Musc Gardénia Ghalia
EO attars have always been ‘heavy’ because they feature base-heavy ingredients in high doses – most notably…
While being among the most expensive ingredients you can produce, gardenia extracts last mere minutes on the skin and have none of the lasting power of jasmine, rose, or even orange blossom.
But suppose the Sultan was fixated on owning a Ghalia made from gardenias. Say he wanted a fragrance that smelled like you’re sitting in a garden filled with gardenias, and wanted to perfume the garden itself with wafts of the most exotic musk, decadent oud, and ancient ambergris…
What if he then actually gave you those ingredients to use – direct from his Royal Osmotheque?
It then becomes the task of the perfumer to ensure the Sultan gets what he asked for…
While article headlines explain why orange blossom, tuberose, vanilla, and jasmine are so sought-after and expensive, you’re busy actually smelling them.
As your nose blisses out on those flowers, you realize they’re pampered with South African rosemary and blue cypress. A spread of honey scattered with pink peppercorn lacquered with mimosa and two flowers hardly any perfumer can honestly tell you they’ve ever used in their perfumes: blue lotus and frangipani – to give the fragrance that pollen-powdery effect like you’re smelling the scent of wildflowers from afar.
And through it all you can’t help but wonder: Where do the gardenias come from?!
EO attars have always been ‘heavy’ because they feature base-heavy ingredients in high doses – most notably agarwood. That makes them renegade fragrances compared to mainstream anything.
EO Attars also usually turn into perfumes, not the other way around. And if there’s one perfume that’s a departure from what you’d expect from an Oud Man’s archive, Musc Gardénia is it.
But I didn’t want to just give Musc Gardénia sans musk tincture and spray projection. That’s why this ghalia edition retains the musk – in the form of Royal Tibetan Musk grains right inside your bottle – and smells even louder up-close because it’s 100% concentration.
Musc Gardénia Ghalia features a rare batch of Sri Lankan oud to add high-grade walla patta’s gorgeous floral cool; this aquamarine oceanic chord that on its own is among the most beautiful ouds in the world, and here imparts that beauty into the supporting cast of precious florals, mint, honey, and pink pepper.
We distilled this oud in person in Sri Lanka five years ago and a bottle would sell for $1,500 today. As for those years spent aging the oud… that’s on the house.
If easy, uplifting, and fresh are what you’re looking for in a fragrance, then you’ve got stunning flowers aplenty to look forward to in Musc Gardénia Ghalia. But it’s not just a fusion of fresh flowers but an attar that packs layer upon layer to peel off by the hour, from the thick sandalwood to the resinous oud, to the wholesome cream baked butter tart giving off this delicious frangi-lotus sweetness.
I could have just made a new attar, one that would have smelled beautiful just the way it was. But I chose to pull out the irreplaceable Sri Lankan oud from my safe, add the abundance of the precious flowers (including the Sultan’s own jasmine), and let the compound steep – and continue to steep – in world’s most prized collection of ancient musk and ambergris.
So that in the end, this Ghalia became more than just an attar. It turned into a no holds barred fragrance luxurious and opulent enough to present to the Sultan himself.
Featured Testimonials…
Musc Gardénia Ghalia, a luxurious fragrance, blends gardenia and musk with rare Sri Lankan oud.s Enhanced by jasmine, mint, honey, and pink pepper, it features Royal Tibetan Musk grains for depth. With layers of walla patta’s floral coolness and a touch of cream baked butter tart sweetness, this opulent scent unfolds in waves of complexity, fit for royalty.
Musc Gardenia Ghalia attar opens with a fresh shimmer of spearmint flanked by herbaceous rosemary and woody blue cypress. After about twenty minutes, the cooling notes start to fade away and the scent becomes sweeter and somewhat buttery (frangipani and blue lotus, I guess) and soon transitions to my favorite part, during which the synergy of the floral notes conjures up a scent of a magnificent gardenia, and the aroma is simply irresistible to those who are nearby.
An olfactory vision transports me to a meadow of wildflowers that flood the air with an intoxicating aroma of honey, pollen, vanilla, and various facets of decadent creamy white florals, backed by a lovely oceanic walla patta oud and chocolate undertones of the Tibetan musk grains. The musc plays more of a supporting role here, unlike the galloping stallion of Mongolian Musk that comes charging in the opening of Musc Gardenia – Berke Khan edition.
If someone is wondering whether having an attar in addition to a parfum is redundant, I would say not at all, I enjoy wearing it on its own and have been going through this magic potion very fast. This scent is best suited for relaxation and private moments.
This is a royal, dare I say voluptuous take on gardenia. I absolutely adore gardenia flowers – when I see them blooming I will park myself next to the bush for a couple minutes or more. Stop and smell the gardenias, that’s my motto. Anyhow, this Musc Gardenia Ghalia has a sweet, decadent base and so much body – the oud and vanilla are notes that blend in seamlessly with the floral quality – the experience is driven by the gardenia but modulated and enhanced by the other ingredients. I’ve never been good at describing ingredients or picking out particular notes – but from an overall, gestalt type standpoint this concoction is a winner – a big, sweet, sumptuous bouquet.
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