Unguentum Onyrico 2015

This saying - O times! O morals! - was coined by Cicero in his speeches against Catiline, recorded by his freedman Marcus Tullius Tiro in an early form of what we now know as shorthand. After losing the consul election for the year 63 BC, a certain Lucius Sergius Catilina planned a coup. The whole affair was uncovered and accused in some of Cicero's most famous speeches, as he had won the election against Catiline.

Cicero was awarded the title of pater patriae and is still known today as a famous orator, lawyer, and politician of the late Roman Republic. Catiline, on the other hand, was first exiled and later killed in battle when he confronted Rome with an army.

The time of upheaval, but also of the greatness of Rome, is reflected in Unguentum. Unguentarii were called salve or fragrance makers in ancient Rome. In ancient Rome, scents were presented in the form of balms or oils and not, as today, diluted with alcohol and water. It is therefore quite possible that Cicero, the homo novus, who had reached all public offices at the minimum age, regularly supplied himself with new scents from the Unguentarius, which he applied after visiting the baths.

Unguentum by Onyrico evokes a successful Roman politician and general like Cicero. It comes across as masculine, with a sharp aftershave note, reminiscent of what might have been used for shaving in the field. At the same time, the fragrance has a smoky quality, further recalling the military camp. When the successful general returns to Rome, he may cover his head with a laurel wreath as a triumphator - from a slave who whispers to him, always reminding him of his own mortality.

As he rides through Rome in his chariot, his own scent mingles with the fragrances wafting from the small alleys of the city. Honey from the parlors of confectioners, who set up their stalls during the triumphal procession to delight the people with their creations. But other exotic spices also mix in, such as vanilla, which at that time was still a great ocean away from the Roman Empire (I always struggle to incorporate vanilla notes in the descriptions of such historically inspired fragrances) - or saffron, cinnamon, and tea, which must have seemed very exotic in ancient Rome.

By the time he arrives at the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitol at the end of the triumphal procession, the exhalations of the massive wooden arches erected for the triumph mingle with this fragrance blend. Only a few of the triumphal arches have survived today, as some were permanently built from stone or marble. The cap on the closure of Onyrico's Unguentum is also made from that stone, the travertine from Tivoli.

Unguentum was one of the first fragrances that piqued my curiosity about niche scents and excited me, even though it does not rank at the top of my list of niche favorites. I had a few attempts with it before I could make sense of it. But it is quite good for a spicy-balsamic scent and, in my opinion, although I do not adhere to the strict classification of gendered fragrances, it is a very masculine scent. That one can certainly see or smell it differently than I do is evident from the current distribution of fragrance owners here. The price per milliliter is not insignificant and scratches at the level of mid-Roman decadence. In this sense: O tempora, o mores!