Number 3/Le 3ème Homme/The Third Man

House: Caron

Release: 1985

Fragrance Notes

Top Notes: Lavender, Rosemary, Anise, Bergamot

Heart Notes: Geranium, Jasmin, Rose, Fern, Carnation

Base notes: Amber, Musk, Moss, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Tonka, Vanilla

Review

Released in 1985, named to honor the performance of Orson Welles in the movie of the same name, this scent is transgressive in the way that the late 19th and early 20th century hits were. Men should smell of flowers, the depth and fruitiness of rose along with the indolic, full and waxy jasmin. The carnation is joyfully present with its spice to support that facet of the rose. A well-executed vanilla adds delightful depth and sophistication to any base; a lazy sketch ruins the whole piece. In our mind, relying only on a lavender/geranium accord to carry the whole composition is a missed opportunity. Why not save the aromatic citrus for a standard cologne? Number 3 (only the third men’s scent from Caron) misses no opportunities. This has the aromatic, sharp citrus opening, a spiced and mildly erotic floral heart, ending with a gentile, powdered base. This is a scent that can be worn regardless of gender because it has considered and moved beyond the gender norms of its time (and now) intentionally. For all of this, we place The Third Man at the top of our Top 10 Fougère Perfumes list

From our wear of a 2020 decant, the first scent was a bolt of lightning that transported us back to childhood in the 1980’s. The electric opening faded fast into the characteristic floral accord, shaded a bit more animalic with the jasmine note. The lavender does stick around for some time.

There is a sour metallic note (a good thing to us) that we can’t quite describe, almost like methyl pamplemousse. Geranium does have a metallic note, so it could be this combining with the rose, which also has a metallic note. There is something sharp competing with the powdery base. This stays spicy and sweet powdery amazing all the way down. There is nothing lazy about the the blending in the final notes. For us, this is where so many modern fragrances utterly fail, with a lazy white musk and synthetic wood accord for hours and hours.

Projection is strong, like across the room strong at application, but drops to just moderate with moderate sillage over time. Longevity is good.