Cabotine

Oh, yes, smells very 1990s Big White Orange Blossom, with syrupy sweet tuberose, a sense of little girly Lily of the Valley and a hint of indole. It’s actually nicely feminine and doesn’t scream Shoulder Pads, but it’s mostly a sweet big white floral, which isn’t my thing.

I like this scent, it makes you happy, feel elegant, but be careful on how much you spray it, it can be overwhelming and can cause headaches. And the places where you spray it. Great price, interesting clean, fresh floral, green scent, a bit soapy but in a likeable way. If you want a long lasting scent, take the EDP, not EDT. For me it lasted 6 hours if I don't overspray. Mostly in spring, summer, day, I think in fall you can still pull this.

Cabotine is a very complex scent , ...and even if a few listed notes are only marketing and mirrors, that still leaves at least twenty in the mix, and all intricately blended and balanced so that little becomes overly obvious. I do get coriander and ginger in the opening, but nothing exceptionally green despite the cap colour. (More about that cap below). Of course there is a cavalcade of florals. tuberose, ylang-ylang, and carnation are indeed dominant, ...and rose, as usual, is notable even in the background. The base seems mostly sandalwood, musk, and amber. I detect very little civet, ...but a goodly amount of vanilla, even though many others seem to have voted down its presence. In a very inexact, but still suggestive, way this does remind me of Vanderbilt. I enjoy Cabotine and salute its continued existence. It remains a valiant survivor of a lost age of splendour. Its name fittingly enough means something akin to drama queen, diva, or show-off, ...though of course the name was also selected to play off Gres' already classic fragrance, Cabochard. The bottle cap for Cabotine deserves special mention. It is one of perfumery's unforgettably bizarre visual talismans. Once seen, never forgotten. Exactly what it's supposed to represent is not clear. The individual "flowers" of the clustered head look most like phlox or flax, ..but neither flower is noted for Cabotine. Actually the entire cap also reminds me of a green carnation, which coincidentally enough is also the title of the self-portrait painting from which the facial detail was selected as my Fragrantica avatar. The painting in its entirety also shows a large and expanding structure in the background, suggestive of both a bouquet of green carnations and a nuclear explosion's mushroom cloud. Make of that what you will.

Fresh and easy day fragrance.

Cabotine is ment to be a daughter perfume to Cabochard, which i just reviewed and which i included in my historic perfumes series. Its ment to be a perfume made with Cabochard in mind, only destined for a younger generation. I didn’t know anything about Cabochard yet i felt the urge to highlight its scent quality and i found it to be up there with the legendary, mature offerings that became staples of perfumery. Cabotine on the other hand is a perfume i heard about and its precisely for this reason, an allegedly very good price to quality ratio creation. I remember seeing it mentioned often when my main concern was to find cheap-but-expensive-smelling perfumes. Now that i get to smell it, i see where its related to Cabochard because there are similarities but there are also major differences between the two. First, they are similar in their use of florals. The way i see it, with Cabotine they extracted the floral part out of Cabochard and built the perfume on that field. Through this process it helps me better understand Cabochard and what made it ultimately feminine and not “butch” despite the darker chypre elements. Cabotine showcases those gentle elements that give the lady-like feel of Cabochard, only here they work by themselves, unbothered and unburdened by the weightier accords such as leather and oakmoss found in Cabochard. That is where the two perfumes part ways and where the major differences are. Cabotine loses the dark chypre elements entirely so its bound to be a “prettier” perfume. Incase i raised a concern, Cabotine doesn’t feel like its missing anything and it doesn’t feel like a perfume out of which something was taken and there are empty spaces left in it. Again, its the simple case of taking the florals out and building them up without anchoring them down with the dark chypre base. Althought Cabotine is promoted as “the daughter of Cabochard”, i’d rather say its her sister. It is prettier and gentler but given its dominant vintage-y white florals, it doesn’t feel like a younger perfume, atleast not when compared to what is trending now. I’d even argue that because its a straight-forward white floral to my nose and a less complex perfume then Cabochard, it feels even more vintage in aproach then “her mother”. The complexity and intricacy of Cabochard tricks the nose into believing its a more timeless perfume. There might be personal bias at play here because white florals done in a certain fatty, creamy-soapy way do give me an oldschool feeling and that is exactly how they are done in Cabotine. Tuberose in particular gives me this impression and its heavy handedly dosed in Cabotine, hence why the vintage impression. Once again, my impression might be flawed because the tuberose eclipses every other note or accord to my nose. Circling back to scent quality, the rumors were right. This perfume doesn’t feel inferior to any other women’s perfume i’ve ever got to try and even if i ditch any gender classifications, there are absolutely no facets to it that would indicate an affordable perfume, quite the contrary. I noticed that whenever i talk about a composition that feels distinguished or of good quality, i tend to use the word “perfume” over words such as “scent” or “fragrance”. In a way, the word im inclined to use is an indicator to myself on how much i respect a certain composition. Both with Cabochard and Cabotine, i naturally gravitated towards the word “perfume”.

