nasomatto — Pardon
Essence
Pardon is Nasomatto’s polished dark patchouli scent in gentlemanly dress: cocoa, resin, cinnamon, tobacco-shadowed woods, and a smooth oud effect that stays in the background.
Scent Profile
Pardon is often described as an oud fragrance, but that framing is misleading. The oud is smooth, shaded, and scrubbed of animalic bite. The real center is dark patchouli, polished woods, balsamic resin, cinnamon warmth, and a bitter cocoa effect that feels more tailored than gourmand. The opening is woody and resinous rather than bright. Cinnamon and clove-like cool spice give lift, while patchouli immediately darkens the composition. The official floral story is mostly submerged; anyone expecting a lush floral oud will probably miss it. As it develops, the fragrance becomes smoother and more gentlemanly. Patchouli, benzoin-like resin, sandalwood, cedar, vanilla-tonka softness, and smoke form a dark tailored aura. The chocolate impression is bitter and earthy, coming from the patchouli-wood-spice structure, not from dessert sweetness.
Performance
Pardon is strong but controlled. It lasts well and creates a dense aura, especially early, but it is not a crude projector. Compared with louder Nasomatto releases, it feels more sustained, polished, and close-wearing.
Wearing Context
Cool weather is its natural setting: fall, winter, evenings, dinners, dates, suits, and contemplative indoor wear. It can work as an office or daily signature for someone comfortable with dark patchouli, but it is not carefree summer casual wear.
Comparisons & DNA
Chanel Coromandel is the clearest comparison axis because both work the patchouli-chocolate / patchouli-resin idea. Coromandel is plusher and more radiant; Pardon is darker, drier, more masculine, and more woody. Jovoy Psychedelique is useful as a patchouli reference: Pardon is the smoother and less aggressive version of that idea. Black Afgano is mostly a contrast inside the same house. Both are dark, but Pardon is far more mannered, less strange, and less forceful.
Reception
Praise centers on elegance, darkness, maturity, wearable mystery, and the bitter cocoa-patchouli accord. Criticism centers on expectation mismatch: some buyers expect a floral oud or a gourmand chocolate scent and instead find polished patchouli. Others find it refined but not especially novel. Value sentiment depends on whether the small bottle feels justified by the concentration and distinctive style.
Versions & Reformulation
The catalog records 2008, but the dossier preserves a 2011 launch-year disagreement from public references. No strong reformulation consensus is documented. An oil-based Extrait de Parfum variant is also documented alongside the main extrait.
Acquisition Notes
Pardon is sold in Nasomatto’s compact 30 ml extrait format, with a high price per milliliter. The dossier also records a small 4 ml oil option. Sampling is wise because the fragrance is concentrated, mature, and patchouli-forward rather than universally easy.
Notable Facts & Lore
- Pardon was initially easy to dismiss as another oud-wave release.
- Its long-term reputation is more patchouli-chocolate elegance than oud spectacle.
- Robin at Now Smell This joked that the concept read like an apology for another oud.
- Its masculine image is unusually consistent: suit, polish, maturity, and quiet seduction.
- The official note story and the lived smell diverge more than usual.