Issey Miyake
Issey Miyake
434 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Almond milk steams gently against your skin as bright neroli-tinged damask rose emerges, but the floral immediately softens into that creamy, almost milky character. The orange blossom follows as a whisper of zest, never sharp, already tempered by the almond's buttery embrace.
Lilac and jasmine bloom into the composition, but neither achieves traditional floralcy—they're muted, filtered through powder and cream. The star anise provides a gentle spiced thread that prevents this from becoming a generic floral, introducing a subtle licorice-tinged complexity that makes you want to keep sniffing.
The fragrance becomes almost entirely skin scent, the ambrox and musk creating a warm, almost indolic base whilst vanillin adds the gentlest caramelised sweetness. Atlas cedar provides a subtle woody skeleton beneath the creamy finish, which fades gradually rather than disappearing—a lingering impression of almond cream and soft musk on fabric.
A Drop d'Issey is a whisper rather than a declaration—a fragrance that trades projection for intimacy. The almond milk opening immediately signals Ane Ayo's intent: this is a creamy floral that rejects the airiness typically associated with rose and orange blossom. Instead, those traditionally bright notes are softened, almost curdled, by the richness of heated almond, creating an almost gourmand interpretation of florality without ever becoming dessert-like. The damask rose doesn't arrive as the classical romantic figure; it's subdued, nearly translucent, filtered through that creamy lens as though you're smelling it through layers of silk.
The heart layers lilac and jasmine atop this creamy foundation, and here's where the star anise becomes crucial—it prevents the floral arrangement from becoming powdery or soapy. Instead, it introduces a subtle spiced undertone that keeps the composition grounded and slightly strange, stopping just short of being conventionally pretty. This is the fragrance of someone who finds traditional floral perfumery a touch too obvious.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
4.0/5 (418)