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ltp2 – :
Its CDG so I had to give it a go and bought a sample from Luckscent.
Yes, I’m a CDG fan. 2 Man, Blackpepper, Blue Santal and Amazing Green are on regular rotation.
This scent still rocks (pun intended) but its below par for CDG.
It starts with a strong sweet lime/bergamot and quickly dries down to a sweet lime with a touch of powdery musk. After five minutes it evolves and the lime pushes to the back a bit and sweetens up a bit turning to almost a weak lemon tea and a weak woody base settles in, slightly powdery and dusty. Projection is minimal and longevity minimal.
Unlike the negative reviews here I get the marketing and it does remind me of smelling the asphalt where maybe a faint bit of lemon tea has dried up. Or maybe even a bag of cement before its mixed but more gentle on the nose.
It also reminds me of when you open up a can of Sprite just after the Pssht!
I won’t be buying a bottle sadly (first miss for CDG for me) but I also got CDG Black – that is a completely different story!!!
55DVA – :
(Review part 2 because I’m so let down haha …)
I feel this is CDG marketed to the CDG X Converse client. All style over substance. Buying the brand for brand’s sake and not for its artistry. I don’t think it’s a misfire on their part I feel it’s a strategic move to appeal to the masses because of their mass popularity. Olfactively speaking it’s as sophisticated as most Zara fragrances and you’re talking about the same customer here. Very sad to see CDG go this way. Hoping it’s the only case of this.
okiluhs – :
I really wanted to like this. I’m a big fan of CDG but Concrete feels like a case of the marketing department finding a cool new bottle manufacturer making bottles from concrete then shoe horning a perfume into it. It’s very heady, sickly sweet and in no way as avant garde as its design/concept or the brand in general.
A disappointed 4/10
dima1985 – :
I’m a bit shock to see some bad reviews about concrete. I really like it. I sprayed it on my skin then it was instantly love. Sweet, creamy, woody and something reminds me of Feminite du Bois. Strange but not unwearable. Plus, love the bottle.
megarob25801 – :
I have to say that I always anticipate CdG releases with a fanboy level of enthusiasm and this was no different but I’m a bit late to the table on it. So disappointed that it doesn’t deliver, I wanted something really cold and unnerving along the lines of a Narciso Roderiguez and this is echoed in a recent(ish) video by E Simplyputscents guy. I expected Wet, cement but less musky and with comme des garcon signature incense weirdness but alas this fragrance is not that at all! What concrete delivers is a modern, synthetic, woody scent which is a bit too sweet frankly considering the name and expected brief. Is this sandalwood? really? This is not what I consider, just sandalwood and CdG actually make one of the most potent and spicy sandalwoods you could hope for in blue santal. It’s not a overly sweet smell, nor would I strictly call it cloying, but I did find it a little grating after a while. I thought it was okay on the whole but linear and not what I was expecting from a house with a reputation for pushing boundaries, in a good way. Strange but not the good strange I wanted.
gattLeard – :
I had to wash this off after mere minutes as it was giving me a headache and making my eyes water. I’d only done one phoof on each wrist as well… At least the bottle’s nice? I guess?
Honestly, I think Demeter would be able to do an amazing interpretation of concrete.
Mariah_fromAC – :
when a brand like comme des garcons comes up with such a strong concept, starting from the bottle, having in mind their amazing array of revolutionary perfumes, one can’t help but be very disappointed with this one.
very straightforward, safe scent, with unimaginative evolution and not a trace of any kind of singularity.
i am not saying that all cdg perfumes have strong statement. but they do have very well defined dna, and never verge on the edge of mediocrity.
concrete, on the other hand, has such a great concept, but it does not deliver. there is not a trace of sandalwood, rather synthetic musky powdery concoction that is neither here nor there. why it was so difficult to simply go all the way into literal interpretation of its name and supposed character, rather than diluting it down, making it more ‘wearable’?
lakyss – :
The same as I said earlier in my review of Serge Lutens Dent de Lait can be applied here. It is a pattern that has been happenening in niche or bolder perfumery: a more commercial line, safe, with daring descriptions and safe perfumes. This is what the CDG perfumes have presented recently in the brand’s classic bottle. But at least their perfumes look like excellent commercial creations and no smell of functional perfume.
Here the brand looks at a concept that in my opinion makes no sense and is a great bullshit: deconstructed sandalwood, with the purpose of revealing the true nature of sandalwood. It is a tremendous nonsense since commercial perfumery already uses sandalwood in this way, focusing on its different facets. And sandalwood is not a theme like rose, which has such specific chemical molecules that you can, for example, turn a rose into a tobacco or a fruit, thereby deconstructing the very nature of the rose. Sandalwood smells of wood, whether dry, lactonic or laced, and there is nothing too radical that can be done.
