Luna Rossa Carbon
Eau de Toilette, Prada (2017)

Prada Luna Rossa Carbon is a woody fougere fragrance released in 2017. The scent is a smooth lavender and ambroxan modern fougere with a well-groomed barbershop vibe. LRC has a unique metallic lavender note.

The fragrance opens with a fresh bergamot/pepper accord which is not overly citrusy. The heart is a unique metallic lavender note which is prominent. A green, floral geranium note is also present in the heart. The base is all about a minerallic and woody ambroxan note accompanied by a dry, earthy patchouli note. Luna Rossa Carbon is somewhat linear over time.

LRC is similar to Dior Sauvage but is less harsh, more refined and more wearable in my opinion. I dislike Sauvage’s loud, screeching brashness. The ambroxan in Sauvage is quite a bit stronger than in Luna Rossa Carbon. LRC won’t be causing any elevator olfactory attacks like Sauvage can.

Luna Rossa Carbon has good longevity and moderate projection and sillage. The fragrance is versatile and works well for casual and office use. The scent is great year round and works for day and night wear.

LRC is a nice modern take on the classic fougere DNA. I find it a more refined, less screechy lavender/ambroxan based scent than fragrances like Sauvage. A pleasant and unique fougere. Recommended.

Props to Prada for making a scent with a powder note that I liked. It’s pretty pricey for a scent that smells like you took a shower with basic white dove soap. I love the cooling lavender effect it has. Super office friendly and inoffensive. I love smelling it. It’s safe, it’s clean. My wife was not a fan of it on me. She said it “-smelled like something a nerdy tech guy would wear”.

This smells like an Adidas deodorant I used to use in the 2010s. There is some mint/menthol or eucalyptus, some synthetic citrus that goes away. Prada name on a drug store fragrance. It's devastatingly boring. Just get L'Homme, or even the Luna Rosa Black. They are so much more interresting without being too heavy.

Prada Luna Rossa Carbon EDT -

Sauvage for suburban Dads who just want to smell good without overthinking it and need an easy-to-reach for "driving a sensible midsize SUV while drinking Starbucks on their way to the office" frag.

Thumbs up.


3 / 5 stars

I have worn this three times from a 2ml decant. Supposedly a Sauvage scent but I'm not really getting that for most of the time. For me, it starts out sort of generic citrus, lavender and vanilla, in a vague Sauvage-ish style, but then dries down to a somewhat-mediocre barbershop scent. Sort of an Irish Spring soap meets Barbasol shaving cream. Not bad, but nothing special.

I tried this because it has been touted as being similar to Sauvage and Scandal. It is just junk. Poorly orchestrated, screeching synthetics like a drugstore body spray (some might even smell better).