Duro by Nasomatto

You can tell it performs much better on skin than on a tester strip. It starts a bit sour and spicy, but after settling in (about 10 minutes), the earthy and mossy notes take over with plenty of patchouli and vetiver. It feels like jumping straight into the dry-down of a chypre. It’s not hard to wear, but it’s definitely for people over 35. It’s very linear with little evolution. Projection and sillage are decent but nothing special. Lasts about 8 hours. A good perfume, though I prefer others with more initial complexity.

Every time I try Nasomatto or Orto Parisi, I’m surprised. The quality is insane. With Duro, it’s the same as with Pardon: hard to describe, but it intoxicates and is addictive. I don’t worry about identifying the listed notes; I just enjoy it and let myself be carried away, letting the perfume speak for itself.

You can detect dense light and dark woods, liquor (they say whisky), something floral, leather, patchouli, and fresh oud. The opening is dense and takes time to separate; in the dry-down, the leather fuses with the patchouli, giving a masculine and vintage vibe.

What a great name choice for Gualtieri to call this ‘Duro’. To reflect something rough and virile, he chose a composition centered around musk, making it perhaps the most musky in the house (excluding Silver Musk). What feels hard to me is smelling it and finding nothing. They talk about leather and spices, but it smells like pure Cashmeran. There’s only a hint of Safraleine in the opening that recalls saffron, like in Oud for Greatness, but the overdose of Cashmeran covers everything up. For me, it’s a mistake: too much to handle.

Duro isn’t for everyone, and not everyone can wear it; it’s anything but conventional. While oud collections are growing like mushrooms, Alessandro Gualtieri shows how to make it different. Few times has agarwood been staged so well. With its woody and almost spicy opening, it takes no prisoners. Hospital? Office? Better a gang of woodcutters working in a forest in the Dolomites. There’s an alkaline green note, of dry dust and moss. Then comes the base: more wood and an indescribably soft suede. No fruits or flowers, just the smoky sweetness of oud and an alcoholic touch that triumphs later. It’s dry and relaxing, a wooden hideout in the middle of nowhere. It lives on the skin and permeates the air with balsamic accords. Lasts 8-10 hours. It’s defining, but it becomes annoying if you don’t handle it well. I won’t buy it because I have similar ones, but if you have it handy, try it.

Nasomatto Duro: starts with smoky and liquorish notes mixed with earthy bases, woods, and leather coming all at once. It ends the same; in the dry-down, the smokiness drops a bit. It doesn’t evolve; it’s very linear. It smells good and elegant, but doesn’t stand out. It’s not that versatile and the projection leaves something to be desired. The price for 30ml is expensive. Age: 28+. 100% Masculine. Seasons: Fall and Winter. Occasions: Night outs and dates. Scent: 7.8/10. Sprays: 5. Longevity: 8/10. Duration: 6h. Sillage: 7/10. Projection: 7.5/10. Versatility: 7/10. Value for money: 6.5/10. Final score: 7.3/10. Thanks and see you next time.

Imagine being an archaeologist: you dig in damp earth, open a moldy wooden door, and step into an ancient knights’ hall. Dark wood, worn leather chairs, dust, and lingering smoke and musk. It’s a hard, strong, serious, and resilient masculine scent. It goes with casual or elegant attire, but not ultra-casual. It has great projection and longevity on the skin. It smells like an older man who has already made a name for himself and is comfortable at the gaming table. If you like woody aromas, give it a try.

Leather, woods, and a stony masculine vibe in the bottle. Fantastic! Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

First Pardon, now Duro: it seems they’ve fallen victim to reformulation, and they’re not even a shadow of what they used to be; not even the niche segment is saving them. I tested Black Afgano a couple of years ago, and it was very good with incredible performance; I thought about buying it later, but now I have doubts. Has anyone tried it recently and can share their thoughts on its current performance?

Another Nasomatto discovery that stands apart from everything known. From the start, dry leather, not excessive, with some wood; quite linear but very original and masculine. Projection and longevity are decent, though to draw a good conclusion, I need to test it in cold weather in a few months. Different from Pardon or Black Afgano; I see it for cold weather and nights, not too unisex. I liked it, though I wouldn’t put it on my acquisition list.

This perfume is very kind to my skin; 3 sprays at 7:30 AM and it’s now 9 PM, after I’ve showered, and it’s still on my skin. No need to say how long it lasts on clothes; it’s really worth every euro it costs. I use it 2 to 3 times a week and always get compliments; in my case, it projects a lot and after 6 hours it just stays there, living with you.

I’m testing this perfume and it’s surprising me a lot because it’s nothing like I expected; I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad surprise… On one hand, it surprises me for the good from an aromatic standpoint. I had read and seen so many reviews talking about how potent it is, comparing it to Gucci Guilty Absolute or Kilian’s Dark Lord, that I expected a hyper-powerful leather bomb smelling like gasoline. Instead, I found a very well-constructed and wearable leather scent, for me almost even closer to Tuscan Leather, with a spicy part that balances that wild side of the leather very well and makes it very pleasant. I’m not a fan of perfumes with pronounced leather notes, so I was a bit afraid of this one, but I loved the aroma. I’d use it without any problem or hesitation. Also, I find it totally unisex and I can imagine any woman wearing this perfectly. On the other hand, it surprised me a bit for the bad from the performance standpoint. Just because I expected a bomb of a perfume, I expected significant longevity and projection. The longevity isn’t bad, but for an extrait de parfum and comparing it to other Nasomatto perfumes, even Orto Parisi ones which are supposed to have a slightly lower essence concentration, it feels quite meager. The projection is very, very soft, turning Duro into a very discreet perfume, which goes against its name in no way. In fact, I even noticed the perfume’s texture isn’t as dense as other brands from the house. I have Pardon in my collection and have used Black Afgano several times; either one, when applied to the skin, produces a somewhat oily sensation, as if the liquid is a bit denser than in other perfumes. Duro, however, evaporated quickly and I didn’t get that sensation upon application. So although it smells very well, much better than I expected, I don’t think it behaves like a true extrait de parfum, and therefore I’d never pay what they ask for it. Just like when I tested Pardon and it seemed worth it because it offered very good performance and an original, different aroma, in the case of Duro, I think there are many other much cheaper options in the market that can replace it perfectly or even improve it. Aroma: 8. Longevity: 7.5. Projection: 6. Value/Quality: 4. Versatility: 6. Originality: 6. Overall: 7.5.

The opening is woody and I sensed a bit of smoke. Soon the leather comes out and, together with the wood, dominates the fragrance. Very powerful and masculine. I wouldn’t go with more than 2 applications. It’s practically linear and for cold weather. A mature perfume; young people should abstain. But Duro has a problem, and its name is Gucci Guilty Absolute. Yes, it’s designer, but it doesn’t look like one, and the quality is very high. If I didn’t know the Gucci perfume, I’d say it’s niche. Gucci seems more interesting to me than Duro, and I like it more. Both are challenging and powerful, super masculine.

I like it. It smells like new furniture, just like when you unwrap a newly made, assembled, glued, and varnished piece. It’s masculine, simple, and linear. Out of the whole line I’ve tried, I consider this the least strident and the one that goes unnoticed more easily, which is a positive in closed spaces like work.

Like Nasomatto perfumes, you either love them or hate them; they don’t leave you indifferent. At first, it’s strong, heavy, and dry; after some time, you start to feel the leather and wood notes, light spices, but especially leather. Very masculine… I like it a lot…, although the star of the Nasomatto house is undoubtedly the impressive Black Afgano.