Bergamote 22 vs Noir 29
Side by side. Scored honestly.
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Side by side
Comparing the originals — price, breadth, listed-note depth.
Bright and citrus-forward from the first spray, with bergamot and grapefruit doing the heavy lifting in the opening — clean, slightly tart, unmistakably Mediterranean. Petitgrain and neroli add a green, almost soapy softness through the heart without muddying the clarity. Projection is moderate; this sits close to the skin rather than announcing itself across a room. The dry-down is where it earns its keep: vetiver and cedar give just enough woody depth to keep musk from reading as laundry-detergent bland, landing instead as quiet, skin-warm, and genuinely wearable. — Ideal for warm-weather office wear or low-key social settings where understated grooming matters more than presence.
Opens with a sharp pepper bite that cuts through almost immediately to reveal a cold, powdery iris — not floral-sweet, but rooty and slightly medicinal. The leather and oud arrive together in the heart, dense and smoky without veering into outright darkness; the oud reads more resinous than barnyard. Dry-down is where it earns its name: amber and musk soften everything into a warm, skin-close finish with moderate sillage that lingers for hours without announcing itself — an intimate rather than projecting wear. — Late autumn evenings, city dinners, for anyone who wants depth without aggression.
How they overlap
Bergamote 22 and Noir 29 share 2 notes (musk, amber). The same note name doesn't always mean the same scent — different houses use different vanillas, different woods, different musks — but a multi-note shared spine usually does indicate genuinely-comparable wear character. The remaining notes (6 unique to Bergamote 22, 4 unique to Noir 29) are where the divergence happens.
The buying decision
Bergamote 22 is the cheaper original at $198 compared to $325 for Noir 29 — about 39% less. Bergamote 22 is built for spring/summer/fall; Noir 29 for fall/winter. Pick by when you'd actually wear it.
Recommendation
If you're price-sensitive, Bergamote 22 delivers comparable territory at $127 less than Noir 29. If you want the specific character of Noir 29 — the prose above is the better guide than the price — the premium is what you're paying for.