Leggo delle recensioni atroci che lo definiscono orribile, da vomito,addirittura lo buttano nella spazzatura... poi immagino che si riempiano di oudh e vaniglie fruttate tossiche e chimiche come gli arbre magique... Pazienza. A me non ricorda il Tendre poison perchè puntano su elementi ben diversi. Cabotine è un mix di tanta roba ma alla fine sulla pelle è molto sensuale e voluttuoso, ha un cuore speziato e pungente molto carino,dentro un turbine di tuberosa e prugna,un tocco verde e acerbo di galbanum.

It smells like an era before social media, back when idiots actually had the decency to feel ashamed of their own stupidity. A time of impeccably tailored clothes and handmade shoes, when the world didn’t rush blindly forward and people actually talked to one another.This fragrance is aggressively unmodern. The basic, clueless Karens who drool over sickly-sweet slop that smells like apple-pie vomit will be utterly repulsed. Let them have their garbage. True connoisseurs, however, will worship this masterpiece.

Eau de cyclospora contaminated lettuce 🥬

My aunt gave me a small bottle. This doesn’t smell good. It smells like old lady, old wooden church seats and bad breath with a mess to mask the stink. No matter what I do, I can’t bring myself to like it. It’s aged maybe I need a new bottle. Maybe my bottle is very old. I wanna like it, but there’s something in it… that’s giving old church lady.

I get the sense that the perfumer just threw everything but the kitchen sink (including the vegetable peels at the bottom) into a vat. Looking at the notes, it appears I'm correct. Very heavy, indolic floral. Clings to your skin forever, and ever and ever...and ever. A scrubber.

I ended up getting rid of it. Something about it is not just floral, but also very green and vegetal, like smelling a cabbage. Or smelling some freshly cut iceberg lettuce. That, blending in with the white florals, becomes something horrible on my skin.

Great, classic Summer fragrance. Hints at Tendre Poison. It reminds me of the smell of the entire box of single note bath cubes wrapped in foil and paper from the 80's that had Freesia, Violet, Jasmine, Rose, etc in one box and the bathroom would smell like the box. Lovely floral.

What a peculiar creation. This is like: What should I put in this? -- YES! It's a really indistinguishable blend, very difficult to pick apart. Initially I was overwhelmed, then I was still overwhelmed, and now I'm overwhelmed all over again. I don't think that ever stops. This scent never leaves, and is now living in my nose. Anyway, the performance is nuclear. Not even a hint of weakening after five hours. I can see why this is such a polarizing fragrance. This is so '80s it couldn't be more '80s. Don't be fooled by the 1990 release date — this is a fragrance with shoulder pads and a huge perm. But what is it, exactly? It's green and floral, but also powdery and fruity, animalic, musky, and woody, all at once and all in very bold intensity. I chuckled imagining someone wearing this in the '90s with a sleek, minimalist slip dress. No. Absolutely not. Not gonna lie, this smells manic as hell, but I appreciate the olfactory maximalism as a creative direction. It also smells like an incredibly strong vintage shampoo. It's everything you want it to be, and probably several things you don't. For me, though, this particular style of greenery doesn't quite work. I'm simply not crazy enough to pull this one off. Edit: Next day, and my whole bedroom now smells of it. It became a little salad-y. Also a bit like beer.

