Created in 2016 by Olivier Cresp and Fabrice Pellegrin for luxury perfume house Amouage, Bracken Man is a unique twist on the classic fougère structure that makes it a standout in a crowded field.

Launched in 2016 as part of Amouage’s Midnight Flowers, Bracken Man opens with a burst of fresh, succulent lemon and sparkling, bright bergamot. They’re joined by a note of aromatic cypress that’s dry, foresty, woody and resinous-tinged. This trio gives the fragrance an invigorating start, calling up a note of pungent lavandin. Lavadin, a hybrid of spike lavender and true lavender, is fresh, clean, herbaceous, and so camphorous it’s heady. Nutmeg and clove, woody and spicy, add warmth and depth to Bracken Man and lead to a note of geranium that’s vegetal and refreshing, carrying those qualities from the top to the heart of the fragrance while giving it elegance. It also has a floral tinge that opens up the scent. Cinnamon, warm and spicy, the woods; creamy sandalwood and dry cedarwood, then settles into a base of dark, sweet, earthy, heady patchouli that smells like damp soil, a reference to 60s hippie counterculture. Musk adds depth and sensuality to Bracken Man.

The dry down is dry, creamy, a little sweet and bitter, and unabashedly rich and elegant. I love the evolution of Bracken Man on skin, from classic ‘barber shop’ fougère to modern man fougère. Green herbaceousness threads through the fragrance, weaving and bobbing around and through other notes in a way that is simply compelling.

The name also tells the story. Fougère fragrances don’t smell of ferns; it’s the lavender, oakmoss, and coumarin that create a green, grassy and woody accord. But bracken is one of the oldest ferns, with fossil records dating back 55 million years. These ferns have an earthy, slightly sweet scent characterized by damp, fermenting leaves that evoke the damp smell of the forest floor. This is what sets Bracken Man apart.

Notes: Lemon, bergamot, cypress, lavandin, nutmeg, clove, geranium, cinnamon, cedarwood, sandalwood, patchouli and musk.