium, bergamot, lemon, tangerine
HEART: star anise, pink pepper, cardamom
BASE: patchouli, sandal, ambrette, vetiver, musk
This scent is something that came in a collection of three bottles. I just wanted Sartoriale, but the “fragrance bar” (boxed set of three one ounce bottles) was actually cheaper than a 1.7oz. of any of them! (The 3rd was PZ’s signature scent). On first spraying it, I could not pick out the individual (or any) citruses; but they do keep the spiciness and heavier basenotes bouyant. The ivy and geranium are green, slightly elegant and subtle. The anise is the star of this show, although the cardamom adds as soft smoothness and the pink pepper keeps it lively. This has a spiciness, but is never sharp. C18 is fresh AND spicy, a very nice blend. It reminds me of Masaki Masushima;very male, also: LL Au Masculin without the sweetness or boozy rum note. If MM;very male is wearing a tuxedo; C18 is wearing a pair of tweed shorts and a sleeveless cashmere hoodie. The drydown is refined but rich: woody musky ambrette, patchouli is on its best behavior and the vetiver, sandal and musk work together to bring out the best in each other:earthy and divine. None of the notes in this are really that much “louder” than any of the others. Of all the three FB scents in this collection, I have worn this one the least. That is about to change! This is actually one of the best anise frags I have tried (to date), and if you think that LL is too much and mm;vm is too “uptight”, Concept 18 is one that may change your mind about anise scents in general, it SURE did mine…
Sillage: moderate
Longevity: very good
Overall: 4/5
Pal Zileri makes great clothes, and his fragrances (of what I have smelled so far) follow this general trend (Modern yet sophisticated). It is amazing to me that these scents are so underrated (or just not heard of)! If you get a chance, give Pal a chance. You will be glad you did, I guarantee it!!