Peter Millar Crown Cologne is one of the few perfumes that, despite its production by a major company, has completely flown under the radar. You won’t find as much as a Fragrantica page on the fragrance. All the information we have on Crown comes directly from Peter Millar itself: a disarmingly simple notes pyramid and a small blurb. It’s the sort of perfume that makes writing reviews hard, but also necessary – especially with something that doesn’t have a gimmick to make it stand out to consumers or generate hype trains on its own.
Crown Notes
Birch, pepper, leather
Let’s get this out of the way first: Crown is one of those perfumes that smells exactly like it looks. This is a traditionally masculine perfume with a dryness that took me off guard even after smelling many similar scents in the genre. This is the sort of fragrance that makes Zoologist’s Rhinoceros feel rich and rounded, as bone-dry as that fragrance is. That’s not a bad thing, though – Crown is an achievement in minimalism that is likely to appeal to many noses that didn’t even know they were looking for it.
Crown opens with all three of its notes front and center, each playing a specific role at its specific pitch. Birch, as the top note, is unsurprisingly the first out of the gate. This gives the perfume its signature dryness, and the pepper accentuates its sharper features without making them overwhelming. Meanwhile, leather provides a very solid foundation for both notes. It gives the composition a much-needed softness to balance out the birch and pepper, yet its darker nature falls perfectly in line to keep the perfume focused. There is an aggression that comes across through these uncompromising, instantly-recognizable notes that is likely to take noses aback without presenting anything truly daring or strange. It’s a rare perfume that has an unmistakable identity yet isn’t trying anything particularly new. Crown is very impressive in its own right and certainly warrants a try.
Another surprisingly excellent aspect of Crown is its packaging. Even beside beautiful bottles by other companies, Crown’s 10 mL bottle is impressive, housed in a weighty metal and leather sleeve that matches the fragrance perfectly. The sprayer is also excellent for a travel size. Everything about this fragrance exudes class and quality, which is especially impressive given the perfume’s relatively reasonable price point.
If you’re looking for a designer fragrance steeped in masculinity and class, Crown is well-suited for a test. It’s likely to leave an impression without venturing into strange territory. In a perfume market where new yet traditional fragrances don’t come by often, Crown stands out. It’s an effortless head-turner that will likely make others stand back and take you seriously. What’s not to love about that?
You can purchase Crown here.
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The Fandomentals “Fragdomentals” team base our reviews off of fragrances that we have personally, independently sourced. Any reviews based off of house-provided materials will be explicitly stated.
