Il Bacio by Borghese

Hello, beautiful people. It is Scentgourmand Trine here. Welcome back. OK, diving in: When I think of vintage goods, I think of items from the 70s or earlier. You know you’re getting old when you find yourself gasping when others reference the 80s and 90s as vintage. Nontheless, when I first got my nose on this little gem, Il Bacio, I had to admit that compared to contemporary fragrances, this one indeed has a more classic perfumery feel.

Il Bacio by Borghese is a fruity floral fragrance that came out in 1993. I only got my nose on it a couple of decades later, though, thanks to a recommendation from one of my viewers, Khadijah. Hi, Khadijah. I hope I’m saying your name correctly.

If you’ve ever shopped at Costco, you may have come across beauty products bearing the Borghese name. Indeed the companies have partnered up. Costco sells Borghese products under the Kirkland Signature name, including night cream, face serum, eye syrum, eyeliner, wrinkle relaxer, and more – all high-quality products at a good price. I’m pretty sure I bought a mascara from the partnership and some point and recall being impressed. They never sold the Boghese fragrance, though. Yes, I think Il Bacio is the only fragrance from Borghese.

The Borghese family name is synonymous with Italian refinement and royalty. The Roman family influenced architecture, art, culture, and yes, beauty. Princess Marcella Borghese was inspired by her family heritage and Tuscan spa retreats when creating the now solidified beauty brand in 1957. I believe the brand is Italian-inspired, however; not actually Italian. Today the brand is backed by science. They have a Burn Reconstructive Surgeon on board. Yes, most of their products are skin-cared focused.

Il Bacio is an outlier and I don’t know who the perfumer is or was.

Now this particular bottle I have in hand appears to be older but not too old, judging by the construction of the nozzle here. I’ll put up a picture from the newer bottles for comparison. Yes, I got mine second-hand, and since there are no citrus notes listed I very much doubt the fragrance has changed since its bottling. However, the fragrance was reformulated at some point. The notes I’ve listed refer to the most recent data. I find that older formulations tend to be better, so I think I am lucky here. This one is rich and heady and lasts a fair while on me. I’ve read that the newer bottles carry a lighter juice that pales in comparison.

The fragrance comes in a red box and in just 50 ml sizes, though I think other volumes of the fragrance are probably released from time to time. I think I saw a massive bottle of this sitting on someone’s desk in an interior décor channel on Youtube at some point. It might have been Archetectural Digest, but just as likely a more down-to-earth channel. I can’t recall. But I do remember that the beautiful young woman showcasing the bottle admitted it was there more for show; she didn’t hate it, but the smell wasn’t her vibe. Well, much as this is not terrible, it’s not my vibe either. I rather do like the ergonomical bottle design with the red knot as cap. It’s looks good on the shelf, too.My top is a little sticky, but that’s because mine is old.

The note profile for Il Bacio is very orderly. The florals comprise the top notes, the fruits the heart notes, and the woods the base notes. Here they are:

• honeysuckle, freesia, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, rose,
• peach, melon, plum, passionfruit,
• musk, amber, virginia cedar, sandalwood

Il Bacio an old school white floral, at the end of the day. It’s full of deep, rich, honeyed flowers amped up with fruit. Even though the notes are ordered so logically, this fragrance is complex enough that I find it hard to pull out the individual parts. I get the whole big throwback thing at once, not in pieces. Above all, this is a very rich and heady floral compilation. I definitely get the honeysuckle, though, and with effort I can smell the jasmine and lily-of-the-valley. And yes, the rose. The other notes are too well-blended. I know there is a lot of fruit in here but that is because it’s so sweet, and also tart. All the fruit have been mashed together into a thick nectar or compote. It’s got a marmalade quality to it, though there are no citrus notes listed. It also has a powderiness, I think.

It stays linear for the first couple of hours but where it really shines is in the drydown. It becomes warmer, calmer, and more sensual. It’s feminine, robust, and clings fast to clothing – so it’s great to spray on your cool weather jacket or coat for those days when you might want to leave a lasting impression. The level of fruitiness of this perfume keeps it in everyday territory and to me it’s too sweet to be called classy or sophisticated. It’s too laid back.

The marketing at the time conveyed a short-tempered woman recurringly upset with her man for consistantly displaying a lack of punctuality, but repeated appeased by a variety of kisses. Il Bacio means “the kiss” or “the kissing,” after all. I’m not sure how romantic it is to be arguing so much of the time, but the shere volume and color of the guestures in the video advertisement are indeed delightfully Italiano. Whether the characters’ romance will last is debatable, but I’d classify Il Bacio as a romantic fragrance.

Even though this is a 90s scent, it rings more 80s to me, minus any civet or other glandular-like undercurrents. This assertively feminie, very linear and dense fragrance transports me back to a time where all my blouses, tops, and blazers had shoulder pads, or at the very least, poofs.

Overall, I’d say that if you like more complex traditional compositions that lean rich but are priced affordably, this will be up your alley. If you like Giorgio Beverly Hills or Alfred Sung’s Sung, for example – both of which I’ve reviewed on this channel, I’d recommend trying to get your nose on this. I think that if you want the original smell, you might consider searching for vintage online. Otherwise, you can buy a 50 ml bottle selling for 58USD on borghese.com. You might find the newer ones cheaper elsewhere as well, though.

But if you prefer more minimalist fragrances or more contemporary fare, this might not impress you. You might find it too heavy, fruity, cloying, or simply dated. As for myself, I genuinely appreciate it, and have worn it on a few occassions, but ultimately, as I’ve said, it’s not for me. The structure is too traditional for my tastes. I may just declutter this one. However, had I worn this fragrance back in the day, I suspect I might feel a lot more fondly toward it. Fragrances are bottled memories, after all!