Kaya Parfums d'Elmar 2024

One must give credit to Parfums D'Elmar: the bottles look absolutely stunning. True masterpieces, but as we know, it’s all about the content. Well, Kaya means luck, but does this name fit the content? The announcement promises a lot; it should be a seductive whirlwind of sweet fruits, enchanting flowers, and intoxicating notes.

Sounds very good, at least on paper. Let's get into it:

- The first spray was pure bliss. Yes, a vibrant fruity-fresh sweetness, zesty bergamot, and juicy apple are noticeable, but extremely well blended. Then comes the surprise guest on stage, the sweet raspberry, lively, sweet, and slightly fresh. Really great and intense opening. Yes, the scent triggered strong associations for me with "Layton | Parfums de Marly," not because they smell identical, as the fruitiness and sweetness in Kaya is much higher, but somehow I got a similar vibe, very similar even, unfortunately.

- The duet of floral white blooms actually represents the transition to the drydown; yes, I’ll keep it brief here, as this supposedly floral phase only plays a role in the background as a supporting actor, gently carrying the scent to the drydown. As it progresses, the fragrance then develops a nice warm sweetness thanks to the tonka bean, creating a truly sensual base together with the vanilla. The patchouli acts very marginally in the background, practically hardly noticeable to be honest; rum is a bit more present here, but still not overwhelming. Everything is really well blended and nothing really clashes; very nicely done, but somehow I feel that the scent loses me a bit in the drydown because it feels somewhat "too smooth" and the sillage gradually diminishes.

- The longevity is quite good, definitely above average, the sillage at the beginning is actually good, but the scent becomes quite close to the skin very quickly, at least for me.

When you see the ratings of 8.8, yes, I’ll leave that uncommented. Of course, a normal distribution is somewhat given with 118 reviews, but I find the rating a bit too high. I would give it between 7.8 to a maximum of 8.1. The Kaya is undoubtedly a beautiful scent, but for me personally, it lacks a bit of creativity and individuality. I just can’t shake off the associations with Layton and a few other fragrances, and these successful formulas have been nicely adopted and slightly reshaped in this scent, a bit fruitier at the start, a bit sweeter at the end, what the market wants today.

Therefore, definitely test it beforehand, as anyone expecting an olfactory masterpiece like Nefs due to the 8.8 rating will likely be disappointed, but the DNA is so pleasant that one can live well with the disappointment :)