Riso Jijide 2023

Cinema! Popcorn! Sticky rice with beans! Gourmand, quite filling, but not heavy on the stomach. The popcorn impression soon fades, then it no longer smells roasted, after which the sour fruitiness also fades at some point, and a somewhat underlying, warm spiciness emerges after about 4 hours. The vetiver is perceptible, quite green, almost flowery. There is a delicate hint of smoke, like from Lapsang Souchong. The rice and a fine, very pleasant sweetness are always present. Although the rice accord becomes a little woody towards the end, it is still very successful. The longevity on my skin is about 7 hours with 2 (or was it 3?) sprays on the wrist, the last two of which as a skin scent. The projection is just right, you never have the feeling of having to fight your way through a good portion of a rice dish.

Riso smells unusual yet wearable, nowhere near as chaotic as the fragrance notes sound and as the marketing ("busy Chinese street") would suggest. Anyone worried about the soy sauce can rest assured: It's probably just some ingredient to give the fragrance a little more depth and richness. The atmosphere of Riso is like a cozy and humorous get-together with friends.

Jijide is the transcription of the Chinese expression 积极的 (jī jí de) which seems to denote an energetic outlook on life (DeepL translates as "proactive"). The brand's concept is to produce perfumes for the Western market from ingredients found in China. For Riso, perfumer Zimo Luo drew on the Chinese idea of the "seven daily necessities", which consist of rice, firewood, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea. (There was actually once a gift box with these contents on AliExpress.) It's a good idea that has been implemented brilliantly.

There seems to me to be a bit of a rice hype at the moment, certainly triggered by the release of L'Eau Papier in 2023, but most rice fragrances I know are fluffy or stuffy with too much musk, spoiled by pungent, pencil-like amber woods, pale and powdery, too creamy-milky with sandal, very sweet, or the rice note fades very quickly, or I don't smell the rice at all. Riso has none of these weaknesses. It's perfect for people like me who don't normally like gourmands.

I award 8 points for the fragrance itself and 0.5 points for originality. Thanks to @Olivia1985 for the sample.