Aroha Kyaku Ensar Oud 2024 Pure Parfum

At the beginning of my perfume journey, when I was still wearing scents like Prada - l'homme, Versace - Dylan Blue, or YSL - La nuit de l'homme, I would have never thought that one day I would like fragrances that smell like smoked bacon. But as life goes, here I am a few years later writing a review about Aroha Kyako by Ensar.

Back then, when I was still pondering which fragrance might be the most versatile everyday scent, notes like oud or castoreum were completely foreign to me. How can someone want to smell like smoke? Yet the deeper I dove in, the more the world and fascination of what is possible opened up to me. Animalic, smoke, from cheesy to resinous to salty, various types of oud, musk, castoreum… what isn’t there? And after I had tested my way through various houses and fragrance directions, I suddenly found myself holding a sample of Aroha Kyaku.

Right after the first spray, an incredible smoky note opened up to me, immediately followed by… bacon?! At first, I was a bit surprised and couldn’t quite place my opinion on it. As it developed, notes of wood, leather, and a bit of spiciness joined in. Yet the smoke and bacon remain present the whole time.

Hmm, somehow… quite good.

Yes, indeed… it has something.

It’s actually quite beautiful!

…Wow!

And like with so many of Ensar's fragrances, “BAM!” It hits you. Even though smoke and bacon may not sound like a perfume at first, I can say that Aroha Kyaku is actually a very good one. For me, it’s not necessarily versatile and quite monotonous, yet this scent fascinates me. The many listed notes are hardly perceived as individual elements, except for the oud, castoreum, and a bit of tobacco. Everything fits together very well and harmonizes with each other.

A really beautifully crafted fragrance that can show interested individuals a completely different direction in the world of perfumes.