Cardamom
Cocoa
NicheOnly
122 Reviews
NicheOnly
3
Mainstream is still miles behind indie
Another review for a 2024 launch, Cocoa Kimiya was one of two 40% Extraits released by French house Atelier des Ors in the Abstraction collection. With high concentration and a €400/100ml price tag come high expectations. Unfortunately, this product fails to deliver on almost all counts.
The scent opens with mild medicinal ambers, a somewhat unexpected twist from a fragrance that only lists cocoa and cardamom within the scent's pyramid. There's no initial evolution to it either - no other accords kick in prior to me smelling it on-skin which is where I do get the first touches of cocoa/chocolate. The fragrance instantly reminds me of Serge Lutens' Bornéo 1834 with the same structure of woodiness and chocolate, albeit with a contrast of oriental ambers. While I haven't smelled it, it is probable that there might also be some overlap with another Serge Lutens chocolate scent, that being Veilleur de Nuit. Much like with the opening profile, there isn't any evolution on-skin either as the scent retains this woody-chocolatey feel throughout the wear. That wear is actually a very short-lived one with the performance on this fragrance being outright poor - longevity in the 5 hour range on mostly intimate sillage. While the scent is still noticeable 8 hours in with a sandalwood-cocoa one-two, reminiscent of scents like Mystic Experience and Sand Dance, I am not one to give out participation trophies for longevity that is there strictly if I put my nose against it.
The biggest takeaway from Cocoa Kimiya is that chocolate/cocoa as a note within mainstream niche fragrances still has a clear ceiling. Scents like Cocoa Kimiya, like Bornéo 1834, Écrin de fumée, Sand Dance or even "Symphonium | XerJoff" are miles off market-leading indie competitors like Slumberhouse's Ore (2022) and the complexity brought by scents like Ore are unmatched without even mentioning the blending of the product itself. Make no mistake, a 40% Extrait with this type of price tag should be competing with a scent like Ore. However, the gap between a scent like Ore (2022) and Atelier des Ors' Cocoa Kimiya is huge just based off product alone without even mentioning the price, the valuation and the performance, with the AdO only winning on availability.
The scent opens with mild medicinal ambers, a somewhat unexpected twist from a fragrance that only lists cocoa and cardamom within the scent's pyramid. There's no initial evolution to it either - no other accords kick in prior to me smelling it on-skin which is where I do get the first touches of cocoa/chocolate. The fragrance instantly reminds me of Serge Lutens' Bornéo 1834 with the same structure of woodiness and chocolate, albeit with a contrast of oriental ambers. While I haven't smelled it, it is probable that there might also be some overlap with another Serge Lutens chocolate scent, that being Veilleur de Nuit. Much like with the opening profile, there isn't any evolution on-skin either as the scent retains this woody-chocolatey feel throughout the wear. That wear is actually a very short-lived one with the performance on this fragrance being outright poor - longevity in the 5 hour range on mostly intimate sillage. While the scent is still noticeable 8 hours in with a sandalwood-cocoa one-two, reminiscent of scents like Mystic Experience and Sand Dance, I am not one to give out participation trophies for longevity that is there strictly if I put my nose against it.
The biggest takeaway from Cocoa Kimiya is that chocolate/cocoa as a note within mainstream niche fragrances still has a clear ceiling. Scents like Cocoa Kimiya, like Bornéo 1834, Écrin de fumée, Sand Dance or even "Symphonium | XerJoff" are miles off market-leading indie competitors like Slumberhouse's Ore (2022) and the complexity brought by scents like Ore are unmatched without even mentioning the blending of the product itself. Make no mistake, a 40% Extrait with this type of price tag should be competing with a scent like Ore. However, the gap between a scent like Ore (2022) and Atelier des Ors' Cocoa Kimiya is huge just based off product alone without even mentioning the price, the valuation and the performance, with the AdO only winning on availability.
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