Homme Intense
Dior Homme Intense Eau de Parfum is the version of this line that built its reputation, and the reason is iris, used here at a richness that very few masculine fragrances attempt.
Iris in this concentration is not the dry powder of a lighter scent. It is rooty and waxy, with a cool fleshy quality and a suggestion of suede, and it manages to be both soft and austere at once. Ambrette sits with it and warms it, musky and a little nutty, rounding off what could otherwise be a cold composition and giving it the skin like quality that makes people describe this fragrance as intimate. Cedarwood provides the frame, dry and clean, keeping the whole thing upright rather than letting it slump into sweetness.
Three materials, so this is not a fragrance with a story in three acts. It is one clear idea carried at depth, which is why it has aged so well while louder releases have come and gone.
The eau de parfum concentration gives it real staying power. Two sprays will last the better part of a day, projecting moderately for the first hour or so and then settling in against the skin where the iris is at its best. Over sprayed it can become heavy, so restraint pays here more than in most of the range. Autumn and winter are its natural season and evening its natural hour, although plenty of men wear it to work year round. It is sold as masculine and is widely worn by women, which is unsurprising given the material at its centre. François Demachy composed it, and it dates from 2007.
Dior's perfume and cosmetics arm belongs to the LVMH group. The business traces to February 1947 and a couturier who launched his first collection and his first perfume together, Miss Dior, composed by Paul Vacher to an instruction about love rather than about materials.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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