Prada Infusion d'Iris, Infusion d'Homme, Eau de Parfum Absolue, L'Eau d'Iris: differences between various Infusion d'Iris editions (with pics)

It's not an overstatement to claim that Infusion d'Iris has become the Chanel No.5 reference point of our times; alongside Narciso for Her by Narciso Rodriguez, it has not only garnered the status of a best-selling and well respected "modern classic", but it also has shaped the market via its elegant, sophisticated trail that blurs the line between wearer and added-on fragrance in perfect synchronicity with modern sensibilities. 

The reality of an influential perfume release is that soon a horde of versions, new editions and differing concentrations crop up (much like with the confusing Narciso for Her editions, the Merveilles Hermes perfumes, the Kenzo Flower versions, the Dior J'Adore different editions etc.) to make things slightly harder for the consumer. Which to choose? And which was the one I once bought and loved, again? So here's a small guide into the various editions of the Prada Infusion d'Iris scent up to this point in time. Please note that for the purposes of this exercise I am not including any of the other, programmatically ephemeral Prada Infusion editions (Infusion de Rose, Infusion de Fleurs d'Oranger, Infusion de Vetiver, Infusion de Tubereuse), which you can read on in their own separate entries on the site. 

 

Prada Infusion d'Iris Eau de Parfum (2007)

The original edition. More a warm incense with soapy-powdery notes than a true iris, this Infusion d'Iris is the fragrance that started it all. Almost universally approved and fit for almost any occasion, it is both subtle and definitely present.
Available as 50ml (1.7 fl.oz.), 100ml (3.4 fl.oz.) and 200ml (6.9 fl.oz.) Eau de Parfum. The same composition was issued as pure perfume/extrait de parfum in 3.5ml (0.12 fl.oz.) and 7.5ml (0.26 fl.oz.) sizes. Uniform, rectangular glass bottle with silvery metal tag with the Prada logo. Light green cap reprising the shade of the box.
Notes: Italian mandarin, Tunisian neroli, orange blossom, galbanum, lentisque (mastic), iris, cedar, vetiver, Somalian incense, Laotian benzoin.

Prada Infusion d'Homme Eau de Toilette (2008)
The men's version of Infusion d'Iris seems very similar to the original, a bit tweaked, with less of a powdery aspect.
Same bottle and presentation as the women's eau de parfum, but with Infusion d'Homme written on the box. Available in 50, 100, 200, 400, and 750 ml of Eau de Toilette.
Notes: Tunisian neroli, iris pallida, vetiver, cedar, incense, benzoin.

Prada Infusion d'Iris Eau de Toilette (2010)
A lighter interpretation of the original scent with a pronounced softness and powderiness, "cleaner" floral with even more pronounced soapy nuances and less of sharpness in the opening.
Available in 50, 100 and 200ml of eau de toilette. Uniform, rectangular glass bottle with silvery metal tag with the Prada logo.The glass is frosted, the cap is lighter in shade still, while the box is a rather more vivid green than the Eau de Parfum edition.
Notes: neroli, lily of the valley, violet, iris, heliotrope, galbanum, cedar.

Prada Infusion d'Iris Eau de Parfum Absolue (2012)
A richer, lightly sweeter and more orientalized take on the original eau de parfum edition, although NOT a more concentrated one as the name would imply. Infusion d'Iris Eau de Parfum Absolue is less powdery than the original with a more lady-like character and a hint of leather and baby oil rather than the incense trail of the original.
Available in 50 and 100ml bottles of eau de parfum. The bottle is the same but the metal tag with the Prada logo is in gold, as is the cap.
Notes: Tunisian neroli, orange blossom, Florentine iris, lentisque (mastic), Laotian benzoin, Venezuelan tonka bean, Madagascar vanilla, white musk.

Prada Infusion d'Iris L'Eau d'Iris (spring 2013)
Limited edition, inspired by iris and laurel in the gardens of Tuscany. 100ml of eau de toilette.
The bottle has a green degrade on the bottom which is different than the other uniform editions and the box has white floral designs on the green with the label & Prada heraldry in soft peachy pink, reprised in the cap.
Notes: Moroccan mint, Tunisian neroli, pink laurel, lily of the valley, rose, iris, orange blossom, white musk, woods, vanilla.

All the Infusion d'Iris editions/concentrations have been created by perfumer Daniela Roche Andrier (at Givaudan).

Infusion d'Homme by Prada: fragrance review

~Introducing guest writer Mike Perez

Iris. In a men’s fragrance. What’s the first scent that pops into your head? I would be surprised, if you didn’t immediately think of Dior Homme by Christian Dior.