Leaving aside the debauchery of deconstructed sandalwood, Concrete is a good scent of sandalwood. It is not one of those scents that weighs heavily on the woody side of sandalwood, balancing both the woody and creamy / lactonic aspect of the idea. The combination of sandalwood and black pepper forms a very nice contrast and there is something slightly sweet and fruity that creates a curious illusion, the aroma of those so-called tart-tease candy. However, nothing that sounds radically different from sandalwood or that reveals something that is no longer known of wood.
There is a missed opportunity here to be conceptual and unite the name, bottle and perfume. There is a type of molecule with behavior of musk denominated cashmeran and that has, in large doses, precisely the smell of wet concrete / patchouli. And there is a synthetic sandalwood that has a mineral and wet scent that along with the cashmeran could create the smell of concrete. But the brand goes by the commercial and does not risk something really conceptual, wasting a good theme unfortunately.
elmir041 – :
I also couldn’t decide whether I loved or hated this perfume due to its strangeness . After several wears,I have decided it’s the latter. It’s a powdery, headache inducing, synthetic wafting dufus – it’s quite clumsy, and not very intelligent (one dimensional) – although it will attempt to convince you otherwise!
I teamed it with CdG White to give it some complexity – which worked well for an hour or so. Then sadly, dufus concrete overpowered white and everything else in close proximity.
Concrete is the donald trump of fragrances.
EminemMM2 – :
milky, strange really I like it then I do not like it, I really should try it better. it could be a masterpiece or a flop. I have more time to spray it on a strip of paper. it could be the new gucci rush but also a big flop.
Regent914 – :
I wish it did smell like concrete, as I was really excited when this was released. I’m a sucker for weird scents and thought this was one of them I might like. No way! Sweet, synthetic, candy type smell. Thumbs down. Love the bottle though
PrIzRaK_8333 – :
@despicableatiyy is right, but let me be clear: This is all a bad thing, not a good thing. Scrubber.
колдун – :
Concrete seems like it was an idea before it was a perfume. Maybe even a designed prototype of a bottle (which is really one of the best parts of Concrete) before it was a perfume. I actually get an uncanny concrete smell in the opening but it lasts exactly 20 seconds. And then it’s a sweet, powdery/creamy sandalwood aroma chemical concoction that has zero relationship with the name and bottle. So it’s like a gimmick that fits in with the recent CDG launches. Another postmodern fashion/art trinket to sell by the registers at Dover Street Market or at a CDG museum retrospective. Nothing wrong with that but I agree with someone below that Asphalt Rainbow is a much more inspired interpretation of a concrete theme.
older80 – :
I was sent a sample of this and the scent was so different that I had to leave my first ever review on frgrantica 🙂
Although the main note is meant to be sandalwood however upon the first delicate mist I was overpowered by the smell of synthetic spice which mellowed out after a minute or so into the smell of sweetened cardamom with a hint of cloves. About 10 minutes later you get that tutti frutti gum coming through. It is not unpleasant but rather sweet with a touch of spicy.
It does have a familiarity with quietened flat coca cola but not overpoweringly so. The sandalwood is very brief and in the background rather than being the star of the show.
It is not as masculine and woody as you would think when thinking of Concrete but more of a sweet and spicy scent like chai tea.
MarcelMali23 – :
Sandalwood and concrete have similar roles. Concrete holds up urban structures as sandalwood holds up fragrance structures. I dont believe CdG were aiming for a literal interpretation of concrete.
Guerlain Samsara and Kilian Sacred Wood smell similar IMO, with that strong sandalwood note that people seem to be rejecting here. Sandalwood is a strange note in that it is hallowed ground for for perfumistas, but seldom impresses them in isolation as it is here.
swat69 – :
Soft bubblegum putty. Love it.
saxa – :
From Comme des garçons and with a name like that I was expecting something more unique and special. The juice is just nice, very ordinaire…but the bottle is extraordinaire. You really have the feeling of a bottle made of concrete.
OrerdrorkTeby – :
The “Concrete” concept is very interesting and makes for some good marketing, but it’s completely missing from the fragrance itself! The fragrance is a warm wood fragrance, warm but with that industrial quality that doesn’t allow it to be too comforting, and perhaps a light amber quality that for me recalls CDG Original. It is very linear–something I don’t expect from CDG. In short, it smells like a watered down Wonderwood. If your interest was piqued by the concept of a fragrance that evokes pavement, I would suggest “Asphalt Rainbow” by Charenton Macerations, based on a similar concept that I believe is more interestingly and successfully executed.
1984ANDRIUHA – :
A very rare misfire from CDG, this supposedly edgy and modern take on sandalwood ends up smelling very synthetic and flat. The perfume is completely one-dimensional and pronounced artificial smelling. Not sure it is that edgy or modern either. Hard to pass up a CDG offering but this one was easy.
