Review: A is for Akro Rise · Brotherhood Of Scent

Review: A is for Akro Rise

A is for Akro Rise

I had meant to write this as my SOTD last week, but after spending an hour typing it out on my phone in the app, I accidentally hit the back button and completely lost everything I had written. I was a bit heartbroken over it, and I've been too busy to spend the time to rewrite it.

This is the second in my personal challenge to wear samples from different brands, starting with each letter of the alphabet. I'm trying to use up each one in an effort go through as many of my sample stash as possible over the summer. I received this sample as part of the TPG Mystery Box #4 back in 2024. The 2mL sample yielded a total of 4 full wearings spraying 6 to 8 sprays per wear.

Akro is an independent niche brand run by Olivier Cresp and his daughter Anais. They focus on gourmand scents, though recently they have released some themed around ink, spices, malt, and tobacco. Rise is a summer oriented gourmand centered around the concept of having Piña Coladas on a faraway beach.

The notes are:

Top - Coconut Water

Middle - Piña Colada, Tiare Flower

Base - Sandalwood

Scent: 6.5 - This is definitely a summertime scent. It's very coconut forward, and I pick up a sunscreen vibe that I'm not really in love with. It's slightly feminine, though the sandalwood in the base does butch it up a little bit. The notes are very well blended, and it is a very high quality experience. You can tell there is real artistry and craftsmanship here.

Performance: 6.5 - On my skin, it dissipates after about 4 or 5 hours. That's not necessarily a bad thing if you are wearing this in the summer. It is an EDP concentration, but I don't think this is meant to be a beast mode fragrance. It leans on the quieter side of projection, making it a discovery scent, not something that enters the room 5 minutes ahead of you.

Package Design: 8.0 - The 100mL bottles are big and heavy and feel like they are worth what you are paying for them. The boxes these come in are really cool. This was just a sample, but I have the full presentation for Awake and Dark, and the boxes they come in are really pretty and very well designed. They feel like little art pieces, and I have them displayed on my bookshelf next to my Imaginary Authors and Argos boxes.

Perceived Value: 8.0 - Retail, the 100mL goes for $180, and the 30mL goes for $90. You can find them usually at Olfactory Factory on discount for around $45-$60 for the 30mL and $90-$120 for the 100mL. At the discount price, I think these are very affordable for an indie niche brand. I have the 30mL bottles for Dark and Awake, and I paid about $110 for the two of them.

Overall: 6.8 - While this is undoubtedly a masterfully crafted and well put together fragrance that showcases Olivier Cresp's talent, it is not my favorite from the house, and I doubt that I will ever get a full bottle. I'm just not a fan of that coconut sunscreen vibe, and wouldn't really want to wear it. I was happy to see this sample gone and to move on to something else.

Thank you for taking the time to read my review. Let me know what I should do for some of the other letters. I'm happy to take suggestions. I might even do 2 or 3 from the same letter since some of the samples I have are small, and I like to wear a daytime frag and an evening frag.

Previous reviews:

# is for 19-69 Higher Peace: https://www.skool.com/bos/sotd-is-for-19-69-higher-peace?p=aeddba50

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