YouTube fragrance reviewers drive me up the wall. They're the reason I’ll never start my own channel. Why bother joining the parade of mediocrity? With rare exceptions—Derek’s Varanis Ridari comes to mind—they’re lazy shills who couldn’t crack a walnut if you handed them a sledgehammer. They just parrot each other for clicks.
Take their reviews of Amber Oud Carbon Edition. Across the board, YouTube geniuses call it a Creed Green Irish Tweed clone. Sure, a few mention it’s like Cool Water, but they miss the mark entirely. It’s far closer to Coty’s Aspen (1989) or Cool Water Coral Reef Edition (2014). Coral Reef is Aspen in HD, and Carbon Edition is Coral Reef on steroids—almost luxury-grade, but not quite. The Internet swears Al Haramain copied Cool Water. Spoiler: they didn’t. Carbon Edition is one part Cool Water to three parts Aspen, which, frankly, isn’t a ratio I love. And those yokels on Fragrantica calling it a “banger” that “girls love”? Please. Do women secretly go nuts for Aspen? Doubtful. If ever there were a “hype beast” fragrance, this is it. I'm annoyed by that.
Let’s set the record straight: Amber Oud Carbon Edition is not a GIT clone. It nails a solid lemon verbena top note—that’s all. Sure, if you smell the drydown on paper a few days later, there’s a faint resemblance, but on skin? Forget it. If anything, it’s closer to the opening of Chez Bond, which veers Aspen-adjacent before landing in a creamy tea base (unlike Carbon). Speaking of Chez B, I need to snag another bottle. Anyway, Carbon copies Aspen more than anything else. And why clone Aspen, a dirt-cheap scent, and slap a premium price on it? Who thought the world needed that?
To be fair, Carbon Edition uses better materials and packs a punch with its high concentration. It’s louder and lasts maybe ten minutes longer than Aspen. But I wanted a Cool Water clone, damn it, and this isn’t it. As an alternative to Coral Reef or Aspen, it’s… fine. Just not groundbreaking. The best part? The flashy, steel-plated bottle and the clamshell box it comes in. I’m lukewarm on this one.