Chocolat Amère is not a gourmand as the name suggests but an amber woody fragrance from Il Profvmo, the Italian niche perfume house founded by aroma therapist Silvana Casoli.

Chocolat Amère opens with a note of dark chocolate, its bitterness heightened by bitter, earthy, green galbanum. There is no chocolate sweetness here. The opening is pungent, venal and carnal. The first time I smelled it, blood rushed to my cheeks. As the galbanum recedes, Chocolat Amère gets spicy and earthy from nutmeg and warm from ginger. I get whiffs of the patchouli that the chocolate note is derived from, here and there. I also smell flowers softly fluttering in the background. They temper and balance the darkness by adding a gentle floral dimension. As it evolves, the bitterness stays, developing a dustiness I love. Sandalwood makes it dry and woody, while a note of smoky incense weaves through it.

The drydown is smooth, dry, woody and a little dirty. The chocolate, nutmeg, and ginger are still there, but Chocolat Amère is so beautifully crafted that no one note dominates.

Chocolat Amère is a masculine fragrance, for sure, and it’s irresistible.

Notes: Notes: galbanum, nutmeg, ginger, flowers, cocoa, sandalwood, incense.