Boss Bottled Parfum
Hugo Boss (2022)

Mandarine is the absolute protagonist of this Boss-fragrance (followed by elegant leather and freshly spicy-fluidy olibanum), an intense, juicy, powerful and obsessive mandarin lurking all around. Boss Bottled Parfum is a tangerine/leather/olibanum/woods-combo fragrance. It was launched in 2022 and created by Suzy Le Helley and Annick Menardo. This fragrance smells like a sort of leathery and less aromatic/salty Dolce&Gabbana Pour Homme Intenso 2014 (or O'Boticario Uomini 1996) on my skin plus a tad of YSL L’Homme Parfum Intense 2013 because of its warm, spicy-woody orangy feel. Boss Bottled Parfum is a richer, more intense take on the classic Boss Bottled fragrance but it differs from the former for its intense tangerine/leather-twist and the cleaner more modern structure (actually while the original is known for its tobacco-presence, the sweet apple-cinnamon vibe and its fresh woody base, the Parfum version replaces much of that brightness with a warmer spicy incense-presence adding a smoky, more mysterious edge, plus orris and fig tree root creating an earthy, slightly powdery elegance and a final leather and cedarwood-presence giving it a masculine, refined, and long-lasting drydown). The Parfum opens with a bold and obsessive note of mandarin and freshly spicy (cardamom?) incense, giving way to a heart of orris and fig tree root that adds depth, a tad of fluffy piquancy and sophistication while the base is warm and woody, dominated by soapy cedarwood and leather, which give it a more mature and elegant finish compared to the original. This parfum version is ideal for cooler weather and evening wear, offering better longevity and projection. It's a refined, confident scent that retains the Boss Bottled's DNA but adds a darker, more modern twist. An elegant modern fragrance perfect for all the vicissitudes of dynamic urban life (if you have a modern style and appreciate what is minimal and essential).

Nice, but it's nothing and seems pretty unremarkable.

Boss Bottled Parfum does not have much to do with the original. No apple pie sweetness. Instead, it is sweet and powdery. A darker, spicy scent with a resemblance to other modern date night staples like La nuit de L’Homme edp. It wouldn’t be out of place as a Spicebomb flanker either. I also got some green notes in the drydown that surprised me and gave this some uniqueness.

Seems best for cooler weather, close quarters and could be good at the office too.

Performance is lacking on this one. It's just very soft and may not get noticed, even up close.

This has nothing to do with the good old Boss Bottled. I was expecting this to be thick, dark, to have some depth and character. None of my expectations, what a "surprise".

It doesn't smell like Boss Bottled, but rather as a clone of Burberry Brit Rhythm for Him, believe it or not it's true!

That being said, I don't want to waste too much time making and typing in depth review of this flanker. The original Boss Bottled is still a good fragrance in its own right. If one is able to acquire Boss Bottled Intense flanker, be it the EdT or EdP, while it's still around even if discontinued, I'd encourage you to do that.

Conclusion: if you like Boss Bottled, don't waste your time with Boss Bottled Parfum because that's simply not it.

Originality 2/10
Scent 5/10 - barely just barely five out of ten
Longevity 7/10
Projection 5/10
_______________________
subjectively and objectively 5/10

Just tried fleetingly from a Boots tester on skin.
Feels like a whole new scent, albeit one that a Boss Bottled man would enjoy. I picked up the citrussy opening (I thought grapefruit), then I guess the link to Bottled the scent moved toward a spicy ripe fruitiness. Finally shifting towards a fresh pencil shaving woody cedar base.

On review of the pyramid, I retrospectively applaud the dry incense. The listed fig is what I'd be picking up as a ripe fruit. Don't really get any leather.

Overall an unexpected success and a welcome upgrade from Boss Bottled. Hopefully fragrance fans won't miss out on this just because it falls under the Bottled line. It could easily be a new pillar release. Bonus points for not overdoing the aroma-chems like every other 2020s designer release. Look up the perfumer and it will be no suprise!