Kayali
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Black cherry explodes with the force of a tin of pie filling upended over hot charcoal, all syrup and smoke in equal, shameless measure. Raspberry muscels in alongside, creating a jammy sweetness that the bergamot can barely temper, whilst the first wisps of woody char curl through the fruit like incense at a harvest festival gone rogue.
The florals emerge as the cherry calms to a simmer—jasmine sambac's creamy indoles twining with rose's jammy petals, both dusted liberally with heliotrope's almond-marzipan softness. Praline thickens the texture to something almost edible, whilst patchouli begins its earthy grounding work, threading darkness through all that pink sweetness like veins through marble.
What remains is a musky-woody sweetness where tonka bean and ambrettolide create an almost animalic warmth, Peru balsam adding vanilla-laden resin whilst vetiver and guaiac provide a smoky, slightly medicinal backbone. The cherry has long since burnt down to embers, leaving behind something closer to skin musk dusted with burnt sugar and temple incense.
Philippine Courtière has conjured something deliberately excessive here—a molten cherry confection that borders on pyromaniacal gourmandry. The black cherry announces itself with an almost liqueur-like intensity, macerated and syrupy, its tartness obliterated by a raspberry-praline alliance that reads more Bakewell tart than orchard fruit. Bergamot tries valiantly to provide citric relief but gets swallowed whole by the sweetness. What prevents this from tipping into sticky disaster is the smoke—not the refined whisper of incense, but a proper woody char courtesy of palo santo and guaiac wood tag-teaming with patchouli's earthy darkness. The floral heart is surprisingly generous: jasmine sambac lends its indolic cream whilst damask rose provides a jammy, Turkish delight quality that amplifies rather than softens the gourmand thrust. Heliotrope dusts everything with marzipan powder. As it dries, Peru balsam's vanilla-resin warmth merges with tonka bean absolute and ambrettolide's musky sweetness to create a skin-scent that's both edible and oddly sensual. This is for the fragrance wearer who considers "too much" a starting point rather than a warning—the sort who applies scent with conviction and owns the sweetness rather than apologising for it. It works best in cooler weather when its density feels enveloping rather than suffocating, layered over leather jackets and vintage band tees. Subtlety need not apply.
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3.8/5 (89)