Description
Perfumer Gerald Ghislain transforms and
redefines with his creative brilliance.
Dominated by the rare and precious Oudh,
this exclusive collection is deliberately
embellished with a palette of Petrol, Rose and
Amber, materials long used in traditional
perfumery. He has revealed their fierce
strength, veracity and raw beauty making
each an emblem of our natural Earth,
undisturbed by human interference… Plants,
Minerals and Animals
A symbol of wealth and prosperity, Petroleum is an
unexpected essence, once referred to as ‘Black Gold’, it is
rich, dark and mysterious…a miraculous gift from the
depths of our Earth. In all of its precious form Oudh is
effortlessly felt throughout the fragrance. Woven with
Bergamot and Orange its fresh top notes unfold,
assertively layered with woody and resinous power. Ozonic
floralcy lives at the heart as a mystical rose unveils
warmed ambered stones. An eccentric chypre character
exhales narcotic fumes with an intense signature of leather
wrapped in lucid white musk…
It is a potion, a rare elixir that will lead to exalted ecstasy
and pure euphoria. Petroleum was launched in 2011.
9196 – :
This reminds me the sent of Asian temple. Oud perfumes always has that, but this is too much. Not acceptable for me as an Asian guy.
piramida272727 – :
@gmstrack
Your review made me laugh so hard, I now need to get a sample of this and experience it for myself. Thank you.
wulf88 – :
Petroleum by Histoires de Parfums opens with citrus rubber band-aid and then morphs into WWIII as all the petrol fields in the world start smoking at once. WWIII simmers down and to expose that trademark old books and furniture accord that HdP does so well. Now I’m getting a touch of carpet infused with cigarette smoke. The carpet (and maybe the couch) is probably on fire because burning plastic is in there somewhere too. This probably sounds terrible, and to some it probably will be, but there is an elegance to the whole mess that makes it seem, well, wearable. Under all of the madness a dignified, soapy leather is screaming for help. It’s definitely one of the strangest fragrances I’ve ever tried.
I’m not going to wear it, but someone should.
4/5
asania111 – :
stunnuing perfume, its written on the pack that its composed of rose, oud and amber. you may think that this combo is very heavy according to the notes but actually its the contrary. its delightful and very sensual, also very odd but in an excellent way. oud is very light and not too sweet,very long lasting (on my perfume consuming skin).
excellent.
Сантей – :
I think the note lineup sums this one up pretty well. And in order too! So to me, this is one of those deals where the scent trail is fantastic – but don’t go sticking your nose right up to your arm! That’s when the musk and aldehydes attack. If I were female and I purchased this due to its “unisex” label, id be one pissed off lady! In my opinion, I would feel very awkward about this being worn on a woman – but that’s just my opinion. At any rate – it kind of reminds me of a smell you’d encounter before having surgery – something that is memorable and not for the faint of heart. I’m going to give this a few tries before giving my final thoughts (I know you guys are so disappointed 🙂 – however, I can say for certain that it’s far from love at first sniff for me. And just while I’m still here thinking about things – and this isn’t going to make sense – think about the smell of cloves. There’s something in this similar to that – very polarizing.
Ok second edit… Promise I’m done after this. To me, this is a more intense version of musc ravageur – but instead of cloves, aldehydes. Make sense? No? Good. Me either.
Final decision! I’ve had some time to feel this one out. At first spray I thought, “what in the hell have I done?” Now I’m thinking -“you’re the man bro. Keep making good decisions.”
I definitely feel the petroleum vibe here. It has a mechanic shop type dirtiness to it – with some vanilla thrown in. I can see this as being a sexy scent given the appropriate environment. It had the potency of interlude man and musc ravageur, but a vastly different scent from both. I don’t think this is a smell that someone would feel indifferent about – one side or the other. Choose the right side! Great addition to my collection.
butuz0210 – :
Simply fantastic. Don’t let the petroleum name get in your head and convince you this has some kind of gas smell to it. Try and let it settle in. If you judge iit on the initial application you’re missing out on something special. IMHO
dinimito – :
I was really hoping for a scent that would be exciting,fascinating and exhibit the development of an idea. Ex. Dior Fahrenheit
Instead what we have here is, the fragrance of the industrial hand cleaner that sits in my garage. Petroleum based muck that you find in any mechanical shop. A gallon for about 30 bucks CAD.
This perfume is for Automotive and Oil Executives that spritz to give everyone the impression that they’ve been on the shop floor.
marzipanmann – :
And just like that, I found my favorite scent in the HdP line.
