Declaration

Declaration by Cartier is a masculine-leaning eau de toilette from 1998 in the designer price tier. It opens with bitter orange, bergamot, caraway and artemisia, moves into cardamom, black pepper, ginger, cumin and coriander and dries down to oakmoss, leather, cedarwood, vetiver and amber. Expect around 7 hours of wear, and it projects at a moderate level.

Notes, explained

Opening

Bitter Orange Marmalade without the sugar. Sour and slightly medicinal.
Bergamot Sharp citrus with a faint bitter edge. The opening of about half of all men's fragrances.
Caraway Warm, seedy and slightly aniseed. Rye bread in a bottle.
Artemisia Bitter and silvery-herbal. Wormwood, the backbone of a fougère.

Heart

Cardamom Cool, aromatic spice with a eucalyptus lift. Smells expensive.
Black Pepper Dry and prickly. Gives a fragrance grip and a bit of bite.
Ginger Warm, zesty and slightly soapy. Bridges citrus and spice.
Cumin Warm, spicy and unmistakably sweaty. Divides rooms.
Coriander Warm seed spice, slightly citrusy. A quiet workhorse.

Dry-down

Oakmoss Damp forest floor. Bitter, green and the backbone of every chypre.
Leather Smoky, dry and a bit animal. Can be a new jacket or an old saddle.
Cedarwood Dry, pencil-shaving woodiness. Clean and structural.
Vetiver Dry, earthy, smoky grass root. Smells like soil and citrus peel.
Amber Warm, golden and resinous. Not a real material — a blend that glows.

Smells like this

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