Neutral

Brutal Classic Intense by La Rive (2012) is fairly anachronistic for a scent made in 2012, but perhaps that’s part of the charm. This fragrance is not particularly brutal as the silly name suggests, but it is classic in profile. In short, you get a fougère that sits somewhere between Brut by Fabergé (1964) and Paco Rabanne pour Homme (1973), made to what is undoubtedly the modern materials restrictions standard of the SCCS (voluntarily enforced under extreme duress by IFRA). For the most part, this leans far more into the Paco Rabanne sphere than the Brut force, but those powdery clean nuances of the latter are there, in place of the stiff musty/musky soap combination that defines the dry down of the Rabanne. People with lots of similar fragrances in this vein, from the precursor of Sir Irisch Moos (1969) to entries by Charles Worth and Roger & Gallet, to the more-recent hidden gem Patrick by Fragrances of Ireland (1999) – itself something of a vintage now – will undoubtedly see this as an also-ran, unnecessary to seek out. It’s extremely cheap price may appeal to pragmatic users, however.

The opening is very Paco-like with the bergamot, lemon, neroli and rosewood nuances. The jasmine and carnation heart start to work in more of the Brut influences over the lavender, geranium, and patchouli. The slight touch of dimetol and dihydromyrcenol (a genre first at the time in 1973) are also replicated here, while the soft ylang-touched musk selections of Brut also find home into the base. The rest of the scent is basically more or less like Paco, with the mossy elements, the vetiver, the sandalwood, and the stiff “fern” accord that was copied ad infinitum by all the competitors I listed above. Despite being named “Intense”, Brutal Classic Intense really isn’t, and the sillage will reduce within a few hours to a dull whisper, but manages to cling around for maybe a total of six hours. Considering this stuff retails when found for about $10 (unless bought from someone in a marketplace gouging for its rarity outside the European market), I can’t say that I’m disappointed with the middling performance. I’ve paid more for some Avons, and La Rive more or less makes dollar store clones as is.

Operating out of Poland, La Rive supplies much of continental Europe with the equivalent of what brands like Parfums de Coeur or B.O.D. Man/Body Fantasies produces here in the US, meaning bargain-basement (often literally bottom shelf) perfumes and skin products found in drug stores and general merchandisers. Many of the bottles resemble various recognizable packaging from brands like Carolina Herrera, Dior, Davidoff, Chanel, MFK, and more; although what’s in the bottle may not necessarily smell like what the packaging suggests, so the one that looks like Davidoff Cool Water (1988) may for instance, actually smell more like some other aquatic such as Light Blue for Men by Dolce & Gabbana (2007), to mix it up a bit. Of note, La Rive also owns the license for Disney-branded products for the Polish market, but that’s neither here nor there in regards to Brutal Classic Intense. Neutral