Bal d’Afrique Absolu by Byredo

It’s sweet, fresh and aromatic at the same time, but rounded in a perfect way. On my skin, the praline stands out quite a bit. I think it’s a spectacular perfume.

The ending of this absolu version is the best.

I went to see it because I had heard wonderful things about this perfume. The first time I smelled it, I immediately bought it. It’s sweet but has a citrus touch. It lasted more than 8 hours on my skin and it’s delicious. Of course, it’s expensive, but if you want a sweet perfume with a bit of citrus, this is the one.

I have both fragrances so I can compare them. The Eau de Parfum opens with a fresh, clean top note that, after an hour, shifts into a sweeter nuance and finishes in a drydown where cedar and vetiver stand out. The Absolu, on the other hand, feels sweeter, denser and more gourmand to me. From the very start, everything hits at once, without that evolution the Eau de Parfum has. My friends experience the same thing when they try it. In short, it’s a delicious fragrance that gets attention and is usually very well liked. It has great longevity on skin, easily reaching 8 to 12 hours, and it projects excellently: you always perceive its scent, and so do the people around you. It’s completely unisex and, overall, a great perfume. The only “negative” is that it lacks the olfactory evolution of the Eau de Parfum, but other than that, I’m delighted.

Well, this is my biggest disappointment of 2025 so far. What have you done, Byredo? You’ve ruined a masterpiece to put out another Bacarat Rouge flanker 🤦🏻♂️. My God. Bal’s DNA is there, but Bacarat’s is very noticeable. Anyway. Try before you buy.

I have both perfumes in order to compare them. The Eau de Parfum starts with a fresh and clean opening that, after an hour, evolves into a sweeter nuance, ending in a dry-down where cedar and vetiver stand out. The Absolu, on the other hand, to me is sweeter, denser, and more gourmand. From the start, everything hits me at once, without that evolution that the Eau de Parfum does have. This same thing also happens to my friends when they try it. In short, it’s a delicious perfume that draws attention and is usually very well liked. It has very good longevity on the skin, easily reaching between 8 and 12 hours, and it projects excellently: you always perceive its scent, both you and those around you. It is completely unisex and, overall, a great perfume. The only “negative” thing is that it lacks the olfactory evolution of the Eau de Parfum, but other than that, I’m delighted.

Bought it blind, just like most of my other purchases, and it didn’t disappoint. I read tons of reviews and watched videos, and the fragrance lives up to all the hype. It’s an olé floral, sweet with a citrus twist. Lasts long, feels special, and the quality is obvious. A great buy, no doubt. One of the best in my collection.

I tried it in a store and initially thought, ‘Meh, smells nice, but nothing special.’ But once it dried down, I liked it more and more. I became obsessed with smelling my wrist. It smells floral, clean, and sweet, even reminding me of notes from Baccarat Rouge 540. It’s more of a feminine scent, but I, a heterosexual man with no complexes, admit it was very interesting. The price is a shame though: the Absolut 100ml was around $600 CAD. I’m not paying that, so I grabbed a Dossier Canada inspiration called Ambery Vetiver. It’s 80% similar, but has a synthetic note I don’t quite like; it reminds me of someone who smoked, leaving a smoke smell on clothes. That inspiration is for the classic Bal d’Afrique, not the Absolut. To reach the original’s level, you just need to layer it with a Baccarat inspiration.

I own both to compare. The Eau de Parfum starts fresh and clean, then evolves into something sweeter, finishing with cedar and vetiver. The Absolu, on the other hand, is sweeter, denser, and gourmand. From the start, it hits me all at once, lacking the evolution the Eau de Parfum has. My friends experience the same thing. In short, it’s delicious, grabs attention, and usually gets a lot of love. Lasts 8 to 12 hours on skin and projects excellently: you and everyone around you notice it. It’s unisex and, overall, a great perfume. The only ‘negative’ is that it lacks the evolution of the Eau de Parfum, but otherwise, I’m thrilled.

When I saw they were launching an Absolu version of one of my favorite perfumes, I was super excited and ordered a 2ml decant immediately. I promise I’ve tested it for days, but I don’t like how it sits on my skin. It’s not a bad perfume, but it changes compared to the original, even though they share notes. This version is sweeter, denser, night-time, and long-lasting. The original is fresher, energizing, with an aromatic opening the Absolu lacks (and I miss), perhaps more for daytime, though with weak sillage and longevity. What I don’t like about the Absolu is that on my skin, it feels slightly acidic, which I dislike, and I can’t figure out which note causes it. Maybe it’s my skin’s pH, but it’s not what I expected.