Without being an avowed lover of fruity fragrances, I pounced on Sunset Hour with feverish impatience, driven by my interest in the brand. Goldfield & Banks combines Australian oil essences at a 20% concentration with a century of French creative expertise in the field. Founded in 2016, the brand quickly gained momentum thanks to the ambitious niche approach of Dimitri Weber, its founder and creative director of French-Belgian origin, who, captivated by Australia, decided to bring to light some local ingredients previously unknown to perfumery. In itself, that is a rather bold move in an industry where offering true novelty is becoming increasingly difficult.

First impressions

While waiting for the fragrance to arrive, I read quite a few opinions describing it as mainly raspberry, childishly naive, a harmless type. On me, however, it erupted into ripe summer peach, with sparks of raspberry, a joyful jasmine bouquet, and a creamy aromatic aura, the kind we've all sensed around a big ice cream display case. The peach here is a specific variety, the desert quandong, an evergreen fruit tree native to Australia: sweet, fragrant and juicy, without being sticky, and thankfully spared from being paired with an intoxicating musk of the type found in Hayati by Attar Collection. Where that one leans into a confectionery vibe, here the fruits appear in an almost literal, botanical form, elegantly presented and easy to love. The raspberry in the composition is no exception: fresh, slightly tart and playful, it doesn't demand attention the way it does in Flamenco by Ramon Monegal, but shimmers in harmony around the peach, before dancing lightly into the jasmine. The mandarin doesn't stand out at all, cast in a supporting role within the chorus, while the sandalwood lends a delicate, almost imperceptible milky note, smoothed by cashmeran, slightly cool. Just like the setting sun's rays loosening their grip as they fade away.

I must admit that the composition skillfully avoids the "fruit compote", confectionery-like sweetness typical of this type of perfumes, including in the niche category. Sunset Hour is like a vacation from perfumes, practical, airy, yet noticeable. It manages to wrap you in that summery feeling of ease, timelessness, wide-brimmed hats and floral dresses. Its longevity for me ranged from 4 to 6 hours in sea-side humidity, and it should last longer in more typical, human temperatures. The presentation, naturally, follows a concept: the brand's bottles are completely minimalist, with unobtrusive labels, so that the focus falls on the pale pink hue of the liquid itself, completing the overall picture.

Don't overthink it: the perfume is delicate, moderately sweet and finely creamy, with a distinctly feminine scent and is very easy to wear. It doesn't require you to know or own a certain number of fragrances before deciding to buy it. There's nothing about it that could shock or repel you, even if you're a traditional lover of heavier, more complex scents. It's still high summer, full of magical sunsets, and Sunset Hour fits perfectly into it.