WHAT DOES STRONGER WITH YOU ABSOLUTELY SMELL LIKE?

The rum accord isn't actual distilled rum — it's an olfactory recreation that evokes the sweet, slightly alcoholic, and caramelized character of an aged rum. The opening tends to come across as boozy without being overwhelming: the liqueur-like quality feels woven in rather than front and center.

The bergamot — a citrus fruit grown primarily in Calabria, a coastal region in southern Italy, where the Mediterranean climate lends it a fresh acidity with light floral undertones — adds a bright citrus spark to that sweet opening. According to Olfastory, the bergamot used here comes specifically from Calabria, and its role seems to be counterbalancing the density of the rum with a cleaner, more lively quality — similar to freshly grated citrus zest.

Rounding out the opening is elemi resin: a gum resin extracted from a tropical tree native to the Philippines, with a scent that recalls fresh turpentine blended with light citrus and faintly balsamic notes. It's not a familiar everyday smell, but in context it adds texture and woody depth from the very start — the resinous quality that several sources identify as one of the more distinctive features of this opening phase.

The overall character of this stage might best be described as sweet, mildly boozy, and resinous — full-bodied without losing freshness. Ashton Kirkland at Gents Scents notes that the rum, while noticeable, doesn't dominate: it reads more like a suggestion than a statement. He also points out that the bergamot tends to fade quickly, leaving the balsamic quality of the elemi to carry things forward.

Perceptions:

Across Fragrantica user reviews, a recurring observation is that the rum comes across as present but restrained in the opening: it reads as adding a boozy twist without saturating the composition — something many describe as one of the things that sets this apart from other fragrances in the same line.

Several users also note that the bergamot delivers a brief moment of citrus brightness before fading quickly, giving way to the denser, more resinous character that bridges the opening into the heart.

Sanja Pekić, writing for Fragrantica News, describes this particular lavender as the "diva" of the heart — intensely aromatic and floral, sustainably sourced from southern France, and carrying an elegance that stands out from more medicinal or sharp interpretations. Olfastory also notes that this lavender leans decidedly floral in character, which sets it apart from camphor-heavy varieties.

Davana is an aromatic plant native to India, and its extract tends to be described as a blend of sweet fruitiness — somewhere between stewed apple and a soft herbal note — with a complexity that goes beyond ordinary fruit notes. In this fragrance, Sanja Pekić at Fragrantica News points to it as the element that adds depth and a distinctive sweet character to the composition.

Together, lavender and davana build a heart that tends to come across as aromatic and softly floral, with an exotic sweetness underneath that hints at the richness to come in the base. Trucs de Mec describes this phase as floral and aromatic, with the lavender blending seamlessly into the fragrance's overall progression.

Perceptions:

Several Fragrantica users consistently describe the lavender as a counterweight to the sweetness of the overall composition: it gives the impression of adding balance without lightening the weight of the denser notes, while never coming across as dominant or overly green.

On the vanilla's sourcing, Armani Beauty specifies that it comes from Madagascar and is obtained through fair trade programs that support local communities. The cedarwood, as noted by both Best Men's Colognes and Fragrance House, is sourced from Virginia, USA, and is described as smoky cedar — a dry wood with a toasted, faintly charred quality, similar to wood warming over embers.

The base notes, as described across sources:

Perceptions:

Across Fragrantica user reviews, the chestnut-and-vanilla accord is by far the most frequently mentioned feature of the base: many compare it to the sensation of roasted chestnuts with caramel, and a number of reviewers note that the vanilla tends to read as the thread that runs through the entire fragrance — the one constant from first spray to the final hours.

The base as a whole is commonly described as dense but not cloying, thanks to the dry and faintly smoky counterpoint of the cedarwood and patchouli.