Sable Marocain / Morocco Sand by Phaedon

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Sable Marocain
Morocco Sand
Phaedon 2013

7.7 / 10 123 Ratings

A popular perfume by Phaedon for women and men, released in 2013. The scent is resinous-spicy. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Resinous

Spicy

Oriental

Woody

Earthy

Fragrance Notes

Moroccan labdanum

Copaiba balsam

Gaiac wood Vetiver

Vetiver

Citrus fruits

Coca leaf

Cocoa

Ginger

Ratings

Scent

7.7123 Ratings

Longevity

7.193 Ratings

Sillage

6.093 Ratings

Bottle

7.084 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 08/09/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Taklamakan

M7 (2011)

Dries Van Noten par Frédéric Malle

Desert Rosewood

№ 02 - L'Air du Désert Marocain Eau de Toilette Intense

Reviews

4 in-depth fragrance descriptions

05/22/2015

8Scent 5Longevity 5Sillage

Seerose
775 Reviews

Seerose

Helpful Review

Oasis

Since I testet "Sable Marocain / Morocco Sand" several times I am no longer so exicted I was at the first test. But this is caused by the many fragrances I have testet meanwhile and my excitement after the discovering of this kind of scents unfortunately has partly vanished.
Though "Sable Marocain / Morocco Sand"is an unique high quality perfume!
Yet it's a dry fragrance it's not alike I am imagining the smell of a desert. Which means: I never have been in an African or American desert.
But the hot and dry smell of sand-dunes in midsummer is something I know very well. "Sable Marocain / Morocco Sand" for my opinion smells more like an oasis.
I can not smell apart the single and different ingredients. But a mixture of citrus, balsamic resins, cocoa, smoky vetiver, spices, something green and something woody, a little bit bees-wax is evoking the imagination of an oasis after dawn. When poeple are resting, preparing a meal over slightly smoking flames, maybe drinking herbal tea, mate or peppermint, smoked rooibos-tea. Maybe some are chewing coca-leaves, but that is belonging to the mountains of the Andes in South America. This little contradiction might only be expressed by listing at the pyramide?
" Sable Marocain / Morocco Sand" is a perfect blendet scent without any blossoms, not sweet but not tangy nor pungent or even acrid. It's anyhow intriguing and transparent like the cool and clean air at night after a hot day. The name "Sable Marocain / Morocco Sand" does not say hot or dry sand. It's solely says: Sand of Morocco.

04/30/2015

8Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

Meggi
1018 Reviews

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Meggi

Top Review 26

Memory of the Unexperienced

Sable Marocain is an unusual fragrance, a wanderer between two worlds. At first, its name reminds me of my lack of experience with the Moroccan desert. Even when discussing Mr. Tauer's similarly named work, I had to diagnose that the formal crossing of that desert in a bus full of Marines on shore leave can convey absolutely nothing of what could be described as a contemplative desert mood. Nevertheless, the Tauer scent was able to conjure captivating images for me, aside from the question of how much of that might have been influenced by the name and history.

Sable Marocain does have certain superficial similarities to L'Air du Désert Marocain, which I believe are not solely based on the name; it seems this time, however, as if I am looking back from a greater distance, as a complete stranger, perhaps flipping through a photo album filled with memories that are not my own.

This impression, however, only holds true against the backdrop of the other scent test. The specific resinous spicing is misleading, as Sable Marocain is unique in its nature, and it is time to appreciate it for itself.

What I find most striking is that the scent does not come across as nearly as bone-dry as my predecessors have suggested. I find its note, well, perhaps not exactly soft or balsamic, but rather mild and fairly balanced. And wonderfully wearable, even with a suit in a high-end office, which is not the case for every oriental scent in our regions. No, I correct myself after repeated wear: I am increasingly discovering sweet and balsamic elements.

Right from the start, I briefly notice a playful turpentine note that already announces the special Moroccan spicing. The ginger is more fruity than sharp, yet characteristically noticeable. Cocoa provides a bitter dryness that is likely responsible for the impressions of other commentators.

