Bigarade concentree Frederic Malle for women and men

Déclaration's brother ? Maybe, but only when it comes to the top notes in that case.

A sharp bitter orange in the opening (very similar to the one in Déclaration), then the green notes come into the composition.
I'd describe it as a sort of toned down Déclaration, without spices.

I like it, even though it's a really weak juice : Bigarade Concentrée sitted close to my skin from the very first minutes, and had poor longevity.

Lovely scent but poor performances for the price.

Jean Claude Ellena is for me a kind of lazy perfumer that has learned to translate his laziness into a style which able to please and attract fans. But I'm disappointed with most of his creations, where one seems to reprise the other but without anything new on the structure. This is for me another variation of the woody -spicy minimalistic structure of Declaration, but here without any cumin and replaced with a fizzy but very bitter lemon aroma, as if you have rubbed the lemon directly into the skin. It sounds natural, but does it sound new? No, it's just a scent that fills this perfumer catalogue, made of some brilliant fragrances and all the uninspired childs he made based on them.

Clearly once more Jean-Claude Ellena got inspired by Edmond Roudnitska's Eau d'Hermes. Declaration, Bigarade and Terre d'Hermes all have this grounded, mature somewhat sanding orange. In comparison with the others Bigarade is calmer, simpler and more natural.

Interestingly enough, Frédéric Malle BIGARADE CONCENTREE appears to have been launched the very same year (2002) as Les Parfums de Rosine UN ZESTE DE ROSE. Citrus rose perfumes are few and far between, in my experience, so I was immediately reminded of the Rosine perfume upon donning the Malle today. Very similar line-up of notes, with the candied citrus rind dominating the rose.

This is a (nearly...) unique combination, and I like it for a change, but now I'm not even sure which of these two citrus rose perfumes I prefer! BIGARADE CONCENTREE opens with something ever-so-slightly rank, but it swiftly floats away so I do not want to eliminate it from contention for that reason alone.

In the end, I'm undecided. I like this perfume, but probably not more than the Rosine variation on the very same theme.

What natural aroma of bitter orange, i feel kind of orange juice, perfect! A dash of rose mixed in an elegant tone, something rich that I can not explain, just feel. The background with a beautiful garden and light woody cedar. Buy some with certainty, even in Brazil it is very hot, it´s a high quality summer spring scent.

I loved it in the bottle but sadly, on my skin, it turned and finished up smelling like cheap room spray. I gave it to my 24 year-old niece who loved it and is now on her third bottle. The moral of this story is - always try a sample first.

true bitter orange..it stings
after a while it round off itself
perhaps could be the rose and at the end you find rose and cedar
i can't detect hay..:-(
very nice bitter,
fresh and easy to wear
for all ages,all day ..unisex :-)
my next purchase


update:I think is the best orange cologne
maybe to much light and transparent but it could be a quality.

A light fresh citrus on me. Given the whopping price tag, I was expecting this to develop into something richer and more substantial, but sillage was low and after about 30 minutes, this had disappeared from trace.

I'm usually not into citrus fragrances but This one is a standout. The opening is absolutely amazing with a "desweetened-candied" orange note that is one of the best around joined in a while by a moderate rose note reinforcing the scent and giving it some complexity and depth. The drydown is quite austere and woody but still very comfortable.

Bigarade Concentrè is one of the few perfumes in which I can stand the Rose note. it's functional, kind of an orange adjuvant and never dominating or overwhelming.

BC has all the JC Ellena hallmarks and for a few aspects it made me think of an expensive and precious prototype of Terre. Marvellous.

Rating: 8/10

Very realistic bitter orange (or in Asia preserved and salted orange/kum kwats).

It only projects 2 hours on me though it will last more than 8 (when I shower I can easily smell it).

As such this probably will only be smelt in hot weather, only a summer fragrance or during humid days....

PV of 12.5% makes this and EDP.

Oh how I love this! It smells of pure citrusy orange and lemon to me, to the point it makes me crave a lemon to eat. I get no rose, no cedar, nothing but citrus in all it's glory. Unfortunately in 10 minutes I get nothing at all. Not the barest whiff left no matter how much or where I spray. This leaves me heartbroken.

Beautiful and pure fresh orange scent. I love it for 30 seconds and it's gone. Way too light a fragrance for me. Too bad, as my bottle is signed by Fredric Malle personally. It's a great fragrance for a lighter skin type do not want something imposing. Great for the office.

The sunlight glints on the waxen shell of the orange, and brings the fragrance experience which cannot be forged as gift for us. This is an explosion if I should characterize it with a sound. Unforgettable delicate citrous like that, succulent sweets manage to get into my reason from the fragrance, that feeling like this, Aqua Di Parma Arancia Di Capri-yeah caused at me last. The aroma of the fruity sweets spicy one, and the rose makes it unique him chortling, who constantly jabbers into the calmness of the seaside idyll. Fragrance lasting long, the head of which some woody component, which the northern cedar lends, opens in his bases, with a drop of green grassy character. Bigarade keeps his light, a fresh refreshment throughout his strength our start, a glow-worm calling some with his lamp in the night even glitter.

I've just tried Bigarade Concentree on my wrist and it smells exactly as my hand used to smell after peeling an orange. It has got that bitter orange zest smell in the top notes. Cedar and even more grass form the base of the scent but never at any point is the orange lost.
Bigarade Concentree is masculine enough for any man.
To me, oranges are particularly attached to christmas, so I'd wear it as a cozy winter scent.

I never thought that I could like a citrus based scent; but I guess you have to test one that is masterfully blended, like Bigarade concentree! Rich citrus is the key to this scent being wearable to me, I would not like it if it screamed "I am Orange!" No, this scent says calmly and confidently "I am nature and I am succulent." I imagine orange slices left to warm in the sun, then savored in late afternoon while sitting among tall grass with your back against a tree. The more I sniff, the more I appreciate and admire this scent. Not for everyone, Definitely has the "cologne" thing about it that Veruska mentioned and it would be considered too "manly" for some. I don't subscribe to those barriers, and feel quite confident and unapologetic about loving this scent!

I concur with everything veruska says.
I feel like I am in the minority. Just adore this along with the Cologne.
It is in my top 5 fragrances and nothing comes close.

This is one of the first niches that i ever had and a summer staple that i just can't be without.The bitter orange that sings cologne with heavy french accent, the rose that never leads to feminine paths but give a simmering beauty and the fantastic grounded( for a cologne) cedar ending conclude in perfection. I find it very strange that nobody else reviewed that, one of J.C. Ellena's undiscovered masterpieces. I take a bow!