Malbec Eau de Parfum by O Boticário

This was one of the purchases I made during my last trip to Rio de Janeiro and, curiously, it was also one of the ones that surprised me the most once I got back. It’s hard to imagine a fragrance like that being born in a city where winter usually hovers around 25 or 30 degrees. Malbec EDP asks for exactly the opposite: cold. I stopped by an O Boticario store and tried the Malbec line; the EDP was the one I liked best. From the opening, there’s a fresh black pepper, as if straight from the grinder. It’s not aggressive, but extraordinarily aromatic, marking the character of the fragrance from the very first moment. Then a high-quality woody structure begins to unfold. Although I don’t see oud listed among its notes, there’s something in that dark, resinous, deeply aromatic wood that inevitably makes me think of it. The whole thing is accompanied by a very successful leather accord, with a slight animalic nuance that adds a lot of personality without ever being excessive. What I like most is that the perfume conveys a very organic feel. I don’t find any synthetic edges or accords that seem artificial. Everything feels solid, complex, and well integrated, as if each material had naturally found its place. It’s also a decidedly masculine fragrance. Not by resorting to clichés, but because it builds a very defined image: mature, confident, and with a robust elegance. I can’t imagine it being fully enjoyed in the heat of a tropical summer (it must feel suffocating). Instead, when the temperature drops, Malbec EDP seems to wake up. The cold lets it unfold all its depth and turn that blend of pepper, leather, and woods into a truly enveloping scent. During my time in Rio de Janeiro, I brought back several Brazilian perfumes. Malbec EDP was one of them, and over time, it ended up becoming one of those souvenirs I especially treasure. Every time I wear it, I remember that trip, even though the perfume seems to have been created for a European winter much more than for a beach in Rio. Maybe that’s what I like most about it. Brazil is usually associated with bright, tropical, carefree perfumes. Malbec EDP proves that it also knows how to build deep, complex, and masculine fragrances.