Ka Pueo Phoenix Botanicals Perfume

“Ka Pueo” refers to a species of owl, specifically a subspecies of the marsh owl, that exists only in Hawaii. For the purposes of the fragrance - so the accompanying text states - the good one appears in the starry sky, swirling with her large wings the vapors of ginger lily and pine. But also her warm heartbeat, her soft feathers, and even just her quiet presence are meant to be symbolically reflected in the ingredients.

To me, that’s a bit too much fuss. I simply smell a floral cream fragrance.

Alright, a few more lines can be added. Spontaneously, I think of coconut and lush-sweet, white flowers. I ponder over the unknown ginger lily, as jasmine alone doesn’t quite get me there, but the direction is right; it’s a lush-opulent variant, not floral-strict-stinky. It undeniably exudes a tropical hint, and I must admit that if I were sitting where it smells like this, I wouldn’t be scowling as miserably as our owl, which can be viewed under the keyword “Pueo” on the English Wikipedia.

Nevertheless: It cannot be denied that this is a cream fragrance. It is charming and only gently sweetened.

Unfortunately, as the morning progresses, a hint of plastic and wax creeps in, while the fragrance overall is already retreating. This relative subtlety of one of my less favored fragrance developments can today be considered an advantage of natural perfumery. Speculations about whether the diminishing aromas might possibly hide the promised surprise bag of incense, vetiver, and oud are almost unnecessary. They can be sensed upon request; let’s leave it at that.

Conclusion: The fragrance is decent and completely unremarkable, perhaps more suited for natural fragrance purists. However, anyone who concludes from the descriptions about what is offered is mistaken.

I thank Fluxit for the sample.