Cristobal by Balenciaga

Helpful Review

4

Smooth Resinous Oriental

I had never encountered Balenciaga CRISTOBAL before, whether in person or online, but Guusjes was kind enough to send me a sample of this now discontinued perfume. (Thank you!)

CRISTOBAL is a smooth and resinous, lightly spicy oriental perfume. Everything is blended together beautifully, and my first reaction upon donning this creation was: “It’s a perfume.” There is definitely a density here which I have found lacking in many recent launches, both mainstream and niche. Something has changed in the approach to perfume making, it seems.

This particular composition reminds me of several others in a vague way, although I would not say that it’s a knock-off of anything else, or vice versa. Basically, CRISTOBAL offers a homogeneous layer of slightly sweet, vanilla and sandalwood-scented clean musk with far more base than flowers or spice. It’s a pleasant scent and probably better made than some of the recent Balenciaga perfumes, which seem a bit synthetic by comparison.

I wish that I understood the logic behind the house of Balenciaga better. Why did they hand over RUMBA to Ted Lapidus? Why did they discontinue LE DIX? Sometimes business and perfumery seem to be very much at odds, though they are and can only be partners in this enterprise.