This is what hugging my mom when i was little smelled like❤️

One of the greatest perfumes of all time! Layer with cobachard ! Vintage if you can . Absolutely the most beautiful fragrance ❤️

This was a blind buy at Marshalls for $18. When I first sprayed it, the coriander top note was very noticeable because I unfortunately have the soapy coriander gene. But after 10-15 minutes, it settled into something very nice, soft, and delicate. I would recommend spraying it only once from a distance though, otherwise it gets really heavy. To me, this is a heavily ylang ylang forward scent.

Se volete odorare di anziana signora è perfetto per voi.. Ho acquistato questo profumo taglia piccola per fortuna, ora dovrò capire come usarlo, certamente non su di me 😅

I like it but I also don't. If the weather is not perfectly spring-like the powdery-ness feels too out-of-balance, but when the daffodils and tulips are in bloom it feels like the perfect daytime companion, but then and only then.

I should have liked this. I did not. It was so distasteful that I couldn’t even bring myself to give it to the thrift store. I worried I’d smell it in the community so I threw it away. Edit- this stuff is possessed. I threw this bottle in the trash. Four months later I found it in the back of my perfume cabinet. So just beware this stuff comes with a family curse.

I've owned this for a while and sometimes I really crave putting it on, especially when I'm feeling grim in the winter. It makes me nostalgic for simpler times when I would wear it more often, and is one of the only scents I still wear from my teen years. The opening is kind of unpleasant but I persevere through it. It smells like dark coloured cough syrup, a very thick overly sweet but also kind of medicinal smell. But on me this only lasts a few minutes and then becomes a cheerful, soapy floral. Even though it's soapy, I wouldn't necessarily call this a clean smell. There's still a sort of over-ripe fruit / thick honey undertone that carries throughout and makes it stick out from other white floral perfumes I've tried. I also get little sparkly twinges of ginger every once in a while! 7/10 I never get bored of wearing Cabotine, but I wouldn't want to wear it everyday either

In theory, I like Cabotine. I love florals, I love big BOLD florals, and this one has all of the right notes and comparisons to pique my interest. Plus the bottle is absurdly cute! There is some good to be found here. The florals here are indeed bold and beautiful! It has a certain languid wetness to it that I feel like gives it this warm spring morning energy. The density of the notes is so well blended, I can hardly pick up on individual notes at all. I can maybe pick up on the hyacinth and the ginger, but they are laid buried beneath a mountain of other flowers and notes. In a way, it reminds me of Amarige, but only in passing. As it dries down and warms up on the skin, I catch this delicious honeyed floral note in the sillage of the scent. It just sort of radiates off the skin as I am going about my day and really catches me off guard in the best way. I'll also add, the price point to performance ratio for this composition is bonkers, it lasts all day long and feels intense hours later! And yet, I do not like it. My bottle is the Eau de Parfum, and for as impressive as its performance is for the price, I feel like the composition is too strong in all of the wrong areas on my skin. It doesn't feel like a lush floral garden, it feels brash and rough and exceptionally sharp! I keep waiting and waiting for the scent to warm up and unravel, but it just keeps blasting this inexplicable bitter note that I cannot place as anything in its listed structure. Maybe it is the hyacinth? The black currant? A combination? Whatever the culprit, it is inescapable for hours after I spray it. I don't dare wear this out in public, I'd be worried for anyone to come within a two foot radius of me. Which is a shame, because the sillage of the fragrance is really and truly quite lovely! Although it'd be against my best judgement, I would be curious to try the Eau de Toilette version of this scent. Maybe it smooths out the Eau de Parfum's rough edges and I'll come around to the Cabotine DNA. But as of now, I keep a wide berth from it.