Dior Homme, released in 2005 has become the iris scent favorite for men (and women) due in part to: a root prominent (carrot-y, Turin has called it in an interview he did with Fantastic Man magazine) iris accord; a subdued powdery gourmand sweetness; and a hint of leather and tobacco folded skillfully into the dry down. Dior, realizing that they had a ‘hit’ on their hands with Dior Homme, has released numerous flankers: Dior Homme Cologne [2007], Dior Homme Intense [2007] and Dior Homme Sport [2008]. This however has not taken away from the acclaim or popularity that Dior Homme has garnered. A friend of mine, who travels to France, claims that it is extremely easy to smell Dior Homme on men all over ‘the streets of Paris’ - similar to how I smell Le Male by Gaultier or Acqua di Gio by Armani on many men here in the US.

When I first smelled Dior Homme, I was totally unfamiliar with the iris note. Perhaps because of this, I intensely disliked it. It smelled like powdery makeup! Later on, when my nose became attenuated to florals (including iris), I revisited it - this time in a small travel sprayer, gifted to me by a fragrance enthusiast who didn’t like it himself. Smelling it again, something clicked. Iris! Oh…this is what they’re talking about, I thought.
Many other iris fragrances I tested after that have impressed me (Iris 39 by Le Labo and it’s civet/green iris; Iris Silver Mist by Serge Lutens – the smell of iris, in the clouds up above, orbiting Earth) and disappointed me (Iris Pallida 2007 by L’Artisan Parfumeur was too, too dry and weak on my skin; Hiris by Hermes felt too powder prominent). Yet, here I was – finally excited about iris scents!

Prada has just released their newest iris scent for men, Infusion d’Homme. The perfumer (who also did the intensely popular Infusion d’Iris by Prada for women), Daniela Andrier, has been quoted saying Infusion d’Homme, ‘…has a very fresh, crisp smell — like a man just out of the shower.’ When I read this, I immediately thought to myself, ‘Oh no…not another boring ‘shower fresh’ scent!’.I’m here to report that Prada has created a fresh scent. But NOT a boring one.

The extremely iris prominent top notes (dry, almost brittle and throat parching) feature just a pinch of neroli slightly overpowered by a pure soap accord that appears almost immediately. It is extremely soapy. Fans of soapy scents will be thrilled: it smells bubbly, aqueous and floral. The first time I skin tested this, I missed the soap accord and my nose zeroed in on the iris. Repeated wearings, especially on warm, humid days revealed the soap. I am reminded of the biting, almost lye-based hand-milled soap notes of Puro Lino, or the green/flower accents of White Linen by Estee Lauder.
The iris/neroli/soap combo dries down revealing a light, transparent vetiver mixed in with the top notes. The light whiffs of vetiver made me wish for a stronger vetiver presence - the iris wears very strong and linear on this fragrance. I smell no incense or benzoin in the dry down, with only the slightest woody accord (cedarwood?). It is a more evident vetiver accord than Infusion d’Iris, and although I wouldn’t classify this as more masculine (although many women might do this), I think it just smells more crisp and starchy.
Overall it manages to evoke a freshly showered feeling, awash in flowers.
The scent is not groundbreaking, in terms of fragrance releases, but it is much better than the large number of aquatic, marine and synthetic men’s fragrance clogging department store shelves. I applaud a designer scent that is not afraid to be flower prominent. It seems that Kenzo, is right on the heels of Infusion d’Homme, with their new floral prominent fragrance for men: Power, which I will review here, soon.

Longevity of Infusion d’Homme is average. It stays quite close to my skin when I wear it and when I wanted it to wear stronger I remedied this by overapplying it. Perhaps the ancillary products (bar soaps, shower gel) might extend the sillage?? But, then again, showering with products that are scented to smell like a ‘fresh shower’, sounds a little ridiculous doesn’t it?

The Eau de Toilette comes in a gorgeous tall, rectangular metal-embossed bottle with a grosgrain ribbon wrapped cap – in 1.7 oz, 3.4 oz, 6.7 oz, 13.5 oz and a whopping 25.5 oz bottle (the size of a small television).
To stream nine short films (unveiled at the Spring/Summer ’09 show back in June) commissioned by Prada for Infusion d’Homme go to http://www.prada.com/ (click on Projects>Short Movies for Infusion d’Homme) or Wallpaper Magazine to see stills from each film.

Official Notes:
Top: Mandarin Orange, Neroli, Clean Note
Heart: Iris, Galbanum, Cedar, Vetiver
Base: Benzoin, Frankincense, Powdery Note


Pic of Infusion d'Homme by Prada bottle via Osmoz
Pic of Jake Gyllenhaal chosen by Helg unbeknownst to Mike (hehe), originally uploaded on MUA