Trussardi — Essenza del Tempo
Essence
Essenza del Tempo (2008) is a quietly strange unisex woody-aromatic by Sophie Labbe for Trussardi, conceived as a fragrance inspired by Italy’s “slow food”/“slow philosophy” movement - “the luxury of time.” Its hook is a set of subtle, gastronomic-leaning notes (carrot seed, balsamic vinegar, coffee, olive-oil-like nuances) folded into a fundamentally elegant, transparent citrus-woody structure. The result is understated rather than avant-garde: most wearers experience a refined, slightly powdery fresh-woody scent with just enough oddness to stay interesting. Now discontinued, it has become a quiet sleeper favourite - well-regarded by those who know it, never famous.
Scent Profile
Now Smell Thisreviewer Kevin gives the most precise reading. The opening - bergamot, carrot seed, musky ambrette and a cumin facet - “smell[s] like a chilled platter of antipasti (yes, there’s a slice of cold meat on the plate),” sheer and light “like an Eau de Cologne,” before warming up. In the middle, it briefly fools you into thinking it’s “turning into a ‘vintage’ men’s aftershave aroma”; the heart is “bracing, with a hint of ginger-vinegar, a few ‘fresh’/bold flowers (not recognizable as any particular flower) and an accord that conjures the scent of olive oil.” The base offers “a ‘shy’ coffee bean note that leads to the finale: incense-y, spicy cedar (wood-burning stove?).”
Performance
Reports are mixed but cluster around “moderate.” Now Smell This rates it as having “very good lasting power and reasonable sillage.” voters rate longevity at qualitatively, with one reviewer noting “it stays on me for about 6 hours… Silage - good. Not a monster.” voters are more critical, rating performance lower (one reviewer found it “rated poorly… too poorly in my opinion,” reckoning a minimum of ~5 hours), and awearer found it barely there by the time they reached work. The consensus: a refined, relatively transparent fragrance that performs adequately for casual/office use but is not a projection powerhouse.
Wearing Context
A year-round, casual, daytime scent - Kevin calls it “a good year-round, casual fragrance,” and reviewers position it as office-friendly and suited to both business and casual wear, “relaxed and serene… perfect for a pleasant freshness in between.” Marketed unisex, though multiple reviewers (NST included) feel it skews slightly masculine in vibe. Its transparency and warm-Italian-afternoon character make it especially apt for spring/summer, though the woody-coffee base gives it enough warmth for cooler days.
Comparisons & DNA
Reviewers repeatedly reach for two reference points. First, transparent citrus-woody Hermes - the lead review explicitly likens its “transparent citrus woodiness” to “some of the nicest Hermes of the past years.” Second, clean unisex colognes: wearers compare its smooth citrus-soap vibe to Calvin Klein CK One and Salvatore Ferragamo Tuscan Soul, noting Essenza del Tempo adds coffee beans in the base to smooth out the brightness. one reviewer also likened it to a “lighter version of” Kenzo Pour Homme Eau Indigo, perceiving a “spiced leather” effect despite no leather in the notes; another, less charitably, found it close to generic aquatic-vetiver Creed “water” offerings. Its real DNA, though, is the carrot-seed/iris/ambrette powdery-woody axis given a quirky Italian-gastronomy spin - a structure with few true twins.
Reception
Reception is warm among the cognoscenti and largely positive across wearers, with the recurring theme that it’s better than it has any right to be. Now Smell This enjoyed it as a subtle, food-inflected curiosity. reviewer confessed, “I gave up trying to understand why I like Essenza del Tempo so much. It doesn’t have anything groundbreaking, still it feels great and ‘special’ to wear,” and called it “one of the best Trussardis.” The main dissent concerns performance (some find it too soft) and the food notes (some can’t detect carrot/coffee/vinegar at all and read it as a pleasant but generic light citrus). Notably, it never appeared in Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez’s The Guide - a fact one NST commenter lamented, with Kevin replying that “LOTS of stuff is missing from The Guide.” Post-discontinuation, several wearers express genuine regret (“Don’t understand why [it] was discontinued”).
Versions & Reformulation
No documented reformulation; the more relevant fact is discontinuation. Originally launched in May 2008 in Italy and across Europe/Russia by June 2008, in EDT, it also came in a full ancillary range (body wash, aftershave balm, body lotion, deodorant). It is now discontinued, which is precisely why it trades on the secondhand and discounter market. The brand has since passed through corporate hands ( lists it as last marketed by Perfume Holding, with the brand later under Give Back Beauty), but no formula change is specifically documented for this scent.
Acquisition Notes
Because it’s discontinued, Essenza del Tempo is a discounter/secondhand find rather than a current-counter purchase. Historically it was hard to find in the US (Trussardi fragrances rarely reached US stores; NST’sreviewer had to buy it online unsniffed) but turned up cheaply at online discounters - one NST commenter spotted it around $40, and awearer scored a bottle for $20. Today it surfaces on European discounters and the resale market. The distinctive bottle - a hefty flacon “on legs” with a leather strap connecting cap to bottle (a nod to Trussardi’s leather-goods heritage) and a Roman-numeral clock motif symbolizing “time” - is well-regarded and helps confirm authenticity. Given low prices and good-but-not-huge performance, it’s a low-risk blind buy for fans of transparent woody-citrus scents.
Notable Facts & Lore
- The defining piece of lore is the concept: Trussardi, founded as a Bergamo glove-maker in 1911, built Essenza del Tempo around Italy’s “slow food”/“slow philosophy” - billed as “the first eau de toilette that allows itself the luxury of time,” and reportedly sold with a booklet explaining the philosophy.
- The bottle’s leather strap and engraved Roman-numeral clock literalize the theme (time, and Trussardi’s leather past).
- The olfactory in-joke is the antipasti opening - carrot seed, ambrette and cumin reading as “a chilled platter of antipasti,” with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and coffee as gastronomic Easter eggs that, tellingly, stay subtle enough never to make thewearer smell like lunch.
- Reviewers also enjoy noting that perfumer Sophie Labbe (of IFF) arguably under-played the weird food notes to keep the scent commercially palatable - Kevin wished she’d “upped the ante(pasti).” A fittingly understated perfume whose best trick is restraint.