FRAGRANCE | Grandenia Extrait de Parfum by Areej Le Doré: Grand in every way, gardenia be damned

This is part of Areej Le Doré's 6th Collection that came out in the latter part of 2020. I understand the perfumer Russian Adam's penchant for oud and musks, so seeing a word play on a white floral headlining one of his creations was outright intriguing. Grandenia is one of two bottles from this collection that are squarish in shape with pointed caps. Despite its diminutive size, the 30 ml flacon looks absolutely stunning. 

Grandenia opens in layers, as if each section is an achievement unlocked that leads to yet another level. It all starts with a lemony citrus and a contrasting bitter juice, both underpinned by a strong, gorgeous musk. There's a mild fruity sweetness as well, muting any unwanted sharpness from the citruses. The lemon lends it a moment of brightness before being overtaken by some warm, rounded spices. They're not peppery or exotic but herbal in nature, adding a really nice flavor to the mix. Meanwhile, a light, airy smokiness surrounds the scent for several minutes before eventually parting. It never dominates and seems content with working in the sidelines. The muskiness then eases as the spices and lemon—which I thought to be already gone—rev up. 

Several more minutes and gardenia finally makes its entrance. Unfortunately, it's far from grand. Because of how the frag is named, I was hoping for the flower to really flex its petals, maybe something along the lines of Amouage Figment Woman, where the gardenia shines in all its fresh, fragrant glory before transitioning to a luscious creaminess. Instead, the lovely white floral (rosal, as it's locally called in the Philippines) is drenched in thick, sweet resins and muddled even further by a handsomely animalic oud. There's just a lot going on that the flower has to contend with. It's a fantastic scent, don't get me wrong. I'm just a little disappointed with how the gardenia is denied the spotlight it so rightfully deserves. 

After some time, the citruses and herbs slowly make their way to the exit as the muskiness and animalic oud rise to the top. Sadly, as these powerful animalics take over, the gardenia is nearly lost in the blend, reduced to a mere whisper. But I should get over my pining for it now, shouldn't I? Yeah, I should because a dark smokiness comes forward that takes the whole thing to another level. It casts its deep and achingly dry imprint that, mixed with the animalics and what-have-you, results in something that almost feels like bitter dark chocolate. It's just marvelous! Some dustiness develops later, patchouli probably, furthering Grandenia's overall dry profile all the way to the end.

Okay, so I was hoping for a floral fragrance but I'll just chalk it up to misaligned expectations because Areej Le Doré's Grandenia is just splendid and grand in every way. I love the complexity, how marked the transitions are, and how restless the notes behave. It also performs really well, with strong to moderate projection and impressive longevity. The oud and musk may limit its use to more comfortable temperatures but the underlying dryness takes back some of its lost points for versatility. As with Agar de Noir, the animalics here are so good—powerful but never overbearing. All said, it's something I'm very happy to have in my collection.

[Update, Aug. 4, 2023: I wore this again today, a relatively colder day following weeks of rain, and was pleased with how the gardenia was much, much more evident. It stayed in bloom for an extended period, its floral substance wafting around proudly for a good couple of hours. Even in the fragrance's later stage when the animalics take over, the gardenia's essence lingers in some form. Instead of a dry dustiness, I now get a dry, powdery quality. Clearly, a fragrance can behave differently depending on the weather—and Grandenia is testament to that.]