Iris Ghalia Ensar Oud 2019 Parfum

The term "Ghalia" comes from Arabic and means something like "precious" or "of inestimable value." It serves both as a female first name - although rather rare - and as a description for extremely valuable things that are actually reserved for the royal families of the Emirates.

Anyone who has had the pleasure of testing or even owning a fragrance from EO knows that Ensar, Adam, and Co. make no compromises when it comes to luxury and quality. This is reflected not only in the extraordinary scent experience but also in the price. However, when the addition "Ghalia" appears in the name, one can expect quite a bit, as it signifies not only that Ensar is particularly proud of this creation but also that materials from the "Royal Archive" of Sultan Qaboos, who was Sultan of Oman until his death in 2020, have once again found their place here. In the case of Iris Ghalia, it is ancient deer musk from Tibet and "Royal Ambergris."

The current version is already the third edition of this fragrance. Unfortunately, I only received my first sample after both previous versions had already sold out. For weeks, I chased a bottle, but no one even thought about selling it. A few weeks ago, the news came that there would now be a third, supposedly further improved version. An "Encore" of the original version. What was the difference between IG1 and IG2? In the original, three ingredients were used that were omitted in the second edition to make it less animalic and thus more "mass-appealing." In the third and current edition, these three ingredients are now back in use.

1. "Hyraceum" or "Africa Stone": This is the fossilized feces of the rock hyrax from South Africa. These usually centuries-old fragments are collected, dissolved in alcohol, and then used in the form of a tincture as a fixative in high-quality perfumes.

2. Castoreum or beaver musk: This secretion from a beaver's gland is described as extremely leathery, smoky, and animalic. It often serves as a base in classic leather accords.

3. Muskrat: This is essentially the same type of secretion as beaver musk, but it comes from a related species, the muskrat. In its pure form, this substance is described as even more animalic and is referred to by Ensar himself as "incredibly repulsive."

For those who (rightly) have concerns about the ethics of using such animal ingredients, it should be noted that Ensar Oud now exclusively relies on old stocks from the Arab royal families. In those times, these animals were not only hunted for their precious ingredients but were also fully utilized and served, among other things, as food.

Enough backstory - let's get to the scent itself.
I must admit that the opening can be a bit demanding or even overwhelming for "untrained noses." An explosion of impressions. On one hand, a floral, slightly powdery yet soft, almost creamy-buttery iris, on the other hand, fruity, zesty notes like blackcurrant and peach. As if that weren't enough, this cocktail is also contrasted by a whole battalion of animalic notes. In the opening, ambergris and musk are mainly prominent. The ambergris provides a slightly salty, mineral touch. The Tibetan musk adds a lightly sweet, sparkling note. I must say that I always perceive the Tibetan musk variant as sweet and sparkling, almost candied. To me, it bears little resemblance to Siberian musk, which often carries a slightly urinous touch.

Once the initial "storm" has settled a bit, the fragrance reveals its incredible beauty. The combination of iris, fruits, and blue lotus creates for me an image of freshly brewed black or Earl Grey tea. The spices add a certain depth and ensure that the opening does not become too thin. After a few minutes, the musk also comes through again. It gives the fragrance a special sweetness and sharpness. The initially rather bitter tea almost transforms into a lightly sweetened, natural peach iced tea.

Over the course of the first 1-2 hours, the fragrance becomes more bitter and smoky again. At times, a dry, leathery note fights its way through from the background. Castoreum and Hyraceum create an olfactory structure that reminds me of dry pipe tobacco with a hint of vanilla aroma. The not listed but definitely perceptible Maroke-Oud from the agarwood species "Aquilaria Filaria" contributes to a substantial portion of dark but not scratchy smoke in the base, which acts as a perfect counterpoint to the fruity-floral powdery iris.

In general, one can say that in this fragrance, no note overpowers another. Everything seems perfectly balanced once again. Ensar himself describes Iris Ghalia as his greatest challenge to date. According to his statement, there has been no fragrance that he has discarded and rebuilt as often as this one. Iris is not only one of the most expensive ingredients (about €70,000-90,000 /kg) but also one of the hardest to "tame."

Even in the drydown, the top notes are still well perceivable in the scent cloud around you. The fragrance remains somehow holistic from beginning to end and seems never to dissolve into individual components. However, this does not mean in the slightest that the fragrance is linear. It behaves almost like a chameleon. Sometimes it shows itself as fruity, leathery. Sometimes smoky, floral. Sometimes powdery, zesty. Each nuance always accompanied by a perfect counterpart. Almost Yin and Yang in spray format. Despite the iris as the main character, Iris Ghalia is, of course, not comparable in the slightest to classic iris representatives like Prada L’homme or Dior Homme Intense, Parfum, etc. I see scents in colors and structures, and this fragrance evokes images of blue-violet watercolors on canvas in my mind.

Projection and longevity are extremely good for a 100% natural fragrance! 12-14 hours are easily achievable. The first 5 hours, IG projects incredibly strongly, but even afterwards, the fragrance never becomes a "skin scent." Of course, it cannot compete with synthetic beasts like Montale, etc., but that is not their intention at all.
Despite the occasionally really rich but, in my opinion, never exaggerated animalic notes, this fragrance is one of the "most wearable" creations from EO that I own and know. It is perceived extremely positively by those around me and is the one with the highest "compliment factor" among all my EO fragrances, alongside EO02 Kashmir and EO03, my personal favorite. If I had to choose just one fragrance from my collection, it would probably be this one. It simply unites so many complex impressions and emotions that it takes some time to truly understand it.

Admittedly… alongside many releases lately that have not captivated me at all, Ensar has created another masterpiece with Iris Ghalia 3.0. At least for my nose.