Worth
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The first assault is unambiguously spiced—clove and cinnamon crash forward with almost peppery intensity, immediately tempered by bergamot's citrus brilliance and an unlikely pineapple note that tingles against the spice. Cardamom adds a slightly resinous warmth beneath, whilst red berries peek through like garnish on a rich dish, sharp and fleeting.
The spice gradually softens as magnolia and orange blossom bloom into prominence, their creamy texture settling against the warmer cardamom still lingering from the opening. Rose and jasmine emerge with a distinctly powdery quality, whilst sandalwood and amber begin their subtle ascent—the composition shifts from sharp to sensual, becoming almost buttery as caramel and cocoa notes materialise beneath the florals, creating an unexpected gourmand warmth.
What remains is a velvety base of sandalwood, dark chocolate, and amber wrapped around residual vanilla and caramel, with musk providing a faint animalic undertone. The peach and raspberry notes surface briefly like a final reminder of complexity, before the fragrance settles into a predominantly amber-vanilla hum, growing progressively softer and warmer on the skin.
Worth's Courtesan arrives as a calculated seduction—a fragrance that treats sweetness as a weapon rather than an ornament. Pierre Bourdon constructs something deliberately indulgent here, layering clove and cardamom against a honeyed bed of orange blossom and jasmine, creating immediate friction between spice and floral languor. The top notes crackle with clove's peppery bite and cardamom's almost medicinal warmth, whilst bergamot and pineapple inject a fleeting brightness that prevents the composition from becoming cloying.
What distinguishes Courtesan is its unabashed embrace of gourmand architecture without descending into naive sweetness. The heart unfolds with rose and magnolia joining the citrus florals, but these aren't delicate bloomings—they're rendered slightly dusty, almost animalic, by the amber accord that shadows them from beneath. As sandalwood and musk begin their ascent, dark chocolate and cocoa notes emerge, transforming the composition into something vaguely decadent, almost creamy.
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3.9/5 (126)