I like just about everything about this. It’s certainly strange but devilishly addicting. Theres a bit of pissy civet, but the opening is mostly an incredibly convincing gasoline accord with all the unpleasant aspects removed and replaced by wearable and accessible “perfumey” notes. The result is a fascinating contrast between the classic smoothness of the amber and patchouli with the scintillatingly terpenic qualities of the oud/leather/borderline-ozonic fumes overhead. Pretty striking and modern from a line that has smelled a bit more “classic” to me (ambre 114, 1740). As it dries down it gets much more traditional with the patchouli and amber taking dominance with a bit of leathery, oudy nuance but theres still a nice weird little hint of civet floating around keeping it interesting. It’s all very smooth and soft on the nose despite the strangeness and I think that’s why it is such a success. It doesn’t smell cacophonous or sloppy in the slightest; Ghislain is incredibly skilled.
9/10
LOBODA196809 – :
i have 3 words for histoires petroleum:
yaba
daba
doooooo!
9/10
lenariver – :
Petroleum is a very well made fragrance with complicated notes combination. It opened quite sharp, very warm and dry to my nose with distinctive scent of Oud and petroleum. As the fragrance got a bit warmer on my skin, it smelled sort of metallic mixed with petroleum and a soft leathery, ambery, resinous and earthy background. The scent became quite animalic as it developed further on my skin till the drydown. A faint floral note started to appear then intertwining with musky, bodily, warm and slightly aquatic notes and the scent remained the same to the very drydown until it became a soft skin scent.
Petroleum has average sillage on my cooler than average skin and lasts for over 10 hours.
unsusaJeshive – :
Lovers of traditional French perfume is not approaching this masterpiece they will not like
This is a wonderful and very distinctive perfume
Rating: 9/10
King174 – :
An interesting experiment. Let’s make a perfume out of petroleum. Using leather, oud and civetta!
The leather accord is similar to 1740, the oud bends the petroleum towards weirdland, and the civetta makes the oil animalic. The rest just sweetens and smoothes things out, fills out the gaps and gives the fragrance a top and a bottom.
I know experienced perfumistas will appreciate the effort. They will walk around thinking “I’m special”. The problem here may be that the majority, having totally untrained noses and being used to Acqua di Gio, will think “Ouch. That car mechanic just rode a horse, but forgot to shower”.
An experimental perfume this, not exactly meant for dates, worktime, cafetime, dinnertime, night out-time, leisuretime, comforttime, summertime, holidaytime, storytime, freshtime…
But what then, is it meant for? Beats me.
7/10
FeVydypeEdump – :
Perfumes like Petroleum are lovable because they remind us of people. They remind us of candid moments in our lives, of ourselves as people who do, who act, and not, as many conventionally pretty perfumes do, of ourselves on our best behavior, all dolled up and prepared to meet the faces that we meet.
And yes, it smells just like gasoline.
chyrli – :
هذا العطر مناسب فقط لمحبي الروائح المتفردة الغريبه
نعم هنا العود ضمن المكونات ولكنه ليس العود الذي عهدته ربما وضع كلمسة
ابطال هذا العطر هما:
مسك السيفيت مما يطعي العطر لمحة لرائحة حيوانية!1
2 الجلد
فهذا الثنائي مع اللمسات الخفيفه الاخرى من المكونات شكل رائحة غريبه قريبة لرائحة الجلود الفخمة الباردة مع لمحات من رائحة المسك الزباد القريبة في راحئتها في عطر شاليمار لا ادري لماذا اتذكر رائحة اغلفة البلاستيك الجديدة المحتوية على سيدي المح رائحة لمثل تلك الرائحة
اجد العطر مميز وغريب وفخم واعتقد انه افضل عطور الجلود ولكن يفضل استخدامه في الصيف حتى لاتفسد رائحة مسك الزباد
ربما قائل قائلا ان ان مسك الزباد والجلد اجتمعت كثيرا في عطور اخرى كلاسكية اقول لك نعم ولكنها هنا غريبه جدا
ليس لدي العطر وانما قمت بتجربته اليوم واحببت ان اضع وصف متواضع للعطر
broomopevyrem – :
Oh no this is not for me. My very first thought was “road tar”…oddly enough, i ordered a sample of this with my bottle of Comme Des Garcons, which smells like industrial glue / packing tape…although there are some similarities, i find the CDG much more pleasant.
Fail228 – :
Quite unique, however I don’t smell anything dirty or petroleum at all. The opening is sharp, definite oud, but a soft oud. The dry down is a warm powdery aquatic. There’s a presence of something ozonic and floral and a dark musky spice. This is what I don’t get – the animalic. This is a tame fragrance that has some feminine characteristics. Actually, it’s reminiscent of Chanel Chance. I know, sounds nuts, but it does. For the price, the silage is disappointing. Overall, I’d say this is interesting, in a good way. Trendy, young, unisex (more on the feminine side). Definitely not a blind purchase. Get a sample first.
nimoff2703 – :
Naturally the person who loathes Dune and, one assumes, avoids it, and maybe hasn’t smelled it in a very long time, is better qualified to judge how much Petroleum resembles it than the person who loves Dune and wears it and owns it and has it handy for original research.
