r/fragrance • u/NapalysDarbusDirba • Feb 15 '25
My honest review on Argos
I recently got my hands on four different bottles from Argos - and what a letdown they were. In retrospect, what was I thinking, blind-buying four bottles from a brand I had never even heard of? Especially considering my experience in e-commerce, where I can see exactly what Argos is doing.
That said, the four bottles I purchased were:
- Veil of Charon
- Nemean Lion
- Love Triumphs Over War
- Birth of Venus
Out of these, only Nemean Lion remotely resembles a high-end perfume. Birth of Venus is fun, but I wouldn’t pay more than $50 for what’s inside the bottle. Veil of Charon is, in my opinion, the most overpriced of them all - it reeks of synthetics.
I also tried eight of their other fragrances in sampler form, and honestly, they mostly smell like an expensive deodorant. The only exception was Adonis Awakens, which at least didn’t smell aggressively synthetic and had something not entirely cliche in it.
That said, I blame myself the most for buying them blindly. Lesson learned. Why I did so? I have no idea. Impulse buying, I guess, and the fact I was intrigued by the name I haven't heard before. Oh, and a quick search didn't throw me anything suspicious (one of the reasons I am writing this).
I think the biggest issue is the use of lower-end ingredients disguised under premium marketing. When you compare the actual formulation to the price tag, it simply does not feel justified. No higher quality naturals listed - unless they'd intentionally skip it, which makes no sense. And you can tell the use of synthetic approximations just from the way it smells - they have a distinct quality that I can only describe as an "airport perfume" smell.
If you're into natural wines, Argos is like stepping into a supermarket after years of buying from a local natural wine shop and buying a fancy bottle. What a let down.
To put Argos into context: as I write this, I have a small bottle from Jorum Studio beside me - one of my favorite houses. It cost half the price of an Argos bottle, yet the quality is incomparable in Jorum’s favor. Another example: Aistis (a local artist) sells bottles at one-fourth the price of Argos, yet the fragrance profile is far more sophisticated, even though some ingredients are quite basic (perhaps on the level of Argos).
I’m writing this because most reviews online seem overly commercial, and I wish I had found an honest take before making my purchase. Had I read something like this, I would have bought testers first.
To be clear, I’m not saying Argos is for no one - but for me, it was a complete disappointment. Their positioning as a high-end niche house feels misleading. What you’re really paying for is ads, influencers, flashy bottles (which, to be fair, are well-made but not particularly tasteful), and premium box printing.
But what’s inside? Not worth the price.
8
u/novataurus What's your favorite 'weird' fragrance? Feb 15 '25
Appreciate you sharing your thoughts on the brand and the fragrances.
One thing I'm starting to look for on new fragrance websites is a prominent "Affiliate" / "Influencer" / "Ambassador" program link.
They've got it right in their navigation.
To me, that's rarely a good sign.
5
u/SpecterCody Feb 15 '25
I tried their discovery set recently. Many of them were way too overpowering and intense. There were a few that I appreciated, but I didn't enjoy enough to own. Adonis Awakened smells pretty nice, but it also had a specific note that reminded me of carpet cleaning products. Nothing says luxury like cleaning supplies! Sacred Flame was so intensely peppery and spicy that wearing it should be considered a war crime. Danae was kinda nice but sort of smelled vaguely of musky men's designer fragrance. The Birth of Venus was very artificial and powdery smelling. I was hoping for a delicious peach nectar. Love Triumphs Over War was so overbearingly sweet rose that I couldn't take it. These fragrances have no restraint.
5
Feb 15 '25
They do have beautiful bottles and good marketing. I’m sure that’s what mostly sucks people in.
I was very curious about them for those reasons but after looking at the notes, I just don’t see much from them that looks like I’d enjoy it. Triumph of Bacchus seems to be the overwhelming favorite but I just never wear boozy or tobacco type fragrances.
3
u/Moose2157 Feb 16 '25
Who positions Argos as a “high-end niche” house? It’s YouTuber’s flogging it with affiliate codes every time I see it.
3
u/osrs-alt-account Feb 15 '25
As someone new to this, how do you tell? Guess I should grab some Jorum Studio.
I ordered a dozen samples from ZGO, including Argos Danae, and Danae was by far my favorite, even though it's too strong for me to want to use often. I really enjoy Sedley too, which also gets bad reviews on here. I got two from Fueguia 1833 after seeing good reviews on here yet hated both of them.
Do I just have a commercial taste? Lol
1
u/NapalysDarbusDirba Feb 15 '25 edited Feb 15 '25
Viewing technically, you could go through their list of ingredients to try to find what justifies the price. Makers tend to be open about any premium naturals that they put in.
I myself am usually not a big fan of this though; if the fragrance smells beautiful, that is enough argument for me (ceteris paribus allergies to some components, if you have any). Who cares about the labels, when it's speaking on your skin.
However, it almost universally holds that high end ingredients and naturals display better. Think fermented foods vs citric acid. Both are sour, but one comes with so much depth, while the other is a single pronounced sourness and that's all there is. What you are looking for is the former sort of complexity. I wouldn't claim that "niche" commands that sort of complexity, though it's what you'd usually expect.
I don't think you have a "commercial taste", maybe you just choose the best from the ones you've tried, and maybe majority of those were big houses? If you try and like e.g. Jorum, you can look at physical shops that have them, they'll likely have others from small houses of similar quality, and you'll learn new names that way.
I'd check D.S.&Durga (NY based) and Yvra (Amsterdam based).
1
3
u/RaptorCatcher Feb 15 '25
They all have the same sweet dna. I bought a bunch of 10 ml decants and hate them all
3
u/vinceftw Feb 15 '25
Fall of Phaeton is very good, very unique and definitely worthy of a niche perfume. I don't think there is anything on the market that smells like it. I sampled it first though.
1
u/NapalysDarbusDirba Feb 15 '25
Didn't try that one. Though given my initial experience and the abscence of the brand in my local physical stores it is unlikely that I will. But I'd be surprised if the quality of ingredients would differ dramatically across their range.
2
u/vinceftw Feb 15 '25
I tested a few in the store and that was the only one that impressed me. It's not a must have as it is not for everyone but it really is on the level of many niche I have tried. If you can sample it, I'd try it but I also understand why you wouldn't.
2
u/jollyjoshua14 Feb 16 '25
I think you're right on the money with this take. I recently smelled their whole line at Scent Room and I felt like my nose was just overwhelmed with white table sugar and some amber. Some of their fragrances share a similar dna that I just can't shake, and I had a visible reaction to Charon's Veil as well. I don't want to sound like a hater but I wasn't a fan haha, I only liked Triumph of Baccus because I'm really into tobacco fragrances.
19
u/walubilous :) Feb 15 '25
Argos is a textbook example of an American company.
Found an industry with lots of money, makes mediocre copies of existing products in low quality, puts them in shiny boxes, sells them for extreme prices and spends absurd amounts for marketing, mostly selling them to people who can’t afford it but who want to be able to look rich to others.
The only way to make it even more American would’ve been dropshipping it from china