Yves Saint Laurent
Yves Saint Laurent
80 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Pink pepper crackles across the opening minutes, adding bite to the bergamot's brightness, whilst petitgrain keeps everything luminous and slightly sharp—like biting into a citrus peel. Within moments, the citrus settles into a almost clean, almost antiseptic clarity that feels more like atmosphere than fragrance.
Neroli rises gradually, bringing a distinctive, faintly aldehydic powderiness that transforms the fresh citrus into something more refined and almost soapy. Clary sage emerges with herbal insistence, drawing down the composition's brightness whilst jasmine sambac adds subtle roundness—not floral sweetness, but creamy skin-like texture that grounds everything.
Patchouli and vetiver become increasingly prominent, shifting the scent's centre of gravity from citrus brightness toward earthy, slightly woody intimacy. Musk softens these base materials into a pale, skin-like finish that clings close, lingering as a whisper of herbal-earthiness rather than a lasting projection.
Saharienne arrives as a study in restrained elegance—a fragrance that refuses to shout, instead whispering its intentions with the confidence of someone who knows exactly who they are. Alberto Morillas has constructed something deceptively simple: a citrus-forward composition that pivots on the interplay between brightness and earthiness, never quite committing fully to either.
The opening salvo of bergamot and petitgrain establishes crisp, almost austere citrus DNA, whilst pink pepper adds a subtle prickle—not spicy, but gently assertive, preventing the top from becoming merely fresh. This is where many fragrances would flatten into generic cologne territory, but Saharienne sidesteps that trap through its heart. Neroli and jasmine sambac enter not as floral sweetness but as a powdery, slightly soapy undertone—think iris-adjacent rather than heady bloom. The clary sage anchors everything, contributing a herbal, almost minty dryness that transforms the composition into something unexpectedly green and verdant.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
3.6/5 (228)