Melon Masu Cult of Kaori 2023

This is for the 10 year old girls who wore nothing but BBW's cucumber melon spray and grew up to be full fledged adults. nn It hits that same nostalgic summer note but without any of the chemical after-scent. It is crisp, clean and somehow completely adult at the same time. To me, it smells like being at a hotel pool on a hot, sunny day with a perfectly made mojito in hand. nnThe scent lasts forever with just a spritz or two and leaves you with just the absolute best feeling. I get the best compliments on it everywhere I go. It seems to be universally liked and inoffensive without being too lackluster or generic in any sense of the word. Fresh, clean and totally unique at the same time.
I picked a sample of it up from a local shop a few months ago and found myself reaching for it so often that not buying it was out of the question- even if the price point was a little higher than I am used to reaching for. It is absolutely worth every penny, though. I've never tried a fragrance remotely like it.

a spa esque cucumber infused melon & sake cocktail. It’s bright and fresh so distinctly melony and boozy. Melon is one of those elusive notes in fragrance that is hard to come by, and here it’s done exceptionally well, especially with such a sparkling sake note. There’s a bit of a starchy creaminess coming from some iris and rice but I don’t get many other florals. The dry down is a lot woodier and muskier in a continued spa like sense with the hinoki and sauna type musk. A gorgeous fragrance through and through

Cult of Kaori Melon Masu is one of the brand’s first two releases (in late 2023) from Chris Undi along with Onsen Minerale. It smells like a fresh mixed-melon-with-sake blend seasoned with hinoki wood, similar to Onsen in that it creates a rich environment and experience but instead focusing a bit more on a beverage than a bath, albeit quite pleasantly. Melon-scent/flavored products seem to be in abundance in Japan, far more than in the US, as best I can tell, and the floral, cocktail-like experience in Melon Masu is accessible and reminds of some of those candies and other products I’ve tried over the years. It’s restrained, also, in the sense that it’s not over the top floral, fruity, boozy, or sharp, rather a blended, smooth, easygoing experience that I expect even those who aren’t usually fans of melon scents (myself included) might appreciate.

As with Onsen Minerale, Melon Masu is extrait concentration, priced at $220 for 50ml, sold via the house site and Perfumology, and performs well.

8 out of 10