Reviewing 6 Scents From Dedcool

Few brands typify avant garde modern like Dedcool Perfumes. A cleanly formulated, mostly organic, vegan and cruelty-free brand, the company offers fresh takes on perfume that are sustainably formulated and unique-smelling yet ubfussy and real. I have been wanting to try something from this line for years, and when I stumbled across a six-scent pre-fabricated sample kit of theirs (although you can create a custom bundle of samples on their official website Dedcool.com) I decided it was finally time and I would share my thoughts. For continued reference, a full 1.7 oz bottle of any fragrance currently retails for $90 USD where 0.5 oz travel sprays go for $30 USD, and individual sample sprays are $6 USD.

MILK : MILK is Dedcool's take on a skin scent or a non-scent scent similar in concept to other perfumes such as Esocentric Molecules Molecule 01 or Juliette Has a Gun's Not a Perfume, Glossier You, or Henry Rose's Sheep's Clothing where the aim is to create a unique scent that really just enhances the skin and not creates a composition itself. Often relying on compounds such as I-SO E Super and synthetic amber, these types of perfumes also feature their own limited sheer wash of notes to enhance the skin. Molecule 01 and Not a Perfume for example give whiffs of sandalwood where Glossier You uses orris (iris root) and Sheep's Clothing rose and peppercorns.

Dedcool's MILK however is a skin scent that utilizes the woodsy fruit note of lemony bergamot to enhance its skin scent composition, and this facet may what makes this my pick of the "skin scents" I've smelled so far. It seems to create an even more subtle, natural-smelling yet cozy composition that smells fresh and truly like YOU smell good. This is an ideal one to try for someone who doesn't normally like perfumes but wants to dip their toe in. My young niece loves this scent, and it has become her first real "big girl" perfume, but it is not litle girlish by a long shot. It's just fresh, cozy, casual chic ,and appealing. Likewise, it is good for any gender presentation, season, time of year, or environment-- even in close quarters like a small office or cramped elevator, as by design, this scent clings to the skin and does not have much throw at all. The affect is soothing and uncomplicated yet somehow inviting. I can easily see how this is the line's most famous selection and why they have even created an offshoot of this scent XTRA Milk (that I haven't yet tried) , which is meant to be the same concept and notes but with supposedly more elevated potency and projection for a slightly bolder statement.

Fragrance 01: "Taunt": Taunt is a very vanilla-forward scent, so much that I really can't say much more for it than that. Bergamot and amber are also listed in the notes, but sadly I don't detect much bergamot at all on my skin. The amber is there, which is a classic paring to vanilla, adding extra body and warmth and perhaps helping to temper some of the intrinsic sweetness of the vanilla and making it more evocative and fragrance-like than food-like. But if you've smelled any vanilla-amber fragrance or scented product out there, you've smelled Taunt. This is not necessarily a bad thing. There is a lot said for classic combinations and classic combinations done well, and Taunt certainly delivers a cozy, warm, enticing smell that warms on the skin and no doubt would entice, tease---or taunt--someone else to come closer while the wearer also enjoys its vibe. Projection and lasting power are both moderate to heavy and long with this one for me, which enhances the warm decadence this fragrance goes for. I envision wearing this on cold winter nights the most out and about or at home when wanting to feel cozy but fancy too. I only wish there was more to this than just vanilla and amber that I could smell, as it is almost a bit safe for me. But for anyone who is a vanilla lover, this one's for you.

Fragrance 02: Unlike most scents from Dedcool, Fragrance O2 has no other name than to be called by its number, so I had no preconceived notion of what this one might smell like or be trying to evoke before sniffing. The notes listed according to the Dedcool website are sandalwood and juniper, but I was not sure if the juniper would refer to cedarwood (would of juniper tree) or juniper berries, both of which I love in fragrance for their tingly earthy presence but without being strong or heavy. But this note errs more to the woodsy. But this is a woodsy fragrance not at all just like wood planks. It is a full forest in that the cool greenness of leaves is also observed with subtle hints of pine but also less assertive leaf notes that make this forest walk truly meditative. Of all the fragrances in this collection, this seems the most "masculine" of all, but I can tell you as a feminine woman I adore this just as much. It is not an attention-grabbing smell to my mind, but something much more grounding, powerful, and yet comforting too. Lasting power on this is quite good. After about six hours after spritzing, I still get a few lingering wafts of the smoky cedar wood, and I couldn't be more pleased by this. As far as the scent pushing out to others, it doesn't do so aggressively but has more projection than MILK for example.

