Melody of the Sun Mancera 2022

In my recent adventure to find a fragrance for summer that is long-lasting, fresh, green and fruity, the brand 'Mancera' offered me 'Melody of the sun'.
At first I wasn't hugely enthusiastic about this find, but after a relatively short while I changed my mind.

After applying the fragrance, we are given a small dose of citrus. Small because almost the entire fragrance from start to finish is taken over by a delicious pear. It aggressively washes the rest of the head notes off the map, leaving echoes of grapefruit and lavender in the background. The pear used is delicately sweet and smooth. What sets it apart from the others is the very tart coating. Juicy, freshly picked from the tree and washed rests in a linen basket ready to be enjoyed. It really is a pleasant feeling.

After lingering on the skin the scent gets very tea-like and green which I really enjoy. The green tea combined with sweet matcha, osmanthus, musk and amber, deliciously complete the whole fragrance. The sweetness is very balanced but absolutely not pushy. Bear in mind that I don't have a candy type sweetness in mind, but a twiggy pear tree type and a gentle whiff of a summer garden filled with ripe fruits.

The whole thing is a citrusy, aromatic and sweet fragrance for summer evenings. Created for people in love with the simple beauty of nature. The fragrance is definitely longer lasting thanks to its 'warmer' base. It lays on the skin in a very pleasant and smooth way, making you feel that gentle summer breeze on your skin. I am very happy with the choice that was made for my purchase and I more than confident to recommend it to both ladies and gentlemen ;)

Sampling Mancera Melody of the Sun, a 2022 release and a very agreeable freshie, a pleasant blend of citruses, lavender, tea, jasmine, cedar, musk, and mate, a good balance of teas, citruses, florals, and woods, a bit bright, but not too sharp, one that could easily be worn to excess, a nice wake-up on a warm weather morning but not obtrusive. Still, it’s not among the more interesting freshies from the house, upon reflection, but it’s certainly easy enough to like, just perhaps not love.

As with almost the entire catalogue, concentration is EDP and retail pricing is $200 for 120ml in the US through the house website and great boutiques like Olfactif (from which I purchase my sample), though it’s available via a handful of grey market sites as well.

I’m really quite happy to try most whatever Mancera/Montale release, even though most of what I smell from them ends up being good—not great, not mediocre. If you’re in the market for an agreeable freshie, I see no reason not to include this in your sampling, but it’s not a huge standout for me in terms of scent profile.

7 out of 10

If the sun could be heard, which melody would it give us?
A joyful, warm, bright melody.
What if this melody was meant to represent the first, shy rays of dawn?
I really liked Mancera's interpretation of it: citrus notes, made juicy by fruity notes and yes, “guilty” of a feeling of well-being, of a warm smile, with touching notes of lavender and green tea.
A light, fresh, and timid fragrance, like those rays that come out and slowly warm our hearts.
“Sunrise” painted by Edwin Church.

I can't help but compare it to the 4711 Remix 2020.
Even though the fragrance pyramids are not identical, they do have slight overlaps, and in the fragrance experience, I actually find them both similar (not identical, similar).

What follows from this?
Both are wonderfully good citrus scents. Both refresh beautifully.
The more expensive one is a bit more balanced, a tiny bit more complex. Of course, it lasts significantly longer than the Cologne; anything else would be quite surprising.

Both do their job, both are good. Melody offers a bit more for the extra price.
They are suitable for ladies and gentlemen, have their main use in high summer temperatures, but also work well in the warm early and late summer and are fun :)

... because apparently this fragrance is very citrusy and fresh for the majority of testers. For me, however, where most citrus scents tend to veer towards "sweet effervescent tablet meets toilet cleaner," the citrus is virtually nonexistent, and I can't detect the "fruity" note at all; the scent quickly becomes very white floral-green-creamy with a tea and wood note. Which should not be seen as a criticism! On the contrary.

Right at the beginning, I imagine a hint of grapefruit, but it could also be ginger. And then my skin almost directly skips to the heart note with wonderfully soft jasmine paired with the ever-present woody component. Plus a light tea note. Love it!

At the same time, I am straining to think about where I recognize this from... and then I remember my last "I am developing quite differently than everyone else here" candidate: Chance Eau Fraîche Eau de Parfum (which also has zero lemon for me). The Mancera is basically Chanel plus tea. Armani Privé - Thé Yulong has also been mentioned as similar here, and yeah, that fits - although that one has even more tea for me... in ascending "tea-ness": Chanel-Mancera-Armani.

I really don't understand what everyone is complaining about regarding longevity. Aside from "Wūlóng Chá (Extrait de Parfum) | Nishane," I don't know of any delicate green tea scent that lasts endlessly, but that also comes at a corresponding price - how is that supposed to work? My surroundings shouldn't suffocate from it, but I still want to smell it after 6 hours not close to my body? The mythical creature that lays eggs and produces milk waves hello... especially in summer and generally in warmer temperatures, no one wants such a monster nearby; I would be annoyed as a wearer myself.

The tea-green little sun can definitely continue to rise and settle with me.