Dominique Ropion isn’t a perfumer that follows the script. With Velvet Iris, he takes one of perfumery’s most revered ingredients and flips the narrative. “Iris isn’t all that floral,” he’s said. And here, it shows. Feminine? Yes. Masculine? Equally. Mostly, it’s compelling.
Ropion leans into its drier, woodier, more ambiguous facets. Turmeric adds an unexpected lift, a little spicy, while galbanum, an ingredient describes as feminine and masculine at the same time, delivers a sharp green hit that cuts clean through the softness. Lentisque carries that green thread forward but more vegetal. Then comes labdanum, grounding everything in a gentle warmth.
And then there’s buchu, fruity at first, but drying down to woody, even leathery. The result is a fragrance with presence. Not overworked or overpolished. Just really balanced and with and character.
Ropion calls it velvety, carnal, majestic. Fair. But what stands out most is the way it develops quietly. Iris might not be everyone’s favorite note, but Velvet Iris is different. You’ll find yourself returning to it, chasing that next shift in tone. Fresh, quietly sexy, and remarkably modern.
(100 ML | €88)
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