Description
The new fragrance, seventh in the line of Essenze by Ermenegildo Zegna collection, was launched in September 2014 and has the same flacon shape as previous editions: Florentine Iris, Haitian Vetiver, Indonesian Oud, Italian Bergamot, Javanese Patchouli and Sicilian Mandarin. The name of the latest edition is Peruvian Ambrette and its composition “explores only natural-herbal musk cultivated from hibiscus beans.”
This type of natural herbal musk is very rare and unusual and is mixed with warm aromas of cashmere for a modern and sophisticated signature. Official notes of the composition encompass ambrette seed, cashmere wood, guaiac wood and warm, powdery shades of orris. “The raw material it was named after – Peruvian ambrette seed vas obtained from very small yield of tiny seed by a multi-stage process, which makes it one of the most expensive and rarest ingredients in perfume industry. It was obtained from San Martin region of the Amazonian forests in Peru, and has the sweet-musky scent with shades of nuts and is considered the only ingredient in the industry which has a completely natural scent like musk which is not of animal-origin.”
Fragrance Ermenegildo Zagna Peruvian Ambrette is available as 125 ml Eau de Toilette.
sash-zyko – :
To echo Saeid Scent below”
“We are here to give our honest opinion about fragrances.no one can and should limit others(expert or beginners)opinions.
Sometimes you should consider other reviews as a note for themselves…so you can easily pass and respect them,negative or positive which are rationa”
So true. Such a pity the second rate perfume hacks like Alfarom choose to ignore sage advice. As the saying goes ” Luca Turin made Alfafom into a petrified speechless state when both met” . Then again Luca is a gentleman beyond compare as for Alfarom, an unknown hack in the fragrance world and easy to see why.
vigrxDiomBoupimput – :
I often see forum posts from men looking for a dark scent. This is mine. It may not be what some here look for but it fits me… maybe TOO well. It’s not for guys wanting a “LOOK AT ME” club fragrance. Don’t expect panties to go flying across the room when ladies smell this. It’s for the man who wants to project confidence & maturity. Whether in a dark suit or just jeans and leather jacket I got approached by both sexes for conversation (and I’m not some great looking guy). Once I was told I smelled “mysterious” and that she needed to find out more about the guy behind that smell. Okay!
I’ve never smelled anything like it and I’m told by others around me that neither have they. The first time I smelled Peruvian Ambrette it brought to mind the final scene in the movie Casablanca. Bogart in the thick, moist, heavy fog after the rain. P.A. starts out (to me) with that exact feel. No sweetness and I love that. Someone below said it becomes a suede-leather with cashmere and quality oud scent, and I agree. Not dirty. Then, the drydown brings a luxurious woody feel. It doesn’t have super longevity but I get 6-8 hours out of just 2 sprays (1 to back of head/hair and 1 to chest area over clothes). If I need more time than that I wait several hours before 1 additional spray. The sillage can be overwhelming if over-sprayed.
Where I live we don’t get to wear our cool weather fragrances often but this was my most worn BY FAR last fall-winter. I went back to buy several more bottles after finding out it was discontinued. Considering the limited time I get to wear it yearly my initial 125ml will last me a decade(!) so I likely have way too many bottles (and don’t be surprised if I swap one soon… just ask). With the name Signore_Limone you’d never expect this to be a favorite of mine, but when I die I want to be wearing this. It’s that good.
diggerzoom – :
Liquid treasure. You will smell like dirty little pagan god. All will obey you. Now, move to this millenium, put on a dark expensive suit and rule the world.
I heard Zegna discontinued it…
breannaClef – :
Peruvian Ambrette by Ermenegildo Zegna is very underrated fragrance from the Essenze Collection. This is very high quality ambrette seed fragrance with woody and orris root nuances.I also get some suede note as it was mentioned in the review below. Pretty good longevity with moderate projection. Too bad it wasn’t a hit once it was released as it has been discontinued shortly after its launch.
andone45 – :
It’s amazing how some folks get different interpretations. I hear warm and cozy and I’m like is this the same scent that I am sampling? It’s starts off dark and cold with some dampness. Very strong sillage for the opening until the powdery dry down takes effect and mellows out the scent. I have a sample from Sephora and this is nowhere near long lasting. I would say 6 hours tops with average projection. I have not smelled anything like it but it’s simply not my cup of tea.
carpinteyrobvk – :
I can smell some similarity with dior oud ispahan but light n easy version. This perfume is of good quality and smells expensive anyway. The drydown is so comfortable n lasting 4-5 hours.