You can do so much better CDG.
sharap20 – :
To start with I’m a women but as not into flowery nonsense I love woody scents I love CDG as a brand and Wonderwood and Wonderoud are my faves.
Concrete is in my opinion weird but wonderful. But do not be mislead by name and fantastic concrete bottle it simply does not smell like concrete at all!
There is no any typical manly strong hot mineralized scent at all!
It is weird mixture but not in anyway unpleasant.
Don’t give me wrong probably no one will tell you “you smell great” more of a “you smell different”.
Opening is a bit plasticy but not unpleasant and you get hit by pure pink bubblegum the type from years ago pink rubbery and tutti frutti type. Than some shy needle tree but not typical fir pine or spruce more of a juniper or taxus/english yew type with aromatic resin even tar scent.
There is sandalwood on dydown but it is nothing like typical sandalwood as it is still covered by tutti frutti bubble gum scent.
Scent is not very strong it is close to the skin with moderate longevity and soft sillage.
End notes are shy sandalwood bubble gum and leathery/mossy/resin shadow.
There is no typical change of the notes just pretty much first scent and dydown.
So conclusion I kinda like it not hate it but not love it either but that not change the fact it does not smell like concrete!
ilja579 – :
I am also not convinced. Sometimes it seems to me that CdG is trying a bit too hard to infiltrate the mainstream perfume shops with unusual scents. One might interpret this strategy as putting attitude over content. This one, for instance, is very expensive for a mainstream fragrance, yet it smells to me very much like Axe’s “Black Night” shower gel. That’s not to say that the latter is in any way a bad or unoriginal scent (for a cheap shower gel). It just goes to show that many of CdG’s efforts (for expensive perfumes) are simply not good enough.
**
OlyaV – :
Sandalwood ? Are you kidding me!?! I would question myself a lot if this has a significant sandalwood 🙂 To me it opened up sweet and powdery, turned into mastic-gum, still sweet, and ended musky and it was still sweet. Feminine. I also understand what is meant by the “flat coca-cola” resemblence mentioned somewhere below.
I can’t say i liked it. Definetely not for blind buy, not for even a single testing. One needs to try this carefully.
Longevity: was OK, 5-6 hrs
Sillage: Moderate
Projection: Moderate
ciganok75 – :
It’s honestly awful. Smells like your breath would after eating an Emmental sandwich.
djjuss77 – :
To me this smells like a flat coca cola with some additional powdery quality as well as a minor medicinal feel sharpness, though disguised, in the opening. I’ve heard that it includes some chalk notes and I understand the powdery aspect of that description though I don’t get any such minerality.
All in all very interesting scent and whilst I’m still not sure in which setting it would fit it is definitely something to try out if you get the chance!
extrem61rus – :
Strong performance, an initial powdery plaster hit followed by tooth achingly sweet giant gobstoppers. Curious and enjoyable, as with many CDG releases but not as wearable as others. I can see friends and loved ones eventually tiring of the synthetically sweet cloud engulfing you if not worn sparingly.
SPIRITmen – :
I don’t think any of us are voting for sandalwood for a good reason. Maybe someone in charge wants to put a few more choices up on the board?
dima1792 – :
Tried today at Scent Bar – no concrete notes at all, I got ice cream – but couldn’t discern a flavor. I decided to try on my forearms. Pleasant enough, though it got sweeter as I wore it. Within 4 hours, it was mostly gone. Would not consider buying, though I enjoyed wearing it today.
zoom95 – :
Same strange artificial sweetness that O.D. Lapis Lazuli has that I can’t stomach. Other notes there but that top covering obscures them.
Coldejas – :
I dived into Comme des Garçons Concrete without prior knowledge of the press release, and Concrete does not smell like concrete the material, nor like sandalwood to me. At least not the characteristics that I associate with the sandalwood from smelling its essential oils and a few sandalwood-centric fragrances.
I do sense a discreet plaster-like smell upon spraying Concrete, but the fragrance is mostly dominated by a sweet cloud of raspberry and red berry jelly, oily artificial rose, an ionone-like violet note, muted vague spices and musky elements. The whole effect, especially when I get a whiff in the air, is reminiscent of a flattened, less layered, and more synthetic-feeling Féminité du Bois.
A nebulous, white flour-y wood starts to surface after about 1 hour. With the heavy sweetness of raspberry and rose, I don’t associate it with a particular material. Instead, it’s more like an underlying chalky texture beneath the rose raspberry jelly. Actually, the bubblegum sweetness of the raspberry and this clean chalky texture combining together, Concrete smells more like a deconstructed fruity tuberose perfume rather than a deconstructed sandalwood to me.
Concrete has barely any change afterwards. The sillage is moderate and the longevity is at least 7 hours.
