Mechant Loup

Spicy woody with some oriental sweetness touch . I imagine this smell in a cottage or in room with a lot of wood furniture with book shelves . Or the smell of a lobby of an old hotel .

Nathan86 can you please clarify what you mean by notes not touching? I find this fascinating and wonder if it is similar to my experience of Mechant Loup. I like the notes but they don’t land for me as a harmonised whole. The impression I get is akin to opening a bag of choc coated liquorice bullets that I can sniff- but not eat. And when I finally can eat them, the liquorice is hard, the chocolate is cheap/chemical tasting, and so it is lacking a melting mouthfeel where flavours and textures can combine. (Note: I don’t find the smells in Mechant Loup chemical or cheap, but I get a strong association with cheap liquorice bullets!) The overall impression is safe-for-work while still being interesting, but ultimately unsatisfying.

Mechant Loup is two parts easy and pretty, one part odd, and another part misleading. Let's start with the misleading part: the name literally translates to Bad Wolf. You won't find anything bad or evil, or animalic or canine here. In fact, I don't detect anything cognizent or even vaguely emotional in Mechant Loup. Now, on to one of the easy and pretty parts. The opening is an aldehydic, floral honey, and peppery anise melange that smells of cured pipe tobacco. The pepper is a bit fruity green, the aldehydes give a cured and powdery density, the honey is as bright as the sun and smells of sweet flower pollen, and the anisic note is the backbone of many tobacco accords. Despite these notes that are typically quite heavy and durable, the top departs fairly quickly to go to a wet earth and spicy heart that, to my nose, smells like immortelle and/or fenugreek. Licorice is not far off, but with the bright and sweet honey still slightly stringing down from the heart to coat the still-present anise, turning slowly to notes of sweet and unctuous toasted nuts, a myrrh note appears that knocks proceedings pleasantly off balance. Here is the one part odd. There are not enough notes "touching each other" to be immortelle, it's the same case for fenugreek, nor is the whole of the accord licorice, and I think the myrrh is to blame as it's trying to be steered towards its salty green resinous side but it doesn't quite make it there. Quite peculiar but very far from pushy. The base is the last part pretty, but it also has a bit of oddness. Damp mosses and woods are given a healthy dose of soapy white musks. Like the myrrh in the heart, the musks don't really seem to touch the other materials - like you're peering through a haze or a very thin curtain at mosses and woods on the other side. Interesting in a pretty way, and just odd enough to keep you going back to it out of curiosity. Bad? Lupine? No, hardly. A very pretty, quiet scene out of some unique natural setting is significantly more apt. Wearing Mechant Loup is never a special experience, but it is always a pleasant and quirky one.

Really spicy, warm, and a bit punchy. Right from the start, you get that sweet, mentholated hit of licorice, lightly syrupy, mixed with powdered saffron, freshly ground allspice, dry coriander seeds, and candied ginger. As it settles, a subtle herbaceous, earthy freshness from vetiver shows up, more noticeable as the scent dries down, giving a nice contrast to all that spice. The base is woody, dry, and gently sweet, maybe with a hint of palo santo over aged, mellowed woods. Feels pretty masculine to me, though anyone could wear it. It’s warm and intense, not something I’d reach for in the height of summer. It lasts around seven hours on my skin. In this resinous-spicy-woody territory, Timbuktu from the same house still wins hands down: sacred, bohemian, a real masterpiece.

Direi che è esclusivamente maschile come fou d'absinthe,timbuktu e anche dzonghka. Non li sento adatti a una signora,anche se potrebbero dare un tocco più hard e freddino a una persona femminile. Questo del lupo è un odore piuttosto marrone e verde cupo che ricorda un vecchio profumo anni 70 maschile. Non mi piace particolarmente anche se non è male. Ha note verdi secche e legnose, non è molto romantico né rientra fra i miei profumi sognarti preferiti.

Sweet nutty and woody, but not in a sickly way. It somehow manages to avoid becoming cloying and syrupy. Praline chocolates in a fresh forest. Very Duchafour i.e. all about the blend rather than individual notes. Personally I think it smelled better on the sales lady than on me and I’d reach for other things before this, but it’s still a great offering. Perfect for autumn when it starts to turn colder and wetter, and you need something a bit cosy without going full out winter gourmand.

I once had a summer romance with a girl who wore this so I am biased, however this remains a beautiful, unisex nieche fragrance. The licorice and honey work so well together, and to this day I haven't really smelled other fragrances like it. If my memories were not tied to the scent, I would buy this for myself. LP sell samples of this on their website, so if you are curious, try it.

