Devils Deceit Anomalous Parfum 2025

So this is Zackaria’s newest frag (05/2025) and I wish everyone could smell this limited release. You can really tell his growth as a perfumer with this one, and it’s exponential. It honestly smells like something Areej would make. It’s a true classic cypher with a non ifra complaint dose of oak moss. It’s sooooo elegant. The florals are gental yet regal, it sits on this beatiful earthy base. Not green, not dirty, just a stunning smell. Like a room of just just blooming flowers. A true Garden of Eden. Unisex doesn’t fit this well, this perfume is made for royalty.

Devils Deciept from Anomolous Parfum is a beautiful and unique take on a vintage chypre style fragrance. Meant to evoke the feeling of walking through the Garden of Eden, you get a brief burst of juicy yet not very sweet red apple that almost feels green in the opening. The apple quickly dissipates within a few minutes, keeping this away from a modern chypre as the jasmine and rose shine through. These florals are accompanied by a warm orris butter and hint of spices, emulating that vintage powdery chypre feel. Although this is enough for me to warrant buying this fragrance, the dry down is really where this fragrance shines. According to Zackaria, the whole base is made of tinctures, not absolutes, making this fairly base note heavy yet not too heavy with salty ambergris, fecal civet, musky oakmoss, smoky castoreum, and a costus root tincture; The addition of musk ketones and laddanum however give it this airy quality as well keeping the base from becoming too heavy.
Overall, this is a gorgeous fragrance, and I am so happy to have gotten bottle No. 4 of 100. This is a must-try for anyone who loves unique takes on vintage chypre fragrances. The price for indie artisanal work is also excellent, and I look forward to trying more fragrances from the house of Anomalousus.

Maturation in bottle has made this creation rounder and better overall.

Apple takes the front stage from the beginning, not a completely natural feeling one but it suits the theme as a first, ideal taste of an apple, supported by aldehides and citrus and, in a little bit of time, surrounded by a floral and ambered bouquet, expansive and, sometimes, overpowering the apple, but it can also be felt here.

Oakmoss emerges, feeling extremely natural and rounded by animalics (between which, for me, castoreum reigns over civet) and oud, turning soon the whole fragrance towards a traditional masculine character.

Longevity and projection are excellent. This is an excellent work.

Yes, the apple. A remarkable little fruit. Round, healthy, pleasant to look at, and the reason for the condemnation of all humankind (Fun Fact: The Latin name for apple, "Malum," can also mean "Evil" or "Misfortune." A rascal thinks evil :P).
This nasty little fruit seems to be everywhere.
As a theologian, of course, everything "from the field" is interesting to me, but I’ll spare you dear readers a 20-page lecture on the topic of the Fall.

How about a few more apple fun facts instead? No? Doesn’t matter, I’ll do it anyway! :D

Since ancient times, the cultivation of apples has been documented. Early on, people associated apples with symbolism of life, feminine power, and fertility. It is said that instead of putting a ring on his beloved's finger, a man would give his sweetheart an apple to ask her: "Would you like to move up a tax class with me?" (if tax classes had existed back then).
Somehow romantic. With an apple in hand, one can also more effectively fend off a suitor in case of need than with a mundane ring! So, props to antiquity!

Today, there are around 300,000 different apple varieties, with 2,000 alone in Germany (the oldest mention dates back to the 12th century), even though "only" 25 varieties are cultivated somewhat commercially.

If you’ve made it this far, then respect :D Let’s talk about the little fragrance here.

At first, I must admit that I had certain concerns when looking at the fragrance pyramid presented to us:

1. Will the aldehydes ruin the scent, make it "muddy"?
2. Sounds like Chypre? (I actually don’t like that, to be honest)
3. Does the animalic aspect work in this?

I must confess, I am a bit surprised. Yes, there is a certain Chypre base structure, but it is indeed quite solidly integrated into the scent. The aldehydes are perceptible, but they do not ruin the fragrance. What stands out at first, however, is the animalic aspect. It feels quite dense, somewhat old and dusty. Underneath, there is a rather pleasant citrus mélange, but it takes a while for the scent, or the nose, to get through the "animalic block" and for the fragrance to unfold gradually.

Somehow, I still can’t shake the question of whether they might be composing something that misses the mark; sure, there may be people who are really into that Chypre vintage stuff, and I’m happy for them, but I’m not one of them.

Next comes my next surprise. Instead of apple or something else, it somehow smells like bubblegum to me. Rosy-floral bubblegum, thickly coated with iris butter, additionally sprinkled with iris powder; one might think you’re standing right in a field. Therefore, I wonder, are the old texts wrong and the first humans didn’t nibble on apples at all, but simply cracked God’s gumball machine and indulged themselves?! Okay, I can understand that; I’d be pissed too.

Personally, I miss a bit of momentum in the long run, something that cushions this floral-creamy aspect towards the back, something green, to better reflect the "scene."

Of course, fragrances work differently for everyone, but at least for me, there seems to be a standstill here. Not even my good friend Moss - because nothing happens without him - stays away from me. Where are you, my herald!! :(

To stay in the scene. In the end, I somehow feel abandoned in the woods. Somehow out of time, but somehow not.

I mean, I like Zackaria. He’s a great guy, even if often completely scatterbrained (and handling the fragrances in research was somehow a certain clusterfuck this time). His first fragrances were really solid pieces for me (if you adjust your expectations accordingly, knowing you’re not dealing with high-end EO stuff, for example). Collection 3 didn’t catch me as much. But let’s see, I’m still curious about what else is to come :)

Thank you for reading my thoughts, and until next time :)

After more than two months of waiting, the perfume has finally arrived. Honestly, it was worth the time, and perhaps it gained a bit of aging during this period.

The opening features a hint of orange and a subtle touch of apple, which quickly settles, allowing the floral notes to emerge. Jasmine and amber take center stage, dancing harmoniously together, while iris remains somewhat elusive. The fragrance concludes with a rich, woody-leathery base, likely a blend of oud, Civit, and labdanum.