The first men’s fragrance of the Decarnin era Signé Balmain
After the launch of the highly coveted women’s fragrance “Ambre Gris” in 2008 and the birth of the first men’s ready-to-wear collection by Christophe Decarnin in 2009, Balmain is once again creating a stir with a new men’s fragrance: CARBONE.
We know the Balmain woman by heart, sexy, glittery and rock’n’roll in her jewel-encrusted micro-dresses and shouldered jackets. Christophe Decarnin, artistic director of the house since 2006, crowned master of glamour by the most discerning fashion editors, is now busy defining the masculine side of his universe.
Its boys are sexy, dark and nonchalantly stroll their glam rock elegance through the heart of the city. To the glitter of the night, they juxtapose a dark and ambiguous side, which sometimes pushes them to extravagance and provocation. Demanding aesthetes, they consider art to be an essential value and live at the heart of new technologies, surrounding themselves with works of art and objects of graphic design, cut from high-tech materials as dark and precious as carbon.
This new Balmain man is secretive, sometimes shady, but when he decides to seduce, he’s irresistible. Urban and sophisticated, he’s an epicurean with a contagious zest for life. CARBONE is his fragrance. An aesthete’s fragrance, it is discovered like a work of art, only reluctantly surrendering itself to end up completely bewitching.
CARBONE
Urban fragrance for the 21st century. Paris 
The case contains all the promise of this ultra-contemporary universe.
A black cube with sharp edges, it seems to be carved from some high-performance, sophisticated material like carbon fiber. An elegant square label edged in silver signs its sober front.
The bottle, carved from heavy, thick glass, is an ambiguous, beautiful object. The material, shadowy yet transparent, reveals a slightly golden juice. The lines are geometric, and the matte black cap lends strength and elegance to the whole.
This bottle is the masculine counterpart to Ambre Gris, which drew its femininity from its extravagant, spherical, sparkling cap.
Le Jus
For this “first” fragrance for men, Christophe Decarnin chose deep, mysterious materials, dark in tone: benzoin, incense, black fig…
Nathalie Lorson, perfumer at Firmenich, used this strong base to build an elegant fragrance, with a fairly short formula, composed of beautiful natural materials, articulated around black fig.
Carbone is a woody-spicy-musky fragrance with dark, sensual accents.
The top notes of bourbon pepper, Elémi resin and ivy green create a lively, spicy opening. Elémi resin, with its peppery sweetness, already sets the tone, underlined by the pungent note of bourbon pepper and the crispness of ivy green.
At the heart of the fragrance is an intensely aromatic, ripe, sun-drenched black fig, giving Carbone its dark, mysterious signature. This is reinforced by the rich presence of incense with its mystical, ardent accords.
The base notes are based on the intense, highly sensual notes of Siamese benzoin and musks. Vetiver brings its unmistakably masculine signature, while dark, unsweetened vanilla bean completes Carbone’s dark spirit.
Technical data
Perfumer Nathalie Lorson, Firmenich
Artistic creation Stéphane Ganneau
Verrier Bormioli
Capot ETB Janvier
Packaging AB Cartonnages
Pompe Emsar
Carbone by Balmain – from September 2010 in perfumeries and on the official Parfums Balmain boutique, www.parfumsbalmain.com
The Line*
Eau de Toilette 40 ml 37 euros
Eau de Toilette 100 ml 68 euros
Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)