I find the rapid appearance of the vetiver quite original - at least in such a fragrance. It is almost nutty and grounds the scent, so to speak, making it less oriental and more European. Did I compare it to Tauer at one point? That now seems, aside from a single note similarity, far-fetched. Sable Marocain has fewer "vibrations," less temperament, and is hardly glowing, not even in phases. Sable does not conquer; instead, it convinces and flatters. It does so, of course, skillfully.

Within the sixth hour, the scent becomes very close to the skin, simultaneously sweet (Guajak?), yet it retains a lightness that could be described as downright fresh. While this balance is maintained for quite a long time, towards the end, around the ninth hour, it becomes almost classic with an overweight of vetiver. A bit of patchouli might also be in play. Patchouli with rock candy, sweet-dusty.

Conclusion: Not for those who desire a stormy oriental. Personally, Sable Marocain feels a bit too muted for me. A similar stylistic restraint has already prevented me from reaching for a top note with La Fumée by Miller Harris, even though I found the scent excellently crafted. Conversely, Sable Marocain (like La Fumée) is ideal for those who - to put it cliché-wise - want to connect the spicy notes of the East with the presence of the West.

Many thanks to noirceur for the sample!

12/23/2014

8.5Scent 7.5Longevity 5Sillage

Ergreifend
529 Reviews

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Ergreifend

Very helpful Review 11

Without a Spark of Love

Simply dry.
Dust dry.
So much so that life literally turns to ash in seconds.

The record plays on repeat.
It’s hot in the room. Sweat drips onto the wooden floor.
There are thousands of souls and lungs, yet no one dares to breathe freely.
The bass thunders against the ears.
The lungs constrict.
Thoughts turn to dust.
Dust particles rain down in the body.
It crashes as if stones are falling against the skin.
Then a small drop of bitter water.
Hot resin runs down your back.
The air is thick.
It’s like a hot witch’s cauldron.
A rotten smell of vetiver weaves through every fiber.
I think of coca leaves. I sip on Red Bull Cola.
This scent has something of that.
Still, it is not liquid, not smooth, but strangely dry.

A fragrance devoid of any love. It is simply fart-dry, I must say. While it reveals a delicate smokiness and carries a subtle sweetness that personally appeals to me. However, I cannot be a friend who enjoys long desert marches and constantly indulges in the dry Saharan air. Not everything should or must be mixed with love and passion. Sometimes a platonic affair is sufficient. Superficial, but not grumpy.

Nevertheless. Those who like it resinous, extremely solid, and ruggedly dry can confidently wear this scent. I imagine it well in the heat of Casablanca, wrapped in white robes. As unspectacular as it may seem to some, many will surely take notice of it and find pleasure in it. Because to be honest, something so dry, hot, that smells slightly like Red Bull Cola, even if only on the periphery, is hardly known or encountered.

Strangely, I somehow don’t like it and yet I do. I waver. Let’s see what the future brings. Currently, I find myself more on the higher scale. It is not a black hole in the Sahara that makes people sink into the surroundings. Because it holds back. The sillage is in the middle range, while the longevity can exceed 10 hours.

Edit 21.2.2015 - I got it and it has me firmly in its grip.

08/25/2013

7.5Scent

Terra
646 Reviews

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Terra

Very helpful Review

Dusty, Hot, Resinous

Sable Marocain is a gem, no doubt about it. Many orientals are quite sweet and heavy, but this one is different. Sable Marocain is dust-dry - which may sound contradictory due to the distinctly resinous aspects. But no - that's not the case! We have a wonderfully resinous scent that is unsweet and gains a certain lightness from the citrus notes. It doesn't come across as balsamic in my nose, but really dusty. Here, too, I initially detect something metallic, which I suspect is due to the unusual combination of lemon and resinous notes for me. I can perceive a cocoa note, but it really comes across like baking cocoa. Completely unsweet and just as dry.

Anyone who likes Oud Shamash or L'Air du Désert Marocain must test this scent here and will most likely enjoy it.