Patina 50 ml
Chapter IV
221B12 ml
The Reckless Dreamer
221B is a woody leather eau de parfum by Rei Nguyen of R Parfums, inspired by Sherlock Holmes and named after his address on Baker Street. Green mandarin and lemon open; rose and osmanthus hold the middle; birch tar, leather and tobacco settle at the base, where the leather stays clean rather than smoky.
1.285.200 ₫US$50
Incl. 8% VAT
1
To carry
- 12 ml bottle
- A slim glass bottle with R PARFUMS printed down its length. It comes in a rolled box of brown paper, with a sheet that describes the scent in Vietnamese and English. Small enough for a bag, or a week away.
For the record
Ingredients (INCI)
Alcohol, Aqua (Water), Parfum (Fragrance), Limonene, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Benzoate, Linalool, Benzyl Cinnamate, Citronellol, Citral, Geraniol, Benzyl Alcohol, Cinnamyl Alcohol.
As printed on the 221B label. Batch number: see packaging.
Wear and keep
Spray onto wrists, behind ears or on the neck, 15–20 cm from the body, on clean, dry skin. Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Flammable: keep away from heat and sparks.
The composition
How it is built
In 221B, leather is drawn in clean, polished lines and softened by the honeyed sweetness of rose. Tobacco folds into osmanthus: fervent yet distant, reckless yet dreaming.
Woody leather, if you are new to it: a family built on the smell of tanned leather, laid over tree resins and woods. In 221B, that ground is birch tar, from birch bark, and Peru balsam, a resin.
The same scent in the Patina and the Ceramic bottle.
- Top notes
- Green Mandarin, Lemon, Blackcurrant They open the scent, crisp and decisive. Green mandarin is the fruit picked before it turns orange, sharper than the ripe peel; lemon gives a clean edge, blackcurrant a dark, tart fruit.
- Middle notes
- Osmanthus Absolute, Geranium, Rose They soften the leather. Rose is carried through by damascenone; osmanthus, the small gold flower used to scent tea, smells of honey and apricot with a hint of suede; geranium is a green leaf that smells of rose.
- Base notes
- Birch Tar, Ambrette Seed, Leather, Peru Balsam, Tobacco They hold the leather. Birch tar, distilled from birch bark, is the old smell of Russian leather; here it is not smoky or dark, and lays a faint haze over the leather and balsam on your skin. Ambrette, the seed of a hibiscus, gives a soft musk; Peru balsam, a tree resin, a warmth close to vanilla.
- Key note
- Damascenone A molecule found in rose oil, smelling of rose with a trace of tobacco. In 221B it runs all the way through, balancing the leather and rounding out the composition.
- Dry-down
- Leather and balsam, and still the rose: damascenone stays to the end.
Chapter IV · The story
221B Baker Street
“221B is not the scent I think Sherlock would wear. It is how I understand him, in the language of scent.”
Rei Nguyen, writing in 2023. Translated from the Vietnamese.
Read the full chapter
Duality: the story of 221B and Shadow Éclat.
50 ml
The full bottle, in two forms
R Parfums · Independent perfume house · Saigon
R Parfums is an independent fragrance house from Saigon, Vietnam. Rei Nguyen composes its six eaux de parfum, each in two 50 ml bottles:
The same perfume. Patina wears brass that has been corroded, filed and polished; Ceramic wears a clay cap that has been through the kiln.
Ceramic 50 ml
221B
4.131.000 ₫US$165
Read more
Smell it in person
All three carry 221B. Try it on paper, then on skin, and ask for Shadow Éclat beside it.
- 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu
Open daily · 8:00–18:00
- 42 Nguyễn Huệ
Open daily · 9:00–22:00
- 26 Lý Tự Trọng
Open daily · 10:00–21:30
- 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu
Listening Room
You can still hear seven of the eight stories, in Vietnamese and in English. Best heard with your own headphones.
Journal
Questions
Is the 12 ml the same perfume as the 50 ml?
Yes. Each scent is one eau de parfum; only the vessel changes. The 50 ml comes in a Patina or a Ceramic bottle, the 12 ml in a slim glass bottle of its own, and the 2 ml in a sample vial.
Can I smell the scents before I buy?
Yes. Each of our three houses in Ho Chi Minh City has all six, and all three are open every day. Or try them at home with a 2 ml sample or the Discovery Set.
R Space, 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, Thảo Điền — An Khánh Ward · 8:00–18:00
42 Nguyễn Huệ, The Café Apartment building, Level 2, Sài Gòn Ward, inside NOTE – The Scent Lab · 9:00–22:00
26 Lý Tự Trọng, Level 3, Sài Gòn Ward, inside Saigon Scent Lab · 10:00–21:30
Do you deliver outside Vietnam?
We currently deliver within Vietnam only. Visiting from abroad? Collect your order at any of our three houses. In Taiwan, R Parfums is available through our official distributor, Taigrance (小台香), in Taipei.
How do I pay?
With VietQR in VND: scan the code with your banking app, and we hold your order for 60 minutes while the transfer arrives. Or by credit card in USD: the amount in USD is shown before you pay.
Other questions: info@r-parfums.com · +84 89 649 0038