Agneta
Eight & Bob (2022)

Agneta (2022) is the kind of scent I was smelling almost everywhere in Italy earlier this year, but hardly ever smell stateside.

It's a more masculine equivalent to the increasingly popular Gris Charnel, in which the sort of luxe spicy-woody-smoky style of the 2010s (stuff like Oud Malaki and Halfeti) attained a perfect-for-the-mass-market balance by mingling creamy-cool sandalwood tones (lactonic in a "skin lotion" sort of way) with the synthy-abstract smokiness.

Now, Agneta isn't a copy of Gris Charnel, but it gives off a similarly luxe cloud of abstract spicy-smooth synthwood smoke with a cool undertone. Maybe I'm just in the mood for something very "2020s" these days, but I enjoy this. It's round and pleasant.

The ad copy emphasizes oud, and suggests there's some of the "real stuff" in here somewhere, but, if so, I don't detect it. The heart of Agneta seems to be built around a similar kind of resinous sandalwood to that favored by Mathilde Laurent in her Pasha Parfum and Oud & Santal, rounded with abstract florals (Magnolan) and weighted with darker woody tones (forms of "amber" and patchouli - maybe the oud is there somewhere). Add in a heavy dose of cardamom-forward spices, a roasted coffee facet, and a hint of frankincense, and you can start to picture what's at play here.

Agneta wears somewhat cool and aloof, despite its notable potency. Like Gris Charnel, it makes me think of cloudy days.

Agneta pleasantly surprised me, especially considering it's from a brand I haven't encountered much before. It skillfully combines woody amber with subtle coffee notes, accompanied by a faint hint of incense in the background. Notably, the oud in Agneta doesn't exude animalic or fecal tones; rather, it leans towards a woody profile. While the market is saturated with similar woody ambers, Agneta executes this blend admirably. Its performance is also noteworthy, making it an excellent choice for a winter scent.