Why is this giving me "Baby Guidance" vibes. Hazelnuts?

Liciriced honey nut in wooden box. I take it as a gourmand scent. So lovely and unique. Performance is not so impressive, same as all other fragrances with prominant hazelnut note. I deeply fall in love with the warm and cozy feeling given by Mechant loup.I love Merchant loup and I love Bertrand too 😊

Delicious licorice and hazelnut/coconut cream against myrrh and woody herbaceous notes I did not know what to expect based on the suggested fragrances above. So when I found a ridiculous deal on an old golden Artisan bottle with the green label, I had low expectations, especially when reading the blatantly disrespectful Luca Turin review stating it is the scent of a 'wet dog', giving a Dechafour creation 1/5 without proper justification. Opinions about Turin aside, this is by far the most i have ever disagreed with him. Mechant Loup is a mirage to my nose. Spraying it on I immediately got the scent of actual licorice root, not anise/star anise/anise alcohol, but more of a wormwood, soft spicy but also tender, damp and a bit green woody. This top note soon fades into a slightly musty herbaceous facet more akin to immortelle or Fenugreek, like in ELDO Afternoon of a Faun, but significantly less penetrating and aggressive. Just as we enter strange territory the nutty, creamy, velvety praline accord emerges, something between honey, nougat and a coconut-based treat, emerges. As the immortelle-like herbaceous qualities fade I start sensing a warm and dry myrrh in the background, the sweet concoction persisting till the very end. It is this interplay between dry woody herbal accord and sweet creamy and syrupy accord that strikes a beautiful balance. Its feels both tender but also satisfying, somehow delicious but also damp and musty. Its hard do explain and the best I can compare it to is like a perfect 50:50 meeting point between ELDO Afternoon of a Faun, but stripped of its intense floral facets and the other nutty Dechafour gourmands. I regret not trying it earlier. If you are looking for something unique but wearable this is a good starting point.

Méchant Loup is an olfactory tale in which the wolf does not seem so evil: it turns out to be rather charming, imbued with an elegant gourmandise and a woody depth which evoke comfort rather than fear. First it is the licorice, sweet, then the wood which adds a dry heat evoking the crunchy leaves of an undergrowth, and finally the honey which envelops everything with a gourmet and cocooning aura. However, everything remains perfectly balanced thanks to this woody base which prevents the perfume from sinking into excessive sweetness. This 'Bad Wolf' is a wolf disguised as a lamb: it is not threatening, rather welcoming and friendly to better achieve its ends. For my part, I really appreciated it.

My partner’s signature scent. Nutty, woody, sweet with spices and super super sexy.

This scent is so smooth and elegant! Herbal, nutty, fresh...woody and with a sweet myrrh drydown. I like this a lot but probably is better suited for a man. A handsome and sexy one.

At first, it’s sandalwood. Then, the sweetness and nuts. By the time the licorice comes through, I want the recipe of this dessert I’ve never had. I am not sure if this gourmand produces too much of a Pavlovian response to be appreciated as a fragrance. I am just waiting for the woody/earthy notes, the myrrh, and the resins, but, they take a good 15 minutes to appear. Finally, I am getting a damp log cord by the woods, definitely decaying and autumnal. I am thinking this would be the ultimate Thanksgiving Day fragrance, matching the flavors (sweet and earthy) on the spread. But, I definitely prefer this fragrance after the first half hour, when the honey and hazelnut die down, and the myrrh starts to come through. I’m not precisely sure why someone decided to stick licorice into this fragrance. I guess it turns the wooded area into a pine forest surrounding a glacial lake...? All in all, this is delicious and lovely for special occasions and certain times of year, though I’m not sure I could turn this into an every day favorite. EDIT: I just read that this is supposed to be a masculine fragrance and that makes sense. As a feminine fragrance this might be a little too intense.

Reminds me of the very first Drakar Noir.

It's a very nice scent, very nutty, decidedly unisex maybe leaning more masculine. Liquorice may not be for everybody but in this it's very balanced and pleasant.

Honey, licorice (especially on the dry-down), woods and herbs. Rather refreshing, sweet and herbal. Light, does not project. I would only wear this if you like the smell of licorice.

I don’t come around very often, but I have to admit that Mechant Loup is better than I thought initially. Maybe I didn’t try it properly (again). In the end, it smells like a “modernized/emasculated” fougère. There’s lavender, there’s tonka, but the aromatics and the mossy base are substituted for accords approaching the current demand, so to speak. And there’s that Duchaufour touch: the element that links what was to what is: in this case, aniseed. Give it a chance.

