Zizonia, the last introduction in the Anthology collection from Penhaligon's is claimed to be "a mysterious and nomadic oriental from the 1930's". But it's rather a perfume from the collection of formulae borrowed from Symrise where Jean Claude Ellena worked before Hermès. In fact, Zizonia is a bad attempt to imitate Declaration (Cartier) with its unmistakable spicy facet cumin and cardamom over a woody base. It smells as if the perfumer tried to produce a feminine version based on an original perfume that never existed, but he was unlucky. First, the perfume is too close to Jean Claude Ellena's masterpiece, and this is unacceptable from a brand supposed to be niche, artistic, exclusive, special. Second, the perfume becomes very discordant with a spicy metallic freshness that is bad like a burning "Azzaro pour homme" aftershave on your face. Maybe Penhaligon's should think twice before launching perfumes like Zizonia or should think to hire a competent artistic director to guide the perfumer and to avoid common technical mistakes and intellectual property issues.
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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art