This perfume to me is a timeless masterpiece. I have been wearing it since my 20s and I am now 40. I wore this at my wedding. It smells unique, happy, aromatic. Makes me feel more feminine and it lifts my mood instantly. It's one of those that agrees with my skin so much that I cannot see it as old. It's just great for me forever. Love whoever made this 🌹 a big thank you!

i really like my cabotine body lotion. aldehydes almost go to a chlorine or bleach place but just toes the line between that and soapy enough that it’s lovable, very summery. reminds me of a water park.

I’m not crazy about the sour (tangerine, plum, currant), spicy-carnation (pungent and almost chocolatey) opening… But once this has dried down on fabric, it turns into a very clean, classic elegant floral soap smell that is comforting, clean, and uplifting

My mother is a big fan of Tendre Poison, but given that it's nearly impossible to find nowadays, she wears this one a lot. From what she and I remember, Cabotine is around 70% similar. Yeah, something is "off", but to its credit it feels classy enough, it's very cheap, and it has great performance. If you love Tendre Poison, this one will at least leave you with nice thoughts.

I blind bought the EDT. I had high expectations after reading some really enthusiastic reviews, but unfortunately it didn't work for me. It's an indolic, sharp, complex green floral with a vintage feel. However, there's a dense, somewhat chemical facet that I can't get past, which at first reminds me of burnt tires... or is it something animalic? Maybe it's the civet note? It definitely needs to be sprayed with a light hand, from a bit of a distance, so it diffused more softly, and given some time to settle. All that said, upon trying it for a third time before giving it away... I can sort of see its appeal. It's a lush floral with a lot of green, a honeyed sweetness, and a bright, uplifting character. Though I don't find it exactly light, as it definitely has a sort of darker, denser undercurrent. In the end, it doesn't align with my taste and personality, so I find it difficult to read on myself. Edit: Gave it to a friend and she loves it.

I love Cabotine EDT so naturally I had to get the EDP as well. They are very different indeed. The EDT is a very bright and cheery floral. It feels youthful in a vintage way. The EDP is more mature, more aldehydic, and a bit more perfume-y to my nose. I like both, but I prefer the EDT. Also: I think this is the best value for money you can get in a perfume, honestly. Wdym less than €10 for 100ml??

It’s very vegetaly. Like aggressively green. One spray and I feel like I just chopped a whole salad. Fresh-cut stems everywhere. Floral? Yes. Elegant? Debatable. Vegetal? Absolutely. One spray and I’m in a greenhouse being personally attacked by every flower in existence. And it’s incredibly strong too. Just when you’re settling into the bouquet, something growls softly in the background. Off putting animals. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to smell like a salad that’s been secretly dating a civet. I’m aware this is considered some sort of masterpiece, but it’s not for me. And the bottle… I’m sorry, but it looks like a glamorous piece of broccoli. I can’t unsee it. Bro, I like bold… but this thing is feral.

I knew the perfume, but whenever tried something was a bit off, so never really had a proper chance to try. Came across a bottle at a sale, so even if I wouldn't like the scent I would not regret - and boy, this one is something else! First of all, the aldehydes are just way too much, mixed with kind of horse p*ss that I remember from my horseriding times. So basically you enter a not so clean stable where there's been a washing done - and you kind of regret putting it on. Like, who would, in which universe. There are no backsies so the scent (!!!) takes you for a crazy ride. There's some grassy notes, a lot of mint, tons of aldehydes and white flowers on hiacynths and woodsy-resiny notes trying to push trhough. This is the moment that make you think of Blue Grass and remind you to be patient, because soon you will be taken to a very different place: milky, powdery, with a hint of incense and white church lilies. And I want to smell like that forever.

Had to come back after a couple years of having this perfume (EDT). I have to say the yellow flowers in this are coming out more and more and are absolutely overpowering on first spray. The ylang-ylang note combined with something musky in the base just makes this nauseatingly fecal for the first 20 mins. I'm definitely still getting bits of Tendre Poison DNA but that's the only reason I'll spray this at all these days.