Hope

8 reseñas

Mostrando las más recientes primero.

• Dr.No

  August 23, 2024

  

  After 5 years comes ‘Hope’, the 5th gem of the desert under Ropion’s care. The brand screams mediocrity; the owner left the brand this year because it didn’t fit his ideas. Many mediocre new offerings and a gem that’s a rehash of something we already knew at ridiculous prices. Hope opens similar to Promise, though less oily and dark because, broadly speaking, it has no cypriol, no acidic green apple, nor rose, although both have pepper, but in Hope the performance is poor to modest. It lacks ‘punch’. They share few notes, but Ropion’s working style is very marked. You might think they made a mistake labeling and you received Promise, but after a few seconds you detect differences even though the base is the same. Fresher and slightly smoky due to vetiver, but 75% of Hope is basically Promise. Personally, I think the Desert Gems collection is like the AMG division of Mercedes: there’s more cookie, challenging perfumes that snatch other emotions, and not everyone can ‘handle’ them. The Night is a clear example. Why not hire another perfumer with fresh ideas? Why did Ropion have to do it? Because of a pending contract like Victor Wong from Zoologist? Julien Rasquinet did a fantastic job with The Moon, couldn’t he have done Hope? Why not Antonio Gardoni or Maurice Roucel? Why take 75% of Promise and give it a twist to sell it as new? Don’t you think it’s redundant? Hope is much more expensive than Promise, what makes them think people will prefer it? Ropion disappointed with Hacivat Oud, but this is worse. Hope by itself is a good perfume, the big problem is that Promise already exists and it has no place in the collection, and worse, it’s more expensive. A boring offering, few ideas, no desire to try hard, and all this for… £525 (US$675 for 50ml) and £755 (US$968 for 100ml)!! They’re geniuses, congratulations! 🥳

• PlayCue

  September 1, 2024

  

  Totally agree with the previous one. I tried this Hope months before the launch, and upon applying it, I thought: ‘Wait, what does this smell like!’. Seconds later, the connection with Promise was immediate. Yes, when tested side by side they seem different, but Promise is hidden in Hope, as if trying to get out. Mr. Ropion already planted that idea with Oud Aquilaria and now he’s doing it again, folded, in the same brand, at unjustified prices. Mediocrity in Frederic Malle is palpable from several recent launches. The buyer must be critical and avoid these traps at outrageous prices. Ropion isn’t a bad perfumer, but folding his clients isn’t trivial. A gem that will pass without praise or glory and will be a success in the countries it’s targeted at. What a blunder, disillusionment, and poor professional ethics, both from the brand and the perfumer.

• Davik81

  October 24, 2024

  

  Nothing new under the sun, like thousands of other Arab perfumes with that oud-rose-vanilla vibe that already smells boring and you can find it even in the cheap ones. The price is an insult for such a mediocre composition. Anyway, I conclude that perfumery is in crisis.

• Freezehold

  December 4, 2024

  

  It’s a leather from Acqua di Parma but lighter and with the same scent.

• Lechu

  July 21, 2025

  

  I haven’t left a review in a long time, but I think this time it’s worth commenting to avoid confusing users searching for information. What are the most prominent notes in Promise? I’d say cypriol is the most important, followed by green apple, then leather and rose. How is it possible for people to say it’s a copy of Promise when 3 out of the 4 main notes aren’t shared? I own Promise and love it, but recently I had the luck to try Hope and I like it much more. What a pity about the price… I hope more users can try both fragrances and share their comments.

• Lechu

  August 2, 2025

  

  I haven’t left a review in a long time, but I think this time it deserves a comment to avoid confusing users looking for information. What are the notes that stand out most in Promise? I’d say cypriol is the most important note, followed by green apple, then leather and rose. How is it possible for people to say it’s a copy of Promise when 3 out of the 4 most important notes aren’t shared? I have Promise and I like it a lot, but recently I had the luck to try Hope and I like it much more. What a pity about the price… I hope more users can try both fragrances and share their comments.

• cobayo

  August 6, 2025

  

  I fully agree with Lechu; I acquired Hope mainly because of the similarities attributed to it with Promise, which is currently my favorite fragrance. Meanwhile, I saw them tearing it apart in reviewers’ videos: it lacks character, it’s a copy, it’s very expensive (that’s true), and an endless list of other criticisms. I didn’t let that influence me; with the favorable experience I’ve had with the house Frederic Malle and mainly with the creations of Dominique Ropion (Promise, Y, La Nuit YSL, and hundreds more), I decided to order it during a long and risky trip (where I reside, it’s very complicated to acquire niche perfumery). It was worth all that effort; I got 50ml of this perfumery gem. Its opening is spicy, with certain reminiscences of ‘The Moon from FM’ drying down, but also as it progresses, a pleasant dry and smoky wood is appreciated, plus the oud that emerges in its fullness and accompanies it until the end. I would rate it, just like Promise, as a masterpiece as a whole; although they may share some similarities, during their evolution they take different paths: Promise is bright with a fresh ethyl apple, accompanied by that castoreum that fell in love with me from the first day, it has already earned a place in my heart (from which it will never leave), but Hope, with its dry wood and smoky sensation, non-animal oud, overflowing with warmth and elegance, with a duration of over 12 hours on skin and projecting to 2 meters without problem for more than 4 hours, a trail that leaves no one indifferent, has everything to be valued on its own merits. For me, both creations are a 10/10; it may be my very subjective perception and you may not agree with me. But that’s how it is. Promise will always be in my heart, it cannot be dethroned, but I consider that Hope could be someone else’s ‘first love’, having everything to deserve its own space in some receptive heart to shelter this perfumery gem, which shines by its own merits in this vast world of aromas.

• cobayo

  August 10, 2025

  

  Totally agree with Lechu. I bought Hope because of its resemblance to Promise, my favorite fragrance. While people criticize it in videos for lacking character, being a copy, or being too expensive (that last part is definitely true), I didn’t let that influence me. With my positive experience with Frederic Malle, especially with Dominique Ropion’s creations like Promise, I decided to order it during a long, risky trip since niche perfumes are hard to find here. It was worth the effort: I have 50ml of this gem. Upon spraying, it’s spicy, reminiscent of The Moon’s drydown from FM, and as it develops, a pleasant dry, smoky wood emerges, along with the oud that appears in its fullness and stays until the end. I’d rate it just as Promise: a masterpiece. Although they share some points, they evolve differently: Promise is bright with a fresh ethyl apple and that castoreum that fell in love with me from day one and earned a permanent spot in my heart, whereas Hope, with its dry wood, smoky sensation, non-animal oud, overflowing with warmth and elegance, lasts over 12 hours on skin and projects to 2 meters without issue for more than 4 hours, with a trail that leaves no one indifferent. It has everything to be valued on its own merits. For me, both are a 10/10; it might be my subjective perception and you might not agree, but that’s how it is. Promise will always be in my heart, unseatable, but I believe Hope could be someone else’s first love, having everything to deserve its own space in a receptive heart that embraces this gem, shining by its own merits in this vast world of aromas.