Fragrance 03 Blonde: Blonde is a classy, ritzy perfume that is mainly a combination of florals (black violet and a very sheer whisper of rose dominate) and saffron with some fruits and other things. A leather accord (called Accord Cuir in listed notes) sings out over the entire composition adding a dark, sleek edge to the flowers that are cooled down by a melony pomelo. Unfortunately, dynamic and complex as this perfume may be, it is not one I care for. I don't particularly love saffron in a fragrance as my skin tends to project the note almost too powerfully and it is the only thing I can smell, and it often reads as very powdery, dense, and sour to me. This effect is there, but I also find the pomelo, while a balancer to the scent, to be a bit jarring with the rest of it and just not a fruit I love at all to eat or to smell or to smell like. That said, I do appreciate the sheer rose like how it lifts the heavy violet note into a more breathable and more modern-feeling character, where violet can often be very thick and heady for me. This is a fragrance with such variety in it that number one-- it could be worn in any season, though due to its density I'd probably always recommend it for evening wear. And number two-- I really feel it is going to be very mutable in not only people's perception of it but how it reads with their body chemistry. Really, this is true of any perfume, but with one with such a long note list, it is even more something to bear in mind. For those it works for, the lasting power and projection are quite potent, and it is definitely not like much I've smelled before. So it wins the unique factor, but just isn't for me.

Fragrance 04: Here we have another nameless composition other than it's number. But reading the descriptions, Fragrance 04 instantly caught my notice because it is Dedcool's fig fragrance. Now for anyone who has read this blog for any length of time, they will know, I am a sucker for a fig fragrance and that it is probably my favorite note, even to rival my beloved roses and cedar. In fact, the quintessential fig scent Diptyque Philosykos-- previously reviewed-- has remained my signature scent for a decade and is also probably my most repurchased scent ever. So any fig fragrance does have a tough act to follow, but I love trying new ones.

Fragrance 04 takes fig in a sweeter direction rather than the woodsy one in Philosykos. The sweetness of the fruit is rich here and made even more indulgent by an ever so slight whiff of patchouli patchouli adding some gritty leafy character but thankfully none of the additional syrupiness a thicker, patchouli brings when used too heavily in my opinion. But it works really well here as a subtle additionBlack pepper lifts a bit and is the most primary note other than the fig, lending a fresh spiciness to break up the sheer sweetness of the fig to make it a grounded scent for all times of year. Overall, this is a good and fairly simplistic but still special take on fig, and I feel would be a great entry point to the note, especially if you prefer perfumes that highlight fig's crisp fruitiness and non-sugary sweetness without being too dense or complicated by other notes this could work for you This could work for any season or time of day, and lasting power is very good at about 6 hours total. But this scent does not project must, though it is still noticeable when someone is close by.

Fragrance 05 Spring: Spring was the one from this scent I knew from the get-go that I would love, and I was not wrong. Contrary to what one might think from the name, Spring is surprisingly not nearly as floral so much as it is herbal, and on me, it is the lemony bergamot top note that rings on my skin both the longest and most prominently. I am getting to where I really love a good lemon essence in my fragrance, whether that comes from lemon itself or a lemon adjacent fruit like bergamot or just somehing that smells akin to it (as in the lemon note paired with the natural lemony quality of hinoki wood in Heretic Parfums' Dirty Hinoki) and find it much more mellow and longer lasting than, say, orange or other citrus or even just many other fruit notes, and the lemon here is just fresh and real-smelling and good without being to sweet or too sour. The note is, again, grounded by green herbs such as patchouli, vetiver, and some mosses as well as geranium and lavender for just a hint of a floral quality for a Spring-like finish. Incense also is used here, but in a subtle way to add some smoke, but nothing too heavy, and that just makes the fragrance magical-- fresh, grounding, and light. Sadly lasting power and projection here are not great due to this lightness. I only get about three hours of smell-able wear of this on my skin, but they are happy hours-- so much that it is a pleasure to respray!

Dedcool is definitely a brand that pushes the fragrance envelope but does so with taste and skill. Would greatly love to try other scents from the line, and will let you know what I think of them.