Those who dont like this perfume probably are not familiar with oud. The real oud essence will cost you $2000 for just 5ml. And u may faint when u smell it.
mikeshko – :
We are here to give our honest opinion about fragrances.no one can and should limit others(expert or beginners)opinions.
Sometimes you should consider other reviews as a note for themselves…so you can easily pass and respect them,negative or positive which are rational.
Amatuer or expert nose reviwers can easily chech-back their reviews after a while and see if anything changed about their nose and feelings about certain fragrances.
So let’s respect everyones opinion who really care about fragrances in this community.
What you said is right in logic range and not in personal preferences.You can’t like or love every fragrances which is something multifactorial and rooted in our childhood,places we were and many other factors.and not everyone can take fragrances as piece of Art so you can’t expect everyone feel the same as you do.just respect to those and pass and try enjoying your journey into Fragrance world.
Cheers.
desi12 – :
jeffwithfrags,
It’s probably you. You are litterlly the only person who rates Zegna essenza frags has bad.
I have just found another of your ‘expert” reviews on Zegna.
It’s oke to have a different opinion but when it’s 10:1 you must start asking yourself some questions. If it’s 25:1 maybe you should consider a different hobby. If it’s 100:1 than you can be sure to need a nose job.
vivasanandrey – :
Buy this now if you like it, it’s being taken out of the line this year if not already, I confirmed that at a Zegna shop in December.
vugi – :
Peruvian Ambrette is a stunning fragrance!
Zegna has to have this as one of their most underrated fragrances. Not many times in fragrances is ambrette such a focus as it is in this composition. A dry and arid feel of ambrette/guaiac wood/leather is presented, with a deep and dark complexity. My absolute favorite from the Essenze line.
Layer this with Dior Homme Parfum and you will smell like the definition of a modern Casanova.
rustamishee – :
Smelled it in Fenwicks aback of the usual rave and outpouring of voluptuous love and joy in virtually all the previous assessments and – flat.
It just smells like dull, flat foggy air, misty air in a deep pine wood. Or on other tests (gave it 5 in total over monthly visits) a hospital-ward, that unnerving but clean yet ever so slightly medical/pungent smell.
So disappointing. There’s little to no sweetness, fruitiness, nor greeness, animalic-ness.
It’s like the mush of unsweetened baked-beans. Something is there but it’s not properly tangible, and ever so slightly vegetal and pungent. Weird Niche strikes again.
I was waiting for something to happen, some spice, some ambergris but – flatness.
£110 per bottle(!) Cannot understand this, sorry.
My rating: 2/10
mvi68 – :
Love at first sniff. Very dry, masculine and sexy. Amazing sillage and longevity. Two sprays are more than enough.
Артемий123 – :
Wore it the other night. A friend asked “does anyone else smell hash?” haha, oh well, I love this stuff. The review below nailed how I find it too. Not too familiar with ambrette, but a dry pepper, suede-like musk and what seems like oud to me.
evdokimov1983 – :
criminally underrated, such a beautiful smooth scent. opens up with this really great pepperiness that smells almost like a very clean oud accord–my mom mistook it for an oud scent actually. that peppery-top rests on a lovely musky bottom–but not musky like grandma musk–more of a dry, suedy-musk. its overall a dry, masculine scent that is a little to underwhelming in cold weather, but in early autumn it definitely shines. i like my cold weather scents a bit sweeter, heh.
the accords seem to be misleading here, i get a definite suede throughout most of the life of the fragrance, some kind of peppery-oud accord (god knows) in the beginning, and a dry, smokey vetiver in the dry down.
