Beauty Care: La Via del Profumo Amber Chocolate Perfume Review

La Via del Profumo Amber Chocolate Eau de Parfum is a boozier, chocolaty scent that uses tonka bean and vanilla to sweeten and add a subtle spice to it, while there are definite nutty notes that create a smoother, almond-chocolate duo that diffuses over time. The drydown saw more prominent vanilla sweetness coming through, but it never approached full gooey, chocolate cake to my nose.

It is described as a blend of “chocolate and vanilla and tonka” to create a “gourmand” fragrance. The notes are listed as chocolate, tonka bean, and vanilla.

Scent Development

There was a rich, booziness to the opening; making it seem more rum and caramel with a splash of melted chocolate. Over the next five minutes, the booziness receded somewhat, giving way to a vanilla accent to the chocolate, which made it smoother, creamier, and seemed to bring out its nuttiness. There was a subtle earthy undercurrent and a suggestion of spiced resins that appeared about 10 minutes in.

It was warm, cozy, and started to smell like almond, hazelnut, and chocolate at the half-hour mark–nutty, creamy, and sweet but never verging on cake-like. The vanilla remained rich and spiced, reinforcing the boozy undertone. The amber added further depth and thickness to a caramelized sweetness.

By the third hour, it was smooth, nutty chocolate that was slightly drier with spiced, vanilla sweetness. The almond was slightly powdery at times, but it didn’t veer into heavy cherry territory, though there was a hint. It was quite linear overall, and it seemed to get slightly more spiced and sweet with less almond coming through during the drydown.

Application

For testing, I used 1/3 of a 0.7ml sample vial dabbed to the underside and topside of my wrist area . I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise.

I purchased my sample in February 2022; fragrances are known to be reformulated over their lifetime , so be mindful of when a review was made, e.g. a review from 2010 may not reflect what the same-named perfume smells like in 2022.

Longevity

It lasted for three hours until it was a skin-scent and about eight hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. Everything about the fragrance was quite discreet as there was little projection and little sillage from the get-go.

Personal Thoughts

I loved the way it smelled throughout the wear, but I wish it had better longevity on me and was more noticeable in my personal bubble–I felt like I only really knew I was wearing it when I put my nose near my wrist.