Rozy by Vero Profumo

*****

Year: 2014

Notes: melon, blackcurrant bud, coriander seed, nutmeg, blackcurrant leaf, rose, tuberose, vanilla, labdanum, styrax, honey, sandalwood

Comment: Voile d'Extrait review

With Vero Profumo's fifth release, Rozy comes across as the older sister of Rubj. It's still a rich floral effort but drier, more complex and somewhat elegant.

After application, an array of spices soon temper the fruity opening, before allowing the florals to surface. With labdanum, styrax and honey featured, one gets a distinct leathery or smoky incense aura later throughout – so much that, within the context of the tuberose core, the aroma is reminiscent of champaca incense sticks. The honey lends a subtle animalic facet, but also provides the perfect foil for the emergence of sandalwood.

Rozy isn't as bold as Rubj but one enjoys the structure of the former much more. It's also a more subdued and contemplative effort, with a lovely sandalwood denouement. And although both staying power and sillage aren't as impressive as one was expecting, it's still very well-executed.

Mito by Vero Profumo

*****

Year: 2013

Notes: citrus, peach, cypress, galbanum, hyacinth, white magnolia, magnolia grandiflora, champaca, jasmine, tuberose, labdanum, moss, musk

Comment: Voile d'Extrait review

Mito is Vero Profumo's fourth olfactory offering, inspired by the 16th and 17th century gardens of Villa d'Este, in Tivoli, Italy.

Based on the green floral-chyprés of yesteryear, such as Chanel's Cristalle and No.19, Christian Dior's Diorella, and Balmain's Vent Vert, Mito serves as a faithful tribute to this nearly-extinct scent family. It's sweet, lush and angular, with citrus-infused peppery-green top notes. The peach is ripe and succulent, providing a fruity warmth and depth, and the galbanum and cypress aren't afraid of exhibiting their sharp, dry and verdant properties.

As it approaches the mid notes, what soon follows is an armada of florals, with the magnolia and jasmine being particularly discernible. By this stage, grassy traces from the opening still remain, but the moss base ensures that the green premise is maintained. With a mossy saltiness permeating throughout the floral sweetness, the composition gradually becomes earthier over time.

But it's only after the floral sweetness has largely faded that one detects an Onda-esque base (even though no vetiver is listed). And while what went on before was beautiful and alluring, by this point, Mito is now too similar to the drydown of Onda. Personally, one would have preferred a more unique drydown instead.

As it stands, Mito is still a respectable creation and every bit as good as Onda. However, insubstantial staying power still seems to be an issue with this house, although its sillage is moderate. With so many reservations, one is unable to unconditionally praise it but it still comes recommended.

Onda by Vero Profumo

*****

Year: 2007

Notes: bergamot, lemon, tangerine, coriander, basil, ginger, mace, ylang-ylang, iris, honey, patchouli, vetiver, ambergris, musk

Comment: Parfum extrait review

There's one thing that has to be said about Onda's opening – it smells downright weird...

One has never encountered such pungent, earthy and smoky top notes before. For the most part, it consists of a bitter, vegetal and mouldy greenness – with herbs, spices, and a dry and nutty vetiver chord producing a dirty leathery facet. It's so incomparable that the closest one is able to compare Onda to would be a vetiver-themed hybrid of Montale's Oud Cuir d'Arabie and Lorenzo Villoresi's Yerbamate.

Yet on the contrary, it isn't animalic in the conventional sense but more rubbery, with an antiseptic or sterilised tone set against a charred olive green canvas. As it settles, it mellows into something less brash and offensive – smelling closer to barnyard hay, with a tender honeyed sweetness seeping through. The ylang-ylang largely remains inconspicuous but the iris adds an enigmatic powderiness to the proceedings.

With a hint of bitter chocolate from the patchouli, the composition eventually winds down to both a leathery and ashy chypré-like epilogue. Revealing a strange verdant musk foundation, one is unable to detect any ambergris but more of an ambrette seed accord which, based on what went on before, makes more logical sense.

Personally, one finds it very wearable after it settles down and, overall, it's both compelling and disconcerting in equal measure. But although it's initially rich and bold, it only lasts for five hours. While one would much prefer a high-quality vetiver essential oil over Onda, its uncompromising complexity still deserves some praise.

Kiki by Vero Profumo

*****

Year: 2007

Notes: bergamot, lemon, blackcurrant, lavender, geranium, patchouli, opopanax, caramel, ambergris, musk

Comment: Parfum extrait review

There are a couple of intriguing aspects about Kiki – the unorthodox combination of lavender and caramel, and the clarity of the lavender itself. With a nod towards the Guerlain classic, Jicky, this gourmand lavender offering is compelling in its own right.

With a vibrant fruity opening, the caramel never overpowers the acerbic lavender, creating a gourmand backdrop that complements (yet is in contrast with) the dry and austere properties of the lavender. The balance between the herbaceous aspect (partly highlighted by the geranium, with quite possibly the addition of rosemary) and its general sweetness is perfectly proportioned, while the other components are just as smoothly blended.

But there's no barbershop association or cloying sweetness in the vicinity, as the composition follows a largely linear path. Sweetening further as it evolves, any verdancy soon subsides, a hint of opopanax provides a subtle resinous dimension and the lavender continues to intensify its presence. By the time the musk cocktail makes itself known, both the lavender and caramel are still faintly there.

Like Serge Lutens' Gris Clair, one has to be able to fully appreciate the creative possibilities in which lavender can be employed in perfumery. And although one doesn't feel compelled to even consider purchasing Kiki, it's still the most appealing out of Vero Kern's three olfactory statements.

Rubj by Vero Profumo

*****

Year: 2007

Notes: bergamot, tangerine, neroli, Moroccan orange blossom, Egyptian jasmine, tuberose, cedar, oakmoss, civet, musk

Comment: Parfum extrait review

Rubj is a syrupy, rich and unbridled fruity-floral, with a berry fruitiness permeating a composite of neroli, orange blossom, tuberose, jasmine and animalic musks. However, with a subdued wax note that occasionally rears its ugly head, one is unable to get terribly excited about it.

Harbouring a touch of civet in the base notes, it bestows an indolic quality to the florals while the composition's prominent sweetness continues unabated. Of course, it's very well-composed, easy to wear and highly likely to receive praise from fans of this genre but, for a parfum extrait, one feels that the price is unwarranted.

With an overtly feminine demeanour, it's the least preferred release by Vero Kern but that doesn't mean it's any less worthy. Plus, in contrast to Onda and Kiki, Rubj's projection and longevity are a lot more satisfying.