Korres
Korres
84 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Lime's astringent citric snap dominates immediately, the mandarin providing a slightly warmer orange undertone that prevents the opening from feeling one-dimensional. This is brisk, almost botanical freshness—closer to a crushed leaf than a fruit bowl.
As the citrus gradually recedes, cedarwood steps forward with its resinous character, the pepper adding a subtle dry spice that plays beautifully against the vetiver's green, almost herbal quality. The aquatic base, previously just backdrop, now provides a cool, mineral tension that keeps everything from becoming too woody.
Nutmeg and gaiac wood settle into a warm, slightly smoky foundation, with gurjum balsam's subtle sweetness preventing the fragrance from turning austere. What remains is decidedly woody and spiced—intimate rather than projecting, suitable for skin-scent appreciation only.
Korres' Water | Cedar | Lime occupies that rare middle ground where aquatic freshness refuses to become insipid, anchored instead by a woody spine that prevents it from dissolving into nothingness. The citrus trio of lime, mandarin, and orange arrives with genuine verve—think lime's sharp, almost saline bite rather than the rounded sweetness of processed cordial—whilst cedarwood in the heart provides not the dusty, pencil-shaving dryness of Virginia cedar, but rather a greener, more resinous interpretation that harmonises with the pepper and vetiver's subtle grassiness.
This is a fragrance for those who find traditional fresh scents too ephemeral, too dependent on performance anxiety. There's substance here, though restraint remains paramount. The spiced base—nutmeg's warmth, gaiac wood's smoky character, gurjum balsam's subtle vanilla undertones—arrives late enough to feel like a genuine revelation rather than an intrusive presence. It transforms what could have been another forgettable citrus-aquatic into something genuinely considered, albeit unshowy.
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3.8/5 (161)