Kemi / Al Kimiya
Kemi / Al Kimiya
76 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The davana hits with immediate dried-stone-fruit character—tart, slightly funky, almost medicinal—catching you slightly off-guard with its fermented-honey intensity before quickly settling. Within moments, green vetiver emerges to provide backbone, preventing the opening from feeling overly sweet or candy-like.
Benzoin softens into a warm, almost vanilla-tinged resinousness that marries beautifully with the grounding vetiver, creating a woody-spicy envelope that feels simultaneously comforting and austere. The smoky character deepens here, suggesting sandalwood smoke or burnt incense, whilst the spice accord adds subtle pepper and perhaps clove-like warmth without ever becoming obvious or loud.
The fragrance settles into its most intimate phase, where oud leather and vanilla combine into a skin-scent softness that's distinctly creamy yet never gourmand. A lingering woodiness persists—dry, slightly resinous, faintly smoky—creating the impression of wearing expensive vetiver-forward cologne from decades past.
Solis announces itself as a fragrance for those who find conventional sweetness cloying. The davana top note arrives with a distinctive dried-fruit tartness—think apricot leather and fermented honey—that immediately signals this won't be a straightforward gourmand. What unfolds is a study in resinous tension: benzoin and vetiver wrestle for dominance in the heart, the former's balsamic warmth playing against the latter's green, root-like earthiness. This is where Solis reveals its architectural ambition—it's resolutely woody (100% woody accord) without veering into fresh-cut forest territory. Instead, the woody structure feels aged, almost architectural, like walking through cedar-lined library shelves that smell faintly of old paper.
The oud base doesn't overwhelm; rather, it adds a leathery, slightly funky depth that prevents the vanilla from becoming treacly. That vanilla is decidedly smoky (52% smoky accord) and resinous, not the clean, creamy kind you'd find in mainstream fragrances. There's a subtle spiciness (64%) threading through—perhaps from the oud's natural character—that keeps everything from settling into pure comfort.
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4.0/5 (74)