avboi – :
in the opening i can smell very heavy ambrette. ambrette note is all over the juice then orris note is quickly coming up to make it moist/wet powdery. i love this part. it’s remind me Chanel N⁰19 Poudre’. in dry down is woody. very strong and long lasting woody note, even after showered, i can smell the woody note. sound like weird or too strong but actually not. it was composing with balance. the only wood base perfume i love the most in my entire collection. furthermore, it is because no civet and incense. (civet and incense are combining together will make the perfume too earthy, dirty and poopy vibe….and i hate poppy note)
vodila – :
Such a precise and precious fragrance description made by Houdini4.
Peruvian Ambrette is impressive (as its price tag). I love it.
Reminds me a little Chanel Egöiste but a slightly tamed.
4594 – :
Oh lordy this is nice!
The opening is such a powdery, musky, amber which is so smooth and warm it really does envelop the senses telling you that this is a real special piece of work.
PA has a wonderfully natural amber and not an overly musky ambrette accord because as it settles down it becomes all about precious woods.
I’m pretty sure I detect oud in here but nothing like the Indonesian Oud in the same Zegna collection, this is a smooth subtle wood. That combination of lightly spicy cashmere and darker Guaiac wood give Peruvian Ambrette a sublime drydown quite like a creamy sandalwood vibe, not dissimilar to Armani Prive Oud Royal.
So….a stunning woody scent to add to an already excellent line from Zegna. Truly, these fragrances cover every olfactory angle and do so with a simplicity and remarkable clarity. I think £108 (although still expensive) is quite good value for 125ml’s of impressive fragrance.
Longevity and performance are good but it’s not the strongest juice in the world the drydown stayed close to my skin giving me a warm, woodsy glow.
I love this…Will definitely consider adding it to my collection.
Xeroxnumqh – :
finaly i recived mine.. true @ mando like you said smell a bit closed to indonesia oud.. but for me on my skin its devlope 90% like amouage epic man in drydown i loved it.. problem here is longevity. silage good between 1 to 1.5 feet away..
RokcenMen – :
Received my bottle of this scent and it quite similiar in vein with the Indonesian Oud scent which I also own. It’s IO w/out the rosey facets and very deep wood with musk (the natural kind since it is ambrette seed). I haven’t yet worn it out yet but intend to tomorrow all day. It does have a kind of gasoline-like smell to it which I understand some consider very oud-like. I’m looking forward to testing out a whole day to experience this one. Love this new line of Zegna men’s scents. They are not boring; quite quality scents.
flepopdsa – :
New addition in the Essenze collection. This one is about contrasts. It starts with a doze of freshness (some notes seem to be missing up here… probably bergamot) immediately followed by a dark woody smell and later, a quiet musky smell. The medicinal feel is a little bit reminiscent of a delicate oud. From then on it’s a subtle combat of freshness vs darker essences. Once it has settled it’s almost a fresh incense. As exeler0 mentioned, there is something similar to ADP Oud but here we are in a much more austere territory. Less citrusy than ADP Oud and definitely more subtle. The freshness feel is almost peppery.
This is a deep and serious fragrance! It seemed inoffensive and unattractive on paper but once I’ve tried it… one of the nicest thing I’ve tried this year. On a cold autumn day it is immensely fresh/dark & crisp with a dry side that is so good to be surrounded with. Longevity & sillage are perfect on me (more than 5 hrs / sprayed twice).
What impresses me in the Essenze collection from Zegna, is the clarity and purity of the juices. You are surrounded by what seems to be extreme quality essences and a simplistic approach to fragrance. Few ingredients, balance & quality. Presentation is stunning. Beautiful glass bottle (125ml) with clever magnetic cap.
In a few words… woody austere beauty!
dimon1661 – :
Just tried a sample a nice SA gave me:
It does have some resemblance to Acqua di Parma Oud with a strong leather note in the beginning. Good (not great) sillage and projection, I still can feel it after 8h, but a bit too close to skin.
leska – :
So far this ‘Essenze’ line has been very impressive. I can’t wait to test this one.