Мухаджи – :
Smelled really nice on paper, like super high quality Biblical-feel ingredients. Wearing though: almost identical to Dune but without the breeziness and light touch. I love Dune but I hated this. More sweetness is exactly the wrong thing to add to Dune.
oleg-football – :
8)Wha, It’s very original, a combination of mineral smell, saline (water) with the sweetness of oud and rose. The best of the trilogy
Close the same parfum from the same perfumer for half of the price: Dubai , Scent of Departure (less oud more rose)
neftyanik25 – :
Pardon my bawdiness, but this fragrance is simply the most arousing smell I’ve ever experienced. I’ve never been so turned-on by a fragrance in my entire life….Afraid of purchasing such a heftily priced bottle, I opted for a tiny tester from LuckyScent…and one smear across my arm from a cue-tip completely wrapped my in warmth, manliness, and spice. I definitely smell a petroleum-type note from this, and it makes me think of worn out leather gloves, sawdust, and gasoline…but in the sexiest way possible. This scent is so warm and enveloping, strong without being deadly, and absolutely beautifully crafted. I can’t wait until I have a good enough paycheck to afford the plunge of buying this masterpiece.
grandmother – :
Tested yesterday when i was sure to buy it!
But…NOTHING!!! No surprise, no impact, not the stunning fragrance i thought.
And, overall, no longevity or sillage; afther an hour it completely disappeared! 🙁
I bought Ambrarem 🙂 🙂 🙂 It was about half past seven p.m. and it is still on me. And i had a shower!!!
akuzi30 – :
This is one of the strangest and most nostalgic things I’ve ever smelled in my entire life. It actually makes me quite emotional.
My fathers dirty toolbox, his worn in newly washed working clothes that still smell of oil, leather, burnt tires and sweet salty sea air.
The scent remind me so much of my father. I remember riding at the back of his working bike through the culverts of the hospital in the town where I grew up. I was about six years old back then. He worked at the hospital keeping big machines running, the only thing I really saw from his job was when he took an hour off to follow me to the dentist. And he smelled clean but strongly of oil and zingy metal.
When he got off work he spent a lot of time fixing cars and street racing, that’s my second big connection to this perfume. The leather smells just like the sunken in car seats with four point seat belts, and it’s combined with a soft burnt rubber scent, almost sweet.
All of these cold, dirty, harsh notes are combined with warming skin like notes which balances it all up, but also something incredibly ozonic and aldehydic, especially at the opening. If I didn’t know better I would almost call it “cucumber-y” or “melon-y”. Just a huge blast of aquatic, sweet, sharp cleanliness which I really don’t like, but it excites me so much that I can’t help smelling it over and over again. It makes the scent completely transparent. So so so strange.
tascha26 – :
What i like about Histoire de Parfums is there uniqueness. No one does what they do. Thumb up for that. Is it wearable, or sexy i am not sure. But for sure it is an olfactive experience and Petroleum is 100% in that spirit. What i get is something that smell like a vaseline that would have been made for the aristocrats and could have been named Vaseline no.9. Another thumb up for the experience. A must try.
yana-kulch – :
Petroleum is pretty bizarre indeed being entirely built and conceived on juxtapositions. Resinous and intense but at the same time sort of fresh and “ozonic”, deep and obscure but surrounded by aldehydic notes, dark and animalic yet “clear” and somehow light. All the elements are handled in an almost “unseen” way. The oud/rose combo is nowhere similimar or somehow close to any of the previous interpretations of the accord, It’s amphasized in its woody freshness avoiding the burnt-sugar and medicinal effect. Rose is detectable but masterfully blended with the rest. Deepness is provided by a consistent dose of resinous notes while civet juxtaposed to aldehydes and ozonic hints gives birth to a destabilizing and pleasantly dissonant accord during the musky/ambery drydown. The base. This is the real point of strength of Petroleum.
Petroleum is not just wearable, is extremely wearable and a true standout. The fragrance has a nice projection but it never become overwhelming or claustrophobic. It has a remarkable presence but, fortunately, is not overpowering as I expected.
Lately I’ve noticed a mineral quality to it that adds even more complexity. Surely a winner for me and among the best releases of the year but I believe this is going to be a polarizing fragrance because of its ozonic undertones which, together with aldehydes, create a bizarre juxtaposition with the rest. Paradoxically there’s no challenging power coming from the supposed petrol note (which is definitely more mineral/natural smelling than the gasoline-like accord of, let’s say, Fahrenheit, Nostalgia or even Knize Ten). The ozonic aspect, instead, adds a slightly weird and destabilizing nuance that may result off-putting to someone. IMO it perfectly blends with the rest adding a compelling, sort of off-centre, aspect.
Overall Petroleum has a very distinctive character and, just like many of the HDP compositions, it perfectly achieves an incredible balance between traditional perfumery and modernity. Full bodied but somehow weightless.
Rating: 8.5/10