M. Micallef
M. Micallef
389 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The blackcurrant and plum hit with immediate jammy richness, whilst lemon and pear add a crystalline edge that prevents the opening from becoming purely sweet. Within moments, you're immersed in a fruit compote accord that feels almost edible, the kind of sweetness that makes you want to inhale deeper.
As the fruity elements soften, a velvety floral heart emerges—the violet and mimosa create a powdery, slightly soapy character whilst ylang ylang introduces an almost creamy warmth. This phase lasts longest, the florals gradually becoming the fragrance's true personality as the initial fruit sweetness recedes into support.
What remains is essentially white musk and vanilla creating a subtle skin scent, the florals reducing to whispered memory. By the fourth hour, Ananda has become an intimate fragrance detectable mainly when you bring your wrist to your nose—comfort rather than presence.
Ananda is a fragrance that commits entirely to its own softness, a deliberate surrender to comfort rather than projection. Jean-Claude Astier has constructed something almost edible here—the opening blackcurrant and plum create a jammy sweetness that feels less like fruit and more like the preserved, concentrated essence of stone fruit. The pear arrives as a delicate counterpoint, offering just enough brightness to prevent the composition from cloying outright.
What distinguishes Ananda is how brutally honest it is about its limitations. This is a fragrance that whispers rather than declares. The heart reveals an impressive floral architecture—violet and mimosa provide a powdery structure whilst jasmine and ylang ylang add a slightly creamy, almost coconut-tinged warmth. Rose threads through discreetly, lending legitimacy to what could otherwise read as purely confectionery. The interplay between the sweet fruity opening and these florals creates an almost feminine-leaning unisex quality, though that classification feels somewhat generous given how soft this truly is.
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3.8/5 (100)