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An Intoxicating Ambrosia
I used to have a maddening collection of colognes and perfumes. I love walking by anyone - male or female - and having my olfactories stimulated by warm, caressing scents of candy, citrus, cedar, sandalwood, licorice... you name it. Dressing to look your best caters only to the eye, but to engage someone with the sense of smell is a slightly more intimate and therefore, tricky pursuit. I still love colognes, but I`m more choosy now and I`ve curbed my collection to just one or two fragrances that not only work well for my skin and body chemistry, but are truly original and break away from the fragrance glut that has exploded in the last two decades.
Acqua di Parma created a new fragrance collection called Blu Mediterraneo. It contains five fragrances in all, but the one that I really favored was Arancia di Capri. It`s a fine ambrosia whose crisp and relaxing top notes of citrus (specifically lemon, orange, tangerine and grapefruit) suggest a subtle, but clear first impression. As it dissipates into woody and musky bottom notes, its more masculine traits are more artfully asserted. Also included in the heart and bottom notes are petitgrain blends and essence of maté leaves. There are also caramel blends in the base notes, warming the fragrance as it remains on the skin.
Different concentrations in a perfume`s aromatic compounds signify the type of perfume it is. A fragrance sold as Perfume Extract typically has a 20% concentration of perfume oils. Eau de Parfum is anywhere from 10 - 20% concentration, Eau de Toilette is generally 5 - 15%, Eau de Cologne, 3 - 8% and splash or aftershave, 1-3%. Arancia di Capri is sold as an Eau de Toilette. A two ounce bottle of Arancia di Capri retails for about [...], the four ounce bottle retails [...].
As stated on the packaging, Arancia di Capri`s ingredients include: Alcohol Denat, Aqua (water), Parfum (fragrance), Limonene, Linalool, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, PEG-40 Hydrogenated, Castor Oil, Butyl Methooxydibenxoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Citral, BHT, Geraniol, Benzyl Alchohol, Disodium EDTA, Citronellol.
Being aware of ingredients in your cosmetics and fragrances is not only environmentally conscious, but it`s also smart. Many people tend to be allergic to perfumes, and some reactions range from a headache to coughing, wheezing, runny nose, teary eyes, sneezing or rash. For an old and reputable perfume-maker like Acqua di Parma, I mistakenly thought that price would be an indication of purity of ingredients. However, even for old companies and products, it`s hard to find any that don`t go through formula revisions in response to changing availability of resources and economic factors. While Arancia di Capri includes essential oils and natural ingredients (Limonene, Castor Oil) they often are blended with fixatives or bases that aren`t natural. So be aware and definitely go to [...] to get more information about any of your products.
Good perfumes can convey a certain sensibility and for me, Arancia di Capri distinctly recalls the scent of citrus groves at their ripe peak, lifted by warm summer breezes, sun-drenched and calming as it is inspiring. There`s no scientific term to explain this, just my personal association with this product. Arancia di Capri is a really inviting and crisp scent. Delicate yet distinct, tastefully fragrant yet still unmistakably unisex, Capri is versatile for almost any occasion. I know this sounds a bit snobbish, but if your cologne collection still consists of old standbys like CKOne, Drakkar or Polo, update your scent to this truly unique find.
Reviewed By: Suzanne Goudeter
On Dated: 06/02/2007
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