This was the first collaboration of its kind. Artisanal perfumery with a quarantine twist—Homeros was born during lockdown, because of lockdown.
Down in southern Antalya along the coast of the Mediterranean, you see the Greek islands hovering nearby. So close you could probably swim there.
I was there since lockdown began, unable to return to my atelier. It’s the frustration and longing to capture the scent around me that gave birth to the Odyssey Collab.
Homeros is the result of my collaboration with artisanal perfume connoisseurs who joined in making the perfume not just possible, but what it now is. Participants had five iterations (Ithaca, Zante, Ogygia, Cythera, Achaea), contenders if you will, to study and work with and they were my surrogate nose as Homeros was composed by an anosmic perfumer through the prism of his fellow fragheads’ input and feedback.
When you first set sail, you’d hope that the reaction would be unanimous, and everyone’s preference would align to single out one of the five perfumes that made up The Odyssey Collab.
But that would be too easy. What would be the point?
If the collaboration didn’t influence the direction of the fragrance to ultimately make it greater, if it didn’t create a montage of the refinements, from added spices to ambergris, toned down citrus to extra oud, there would be no true Collab.
Instead of a uniform vote, I received fantastic insights and recommendations. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and still super constructive.
What you have here is the culmination of this journey. My team finally managed to get samples to me in Antalya, along with the new iterations developed during the Collab.
The composition ended up making a U-turn so that, in the end, Homeros turned out quite different from any of the five Odyssey perfumes. Instead of the five iterations, my iterations, Homeros became ours.
It belongs to Andy, for his scathing criticism, and Erhard for his uncanny insights and proposals. To Walter, who inspired the inclusion of Papuan oud’s petrichor-fresh wafts of green incense, and Marcel and his wife, who echoed a thought many shared: some of those top notes are a touch too sweet. That they prefer the darker tenor of Ogygia…… even though it smells a bit like a Japanese temple (remind me, why is that a bad thing?) And Eugenie, the great great great great grandson of Homer himself.
Homeros shows off the expertise, not of the perfumer, but of the artisanal collective it is made for—perfume devotees experienced enough to pick up the tonka bean in Zante and the musk that was in Ithaca, and in Ithaca only. How nobody got fooled into thinking there’s any ambergris—there wasn’t, but now there’s plenty—and who wondered if it was the apricot that killed the mandarin (it was).
Homeros gives you front-row seats to a landmark moment in perfume history, an olfactory ode to Odysseus that captures the Antalyan air, Ithaca’s flowers, its fruits, the dry salty seaside cool which stirred up countless ideas to create an iconic Mediterranean perfume that captures this place and this crazy time, lush with the sweet zest of the midday breeze as you drive by groves of mandarin as wafts of narcissus blow down from the hill.
Imagine what iodine would do to local habanero laced with the rich zest of elderflower and musked-out jasmine. A much subdued, rugged even, opening chord caressed by cypress and osmanthus, enlivened by the creamy sweet scent of castoreum and blackcurrant, all enshrouded in wafts of amber-infused tree balsams, musk-laced cacao, and the smooth oudy baritone of the Maroke oud.
They say the journey makes the man. And that’s certainly been the case with this perfume. Homeros is brought to you by the artisanal perfume community for the artisanal perfume community. There weren’t minor tweaks or subtle iterations to the five Odyssey perfumes. Instead, Homeros has been revamped, overhauled and turned into a totally distinct perfume where you’ll only smell a distant echo of The Odyssey’s tone as you sit down to enjoy the destinations’ end.
TOP
Neroli
Hinoki
Blue Cypress
Civet
HEART
Musk Motia
Georgian Rose
Orange Blossom
Osmanthus
Elderflower
BASE
Khmer Musk
(Tibetan Musk in Wild Cambodian Oud)
Sri Lankan Sandalwood
Maroke Agarwood
Bourbon Vanilla
Patchouli Musk
Tolu Balsam
Oakmoss
Tobacco
Cacao
CARRIER
70s Mysore Sandalwood
Borneo Oud Resin
SQ Ambergris
Tonkin Musk
This new rendition, more than two years later, continues the Odyssey theme with several tweaks to its predecessor – without undermining the integrity of the profile, of course.
