Am I the only one who doesn't like Filippo Sorcinelli perfumes?

Hi! I'm quite new to the niche perfumery, I've been collecting perfumes for about six months now: buying samples, visiting all the possible perfume shops in my area, trying different perfumes at my friend's places. But popularity of Sorcinelli perfumes among niche perfume community is something that I can't quite understand.

Here is the thing: I work as a brand identity designer with the major background in academic arts. I don't claim to know everything in this world, but I see how brands work. And for me, the success of Sorcinelli perfumes lies not in their olfactory experience, but in the brand itself. Filippo has it all: a vibrant presentation, beautiful packaging, an elegant story of his life and his rise as a perfumer, a mysterious and strange aura around his brand, and powerful metaphors related to human nature, religion and arts.

Filippo Sorcinelli has a knack for creating something very strange and unusual, something that stands out from all the other store shelves, but his strangeness doesn't match the quality of his fragrances. I think everyone's love affair with his perfume begins the same way. First you see it, then you read about it, you understand the concept, and then, putting it all together, your brain can't accept that the perfume doesn't live up to its promise — a true placebo effect. People really like it. I think it's for the same reason the Toskovat brand is popular now (I haven't tried it because it's not available in my region). While most perfumes don't have any special packaging or story behind them, at least you won't see it when you go to the store. Black bottles with gold caps, or clear bottles with a black cap and a discreet sticker with the brand name in antique font — this is what most perfumes look like at first glance.

But blind testing destroys the entire brand's power before our eyes. It will smell generic (I mean you can easily find quite similar perfumes for the same price), not strange, and it won't evoke the same associations as advertised. I personally tested this with my friends, including my boyfriend. He really liked Unum "But Not Today" when a friend told him about the perfume and let him smell it. But when I gave him a blotter with the perfume applied to it at the store, he said it smelled like an old woman and that it was awful. Only a few of the brand's fragrances, for me, correspond to the stated concept: Notre-Dame 15.4.2019 and HÆC DIES but the fragrances itself are not unique — you can find much cheaper and quality analogs. And 200 to 300 euros for those fragrances seems overpriced to me. Over the past six months, I haven't once felt the urge to buy any of the Sorcinelli perfumes — even though I smell them again and again and am open to new bottles. I don't try to get hung up on one opinion and will be happy if I finally like something.

My personal opinion: BORNTOSTANDOUT is a reallyyyyy good brand if you want to experience something unusual and new. The variety, the formula, the power of association that a scent evokes — people will recognise the smell of the mead on you, will tell that filthy musk sounds filty, musky and pissy. Same with drunk maple, dirty milk, naked laundry and be my cookie. Those are some of the perfumes that I get to try. And EVERY SINGLE TIME it lines up to its name on the modest white bottle. Same with What We Do Is Secret, Pills Perfumes, Room 1015, Hima Jomo and J-Scent (although J-Scent and Hima Jomo are more of a tender perfumes — it lines up with all the expectations from the perfumes I listed perfectly)

P.S. I'm not trying to sound aggressive, texting is not my best skill lmao. I just don't understand how such fragrances can cost so much. They're not bad, but they don't seem strong or unique enough on their own to warrant such a high price!!