I was aware that Concrete does not aim to replicate the cement in literal sense, therefore I’m not disappointed on this front. But reading about its “sandalwood” after wearing Concrete, I’m first puzzled then upset about the lack of sandalwood characteristics and the overbearing raspberry sweetness on me. From what I experience on my skin, I would not recommend it as a sandalwood fragrance, but rather a gourmand, intense raspberry/rose/violet fragrance, with a nod to Féminité du Bois in the opening and a clean, sugary fruity tuberose dry down.
metropark – :
Basenotes lists the notes as: Fruits, Rose oxide, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Sandalwood. Are these notes accurate?
nebrit63 – :
Can’t say I like it. There are some interesting notes in there, but there’s an overarching sweetness which dominates and kills it for me.
Viktorius – :
Another challenge from CDG in terms of scent versus expectation. I agree that this is a big powder cloud cuddle and I’m sure there’s some ionones in here adding their violet/iris hue to the composition. It’s not exceptionally woody or floral but I’m sure the rose oxide is doing something to add the soft florals though it doesn’t smelly at all rosey.
It’s good, it’s solid but it doesn’t smell like any kind of sandalwood I’ve encountered. I do really like it but I found it wore a skin scent from first spray and in it’s concrete shell it’s not the kind of bottle you can carry with you for the day.
kolano – :
Soapy rose and a very harsh, synthetic sandalwood, with cedar and musk. Not actually badly made; it holds together well into the drydown, but prickly and abrasive, so not very comfortable to wear. The sandalwood note has a pleasantly oily feeling at times, but the other woody notes drowned that out some. I’m reminded a little of The Body Shop’s sandalwood fragrance, but this is drier and more floral.
Not my favorite CDG, but worth a try for sandalwood or CDG completists.
ALOKAS – :
I’m so bad at writing reviews.
There’s defiantly sandalwood in here, but also a lot more going on.
The first thing I became aware of is how feminine concrete is.
Soft, powdery, and a little bit floral. You know, the total opposite of concrete.
How comme des garçons!
There’s also musk. Quite a lot of a musk, and some violet.
But then again, I don’t have the best nose. And that’s what I get.
I bought a full bottle, but i don’t think I’m gonna get through it anytime soon.
Cdg is feeling very safe these days. I miss them being a bit daring.
And oh yeah, the bottle is made of concrete, which is pretty fucken cool!
Edit:
I feel sad about writing this, because I love CDG. but this has been the only perfume that I’ve actually hated. The worst blind buy I’ve ever done. Period.
In a nutshell, it’s like a massive bag of sweets, wrapped up In fairy floss/cotton candy, drenched in the sweetest fizzy drink you can think of.
It might be your style, but def not mine. This is a really bad blind buy. Try it first.
X
GAN20122 – :
I have read reviews here for years and I know very well how precise and articulate this community is. I don’t quite have those skills perhaps but I do have strong opinions on scents and often find agreement and also no correlation to what others do experience.. so heres my 2 scents ;)… My experience with concrete is limited because it is obviously new and not even officially released to stores yet but ive acquired a sample from the brooklyn event and have been wearing it for 2 days(with separate application) As others have noted elsewhere this smell evokes nothing about concrete or even NYC to me and since I grew up there I think I can fairly say this.. BUT as with CDG, of whom I am a big fan of some scents, this is a unique and strangely wearable unisex fragrance. I think a bit more feminine but its close either way. I cant pick out each note element like many can but overall my feeling is that I dont get a whole lot, if any woody notes. Sandalwood perhaps but mainly it feels to me like a softer gentler powdery version of “Happy Pillow” with a Magnolia in it that stays until drydown..I have edited my 1st comment because in drydown the soft powdery sensation really takes over here like a fluffy soft cloud… I’m sure this is intentionally and playfully ironic by CDG creating the exact opposite sensation of what concrete is. Anyway, its really nice in drydown even if it is still more feminine. Theres also in the beginning a tiny touch of the Standard Artek opening vibe in here i think as well, (without the cedar drydown later of course). In fact Concrete doesnt change very much until it’s late powdery chrysalis… in CDGs seemingly random synthetic style this one remains fairly consistent many hours in and then the soft clouds float in.. the good news it is pleasant and mysterious and I find myself repeatedly smelling it. Happy Pillow is much stronger in longevity and sillage and it is also more complex so it remains in my top CDG but Concrete is going to be well received by most people! While I wont wear it very much it will certainly be in my rotation for when the mood strikes. I could have written more but being my 1st review I will keep it simple and just share with you my general impressions since there isnt much actual feedback out there yet. Cheers!
enerdjaizer – :
Fascinating! While Wonderwood, Amazingreen, Floriental and other similar launches really didn’t pique my curiosity, this certainly does. I loved their Tar scent so have high hopes this might be aromatically enjoyable.