The carrier of 99% of perfumes is plain ethanol. Some niche perfumes add minute amounts of musk tincture or ambergris (rarely both). Homeros goes quadruple the distance with its carrier composed of extinct Tonkin musk, SQ ambergris, raw agarwood resin, and 70s Mysore.
A spritz of Homeros on one spot, three swipes from the included vials across your arms with wafts of raw oud resin and vintage Mysore soaring in the background deepens your experience and appreciation for the perfume, or at the very least lets you explore these precious aromatics, each one a rarity in itself.
Reviews of the Previous Edition
It’s so complex, you won’t be able to drive after applying #FACT – Colin, UK
Oh man, Homeros is such a mega gorgeous parfum! – Lorenz, Germany
Homeros sits somewhere between a coniferous forest situated amongst the crystalline aquamarine waters of the salty Mediterranean Sea and the rugged leather and denim worn-in aesthetic of a pipe-in-hand Ernest Hemingway. The opening is a blast of musky citrus laden bitter florals, charred embers of desiccated driftwood and a resinous dried fruit meets pipe tobacco Aura that lets you know you’re smelling the famous Ensar DNA. From here a smooth and salty ambergris mixes with what feels like a Merauke’y oud which rests upon an ambered core complete with tendrils of birch tar and castoruem. The tobacco plays hide and seek. At times it feels acrid but as the scent progresses it becomes a noticeable Burley style accord. Think dry, cured unflavored tobacco that almost leans animalic.
I wouldn’t consider this a floral perfume yet florals play a heavy role in the opening and drydown. There’s an interesting floral tonality that feels “purple” in the core of Homeros. Whisps of Jasmine and Orange Blossom can be found adding cheerful sunshine to a more brooding and stormy base. In a way it’s like the churning of an oncoming oceanic storm where the light blue shores turn deep green and murky brown.
As the storm settles the classic golden Ensar’gris takes shape on the center stage and a milky, herbal tea meets leather gently closes out the night. It’s this drydown that I live for. Ensar truly is a master of creating exquisite leather drydowns. Each one with their own story to tell but you know exactly who the author is. – Aaron, USA
Homeros, my personal sweet spot. A story of layers and balance, walking the line between light and darkness gracefully. A cheerful fragrance with edge and soul.
I cannot recommend Homeros highly enough to be honest. Homeros is basically exactly how I want to smell like myself. That’s obviously my personal and very subjectice point of view, but there is a really good chance you’ll enjoy it as well. – Tom, Germany
This scent is absolutely stunning! Fruity opening with a blast of smoky salty Ambergris. It has a slightly dark and strong tone to it. To me it creates the feeling of dry sea salt on skin, just like you took a swim in the ocean. — Lorenz, Germany
Homeros arrived today. Firstly, this seems like you need a degree in oudology. Every time I smell my arm it’s changing. Is this the one that twists my head off. – Colin, UK
Homeros has officially blown my mind. There is a note deep within that I can’t decipher or understand that has made me feel like I can’t control my emotions. The only problem is, I should’ve bought the 50ml. Lesson learned… – Colin, UK
Homeros is a perfect combination of orange peel citrus, musk, tobacco, and oud. It is the most unique and most beloved spray I own. – Abu Naeem
Oud Yusuf and Homeros are both incredible but very very different. Yusuf is built entirely around the oud and its facets, and while the experience is amazing every time I wear it, it stays consistent. Homeros is an entirely different animal. I’ve probably gotten a dozen full wearings out of it now, and each and every one of them has been different. Every wearing different notes take center stage and the nuances are always showing me something new. Sometimes I get loads of cedar, sometimes leather. Sometimes it’s all about the oud, and one time the citrus was singing to me almost through the entire life of the fragrance. I don’t know if this effect is as pronounced for others as it is for me, but it still blows my mind every time I put it on. Probably the most complex bottle in my collection, and one of my favorites. – Ryan, USA
Yusuf’s ingredients are woven around Oud to exalt and showcase the Oud used. Homeros is a parfum of epic proportions, that showcases Ensars skills in blending Oud Musk Ambergris Aromatics and many more into a story in a bottle. More details in my review, the only mod I would make is what I thought was Black Ambergris I’ve come to realize is Oud resin of massive proportions. – Ryan, Canada
Oud Yusuf and Homeros are both incredible but very very different. Yusuf is built entirely around the oud and its facets, and while the experience is amazing every time I wear it, it stays consistent. Homeros is an entirely different animal. I’ve probably gotten a dozen full wearings out of it now, and each and every one of them has been different. Every wearing different notes take center stage and the nuances are always showing me something new. Sometimes I get loads of cedar, sometimes leather. Sometimes it’s all about the oud, and one time the citrus was singing to me almost through the entire life of the fragrance. I don’t know if this effect is as pronounced for others as it is for me, but it still blows my mind every time I put it on. Probably the most complex bottle in my collection, and one of my favorites. – Ryan, USA
Opening blast of the most beautiful citrus aromatics I’ve experienced in an Ensar. His focus was on the bitter orange tree and capturing neroli and orange blossom. I’m getting the rind and the fruit. It’s sharp citric but also sweet and honeyed.
