Al Rayhan Attar Collection 2017

For a long time, I searched for the perfect good mood fragrance, mood lifter, cocktail Caribbean, Sunday stroll scent à la Bal d'afrique. I used this one regularly for a long time and liked the scent itself very much; however, the performance was not satisfactory for me. It lacked the overflowing energy. That little bit of sunshine. I kept sniffing around and thought I had finally found the long-awaited treasure in Contralto. A scent like a scream of joy, so much sun lies in this bottle (the color of the velvet is fitting), and yet something held me back from wearing it. It simply smelled too intense for me shortly after waking up, when the olfactory receptors are most sensitive, having just emerged from the odorless calm of sleep. I think it is Ambroxan that acts as a catalyst here and allows the Bal d'afrique formula to project well. I recently read a statement that every perfume formula has its own olfactory projection optimum and that this good mood scent generally belongs to those with a quieter optimum. Good things come in threes. Indeed, I have found in Al Rayhan the perfect middle ground (for me) between Bal d'afrique and Contralto. This further illustrates that the price of a perfume is not always congruent with individual tastes. According to the motto, more is more. The fragrance pyramid should not be misleading. I do not perceive the scent as artificially sweetened, but rather naturally sweetened with fruits, if that makes sense. I smell neither pralines nor candies. Rather, I detect juicy, zesty fruits like pineapple and mango. Normally, I am put off by too much candy shop, as I believe that there is often an attempt to cover up a lack of complexity and refinement with a hint of sweetness (that never works). I find it very exciting, and it truly combines everything I had hoped for, namely Bal d'afrique without vetiver and Contralto without a strong balsam note. Perhaps there are people out there who also ponder this fragrance DNA.
Best regards
S.