Safran Secret

Ingredients 07\2012

Maison Crivelli 2022

I didn't actually think that I'd end up liking something this much when I ordered the Coffret Extraits from Maison Crivelli's website (that's the 4x2ml discovery set which includes the three 2022 releases and the 2021 release "Hibiscus MahaJád | Maison Crivelli" ).

My only experience with Maison Crivelli before this set actually was with Hibiscus Mahajad. I got a sample of it when I bought a bottle of "Oud for Greatness | Initio" in September 2021, that was when I was fairly new to the game, had probably sampled 20 fragrances up to that point. I remember that experience vividly because to this day, Hibiscus Mahajad ranks in my top 5 for scents in terms of longevity (across 500+ scents), lasting a full week on the jacket that I was wearing to the office on a daily basis.

Regardless of whether you're experienced or not, when you first spray on Ingredients 072012, I suspect you won't find an exact comparable, but the accords tell a lot of the story. In the initial drydown, the main accords I get are green, woody, and synthetic. It didn't take long for me to think of this as a feminine play on the Ganymede Eau de Parfum profile. Subsequent to this release, Ex Nihilo has also tried to dabble in the "women's Ganymede" genre with a fruity-floral take, that being "Blue Talisman | Ex Nihilo".

Since we don't have the official notes, I am guessing that the main note here is akigalawood. That is balanced with either fig leaf or fig wood, to the point where this scent is very much a combo play on Ganymede Eau de Parfum & Philosykos Eau de Parfum (take your pick of fig fragrances, whether it be Philosykos, Parisian Musc Eau de Parfum, Gris Charnel Eau de Parfum etc). The green edge might also be coming from a note like papyrus which M. Crivelli has previously utilized in scents like Bois Datchaï and Papyrus Moléculaire. In the deeper drydown, say from hour 2 onward, a certain smokiness appears, but this is strictly testing in-doors. Profile remains in-tact from beginning to end on my skin, suggesting little evolution overall.

Overall, this is a spring-fall daily for women. Due to the outgoingness of the profile, this has both conversation-starter and compliment-getter potential. On Crivelli's website, this scent is dubbed "surprising, audacious and provocative". Performance is a potential selling point - the scent is absurdly loud for the first 3-4 hours, remains strong for up to 6 and moderate even 8 hours in. The driver of the sillage is the longevity - it is still strong and noticeable on skin 12 hours in, I'd suspect ~16 hour longevity.

I think Safran Secret should be the posterchild for the fact that a minimalist note breakdown doesn't equal simplicity. It is definitely a multilayered complex experience that took me multiple wearings to finally be able to review. It starts with a strong saffron note. Real saffron smell, as opposed to the BR540 cotton candy-like note; like you took a jar of the stuff and gave a huge whiff. I get the same kind of opening from Spirito Fiorentino, but this is better crafted. Then the woodiness comes in, and for a while, you can separate out the woody notes from the saffron note. The woody notes aren't specified but I definitely get cedar and some kind of slightly smoky gaiac or palo santo or something. After a couple of hours, the woody notes and saffron sort of mix and you get what a lot of reviewers are calling the "hot iron" smell, where metallic nuances from the saffron are combining with the warm woods. Finally the saffron fades away entirely and you are left with a very nice woody drydown. Smoky, warm, enveloping. This is like 6 hours in, of probably 9 hours longevity. Really nice scent which I thoroughly enjoyed my sample of. I think I want to replace my current bottle of Spirito Fiorentino with this, since I didn't really like that one, and the opening of Safran Secret is similar.

Via Kilian’s Intoxicated I learned that I’m not that big of a fan of cardamom in perfumes. Ingredients 072012 knows how to balance it very well though.
The cardamom is a very activating smell. A bit like coffee. A get up and run kind of thing.
I can imagine wearing this, it can have a positive effect on people around you. Maybe psychological.
Still it’s more wearable than the aforementioned Kilian. A touch of sweetness, a touch of oud, it’s classy.
Performance wise it’s up there. After more than 10 hours I still got whiffs of it, having only sprayed twice.

The aroma of splinters from freshly split wood greets you from the first spray. My sample was still in its old bottle with the "Ingredients o7/2012" label, so I wasn`t particularly enthusiastic, my nose was ready and primed to wrinkle with disapproval at what I thought would be yet another synthetic junk a la Mass Murder Juliet with her gun, but color me pleasantly surprised! The woody bits and spices in here are warm and welcoming, making you eager to stretch your toes on the fresh wooden planks of the sauna, anticipating the relaxation. The saffron is warm, dry, and natural smelling. It`s a simple scent, but that`s also part of its beauty. A clean, dry sauna scent that is unfortunately short-lived on my skin.

This is a hidden gem from the Maison Crivelli a very unique and beautiful offering. First time I smelled it I fell in love with it because It has a sexy, alluring and playful smell. The notes I mostly get from it are saffron, spices, woods, tonka bean and some sort of musk which gives it freshness and hints of sweetness. Suited for all year round in my opinion, except for the extreme summer heat which can make it a bit cloying. One thing I noticed is that the smell changes depending on the weather. When it gets hot the smell turns into that of an iron used to iron clothes and in cold it has that playful br540 kind of dna because of the saffron. A must sniff atleast once in my opinion.