As the citrus starts to settle I detect musk, and spices, a slight culinary undertone starts to appear.
It’s hard to place but it’s not gourmand or sweet per say but more of an impression of coffee or coca (not milk chocolate.)
It’s incredibly pleasing the musk and citrus all secured by that culinary feeling of spices and herbs.
Towards the 2nd hour a black ambergris emerges not to be confused with a leather accord. The black ambergris is a material that is very hard to work with and can overpower and it does become very present at certain points during the wear.
3rd and forth hour the ambergris recedes and it shifts to more of a dark tobacco with whips of smoke and orange blossom tinged civet deep underneath it all.
The tobacco and culinary aspects change position back and forth with Black Ambergris joining in from time to time.
This is a very complex fragrance that changes upon each wear.
Sometimes it’s all citrus and black ambergris, other times it’s dark coca and oud smoke and resins.
It feels like the culmination of all past releases. It’s familiar but unique enough and is a wonderful ride from start to finish.
It is after all a perfumers longing for home. It wouldn’t feel right if there wasn’t a memory or a feeling of past DNA from previous compositions. After all isn’t that what coming home is all about? To me Homeros opens up in a citrus bright land but ends up in Enasar’s home where oud, musk, and ambergris rule.
I look forward to more wearings as I have a feeling, in typical Ensar fashion there is more to unravel from this Pure Parfum. – Ryan, Canada
I am extremely impressed and happy with the Homeros I bought previously, I love it so much I’ve decided to order a backup bottle, I simply do not want to live without it. If I could only have 1 perfume to rule my entire collection of hundreds of other fragrances, Homeros is it.
This is absolutely signature-worthy and a God tier among all my other artisanal fragrances, it is giving me a very surreal, uplifting, and meditative experience. The luxurious leather, tobacco, oud, ambergris, authentic smoke, florals, herbs, and spices notes from the Homeros are to die for.
The complexity, longevity, and projection are unbelievably incredible too! Hands down, this masterpiece is the very best fragrance I have the pleasure to smell and own, thank you so much Ensar, for doing what you do best! – Ben, USA
Homeros by the way is wow, just wow. Still getting my mind wrapped around it. – Denis, Sweden
My initial response and first impressions were that it was not at all what I was expecting. Being a frequent visitor of Greece and the Mediterranean, I was expecting at the onset for there to be a fresher element to it which would then carry into a woodier/animalic base. Perhaps a significantly more complex version of the typical perfume that tries to mimic the Mediterranean.
That being said, I absolutely love the fragrance. The development and experience is beautiful and I am so glad to have it. Today, I am giving it the first full wear and it has been so enjoyable for the first two and a half hours. The fragrance just keeps getting better and better as you wear it. It is complex, rich and so unique. 5 stars from me. – Scott, USA
I just received the Homeros and it is incredible, absolutely stunning, thank you! – Ben, USA