Yeah…like some others below, I’m a bit confused? Do I have some reformulated version with a different pyramid? This doesn’t smell anything at all like the described notes, which is really a shame. I was so excited for this one, and I just smell…maybe some myrrh and powdery woods? It’s decidedly masculine but frankly uninteresting. Miles and miles away from what I’m used to expecting from L’Artisan.

Smells like liquorice and boba tea

Sweet Hazelnut and woods, and I agree with others as I’m not picking up the licorice note. I’m thinking my sample might have expired.

As per previous reviewers, I am also having trouble with this scent. Very weak and no wolf to be found. Where is the licorice?

Let’s talk about Méchant Loup, The Big Bad Wolf. I find the title a bit ostentatious, as I cannot identify the “Wolf”. The most prominent note appears to be toasted hazelnut, with whispers of sandalwood. For an Eau de Toilette Spray, it truly wears like an Eau de Parfum. That could never be a bad thing. This simply suggests that the product was made exceptionally well. Not a single flower exists in this note pyramid. To my nose the primary notes are as follows; toasted hazelnut, vanilla, tonka bean, anise and sandalwood. Very warm, somewhat green and somewhat gourmand. Not exactly my style, but I cannot disregard the quality. 5 stars for incredible staying power and uniqueness of scent. I wish this brand were more accessible in the United States.

This is a woody fragrance for sure. That's not sweet like sugar, it's mostly smooth. It's really minty, fresh and also smooth with some honey notes and hazelnuts. This fragrance is not extraordinary but it stands out. Definitely masculine. Not my cup of tea but good creation. 💙 Male ❄️Cold Seasons 📌 Personal Note: 6.5 / 10

All I'm getting is a slightly sweet, kinda minty, fresh wood scent that's so close to my skin I gotta bury my nose in my wrist to smell it... Uh, it's nice but I barely smell anything. It's like someone rinsed out the original, empty bottle of fragrance with alcohol and then sold me that. I bought this sample from LuckyScent.com

For a time, this was my absolute favourite scent. It's what got me following the career of Bertrand Duchaufour, collecting his fragrances, and ultimately turned me into the frag-head I am today. The first thing I'd like to say about this scent is that I think Anglicising this as "Bad Wolf" is a huge mistake, as that makes it sound dark and threatening - the feel is much more "Naughty Wolf", a confident young wolf behaving badly, carrying the smell of woods and booze. "Bad", yes, but not "Big Bad Wolf" bad, more "cheeky/sassy" bad. I find myself returning to this scent all these years after my initial purchase, as I realised I never reviewed it, and I wanted to clarify the feeling I get from the name. Also, I should probably mention that it bears a striking resemblance to La Nuit de l'Homme by YSL, to the point where it could almost be a flanker - if you appreciate that scent, but feel like it needs a niche twist to set it apart, you will find this a pleasant and worthwhile buy. For me, my taste has gone much more aromatic/woodsy/green, warm leather, or slap-your-face citrus in the last few years, but on a cool-ish (ca.55-65° F) evening in the late spring, and all throughout summer and autumn, it's a catch.

I assume my sample is of the post-2016 formulation, but I can definitely sense some wickedness in this - Iiquorice always makes me think of witchcraft, bubbling cauldrons, dark forests, etc, and it's the most dominant note for me, rounded out by the honey and sweet hazelnut. A good autumnal fragrance, sweet and strange and ever so slightly sinister.

I don’t know what notes do that to me but all I could smell was fenugreek and dear god do I hate that spice. It might be the myrrh and honey together.. it’s not bad per se, just very resinous, almost waxy ? I don’t know if you can say that about a scent ? Lasts long (5 hours ish) on skin but doesn’t project at all. Definitely unisex imo.

This smells like sauna <3 i love it, although I probably won't purchase it.

The opening is filtered sunlight through the trees and forest honey. More reverie than fanfare. Sweet, but also shadowy, with a nebulous milky element. Someone is peering through the trees, I see. The heart reveals more licorice and the creaminess becomes drier, more wistful, greener even, with the woods and their resins overcoming the honeyed glow. It dries to a whisper of sweetness, cedar, and sandalwood. It's twilight in the old growth forest. This one is a very personal fragrance, not a showstopper. Be that as it may, this brings the enchantment, and for that, I am happy.