Amouage
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The citrus trio detonates immediately—lime's pithy bitterness foremost, with mandarin's sweetness and lemon's clean acidity creating a three-dimensional burst that's more peel than juice. Within seconds, the green frankincense rises like smoke through a grate, its resinous pine-sap quality already threading through the fruit, whilst black pepper prickles at the edges with its dry, almost dusty heat.
The frankincense takes command here, revealing its full character: green, almost turpentine-sharp, with elemi resin adding a lemony-peppery reinforcement that keeps the composition from settling into conventional incense territory. The cade juniper begins its slow emergence, bringing a smoky, phenolic quality that smells of burnt wood and leather, whilst the citrus recedes to a ghostly zest that flickers in and out of the resinous haze.
What remains is austere and meditative—vetiver's earthy rootiness intertwined with gaiac's subtle smokiness, both serving as a canvas for the frankincense's persistent green-resinous whisper. The juniper's tarry facets have fully integrated, lending an almost apothecary-like quality, dry herbs preserved in aged wood, with only the faintest citric memory haunting the composition's woody bones.
Search presents Amouage's interpretation of the citrus-incense tradition through a distinctly Omani lens, where the brightness of Mediterranean citrus crashes headlong into the sacred smoke of the Sultan's frankincense forests. This isn't the polite whisper of incense you'll find in diluted flankers; Alexis Grugeon has crafted something that smells like citrus peel torn open in a church censer, the essential oils igniting the moment they meet smouldering resins. The green frankincense from Oman provides a raw, pine-like quality that feels unrefined and potent—none of that sweet, vanillic frankincense you'd expect from the high street. It's backed by elemi resin and black pepper, creating a composition that feels taut and angular rather than plush.
The citrus accord here is sharp and unapologetically zesty, with lime's bitter edge preventing the lemon and mandarin from sliding into generic cologne territory. What makes Search compelling is how the smokiness doesn't wait for the dry down—it's woven through from the opening, with cade juniper's tarry, almost medicinal facet lending an astringent quality that contrasts beautifully with the fruit. The gaiac wood and vetiver create a foundation that's earthy rather than creamy, grounding all that brightness without sweetening it.
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3.9/5 (86)