Top Notes 
Orris butter
Bitter almond
Heliotrope
Saffron
Obsolete Burlap
Heart Notes 
Osmanthus absolute
Chocolate absolute
Opoponax
Base Notes 
Honey absolute
Ambergris
Musk
Mysore sandalwood
Tonka bean absolute05/20/2025
ClaireV
969 Reviews
ClaireV
1
Marshy, heavy iris-ambergris layer cake
Sohan d’Iris is an unusual composition, featuring an ultra-gourmand but also borderline animalic approach to one of the most delicate materials in perfumery – iris. Unfortunately, given the natural heaviness of materials such as tonka, honey, and almonds, the iris note gets a bit lost in the fray. But the mukhallat is interesting enough that one might forgive it that piece of misdirection. The iris note at the start is rooty, almost sinister. Almost immediately, a thick swirl of salted caramel and almond crème bubbles up from below, licking at the legs of the silvery iris, which retracts in ladylike horror. The grotesque sweetness of the caramel holds court for a while, before ceding to a honeyed chamomile tisane accord, which cuts through the sullen density like a brisk sea breeze through 90% humidity.
Yet this floral honey tisane melts away far too quickly, swallowed up by the dark, animalic basenotes. The finish reads as pure animal to me, pungent with the unholy funk of old honey, the dung-like pong of black ambergris, and what smells to me like real deer musk. While the honeyed-floral heart is still bleeding into the animalic base, the mukhallat smells interestingly like cake dragged through the marine silt of a harbor at low tide. The musky filth here reminds me of Afrah attar by Amouage, which features an almost bilge-like ambergris paired with champaca and basil.
The slightly pissy tones of the honey, combined with the heavy musk and ambergris are also somewhat reminiscent of Miel de Bois (Serge Lutens), absent the fuzzy cedar notes. In fact, forget the gourmand iris angle with which this mukhallat is marketed – if anyone is looking for an animalic, musky honey mukhallat, then look in the direction of Sohan d’Iris. I find this perfume to be borderline unpleasant, but someone with a stronger stomach for animalics might disagree.
Yet this floral honey tisane melts away far too quickly, swallowed up by the dark, animalic basenotes. The finish reads as pure animal to me, pungent with the unholy funk of old honey, the dung-like pong of black ambergris, and what smells to me like real deer musk. While the honeyed-floral heart is still bleeding into the animalic base, the mukhallat smells interestingly like cake dragged through the marine silt of a harbor at low tide. The musky filth here reminds me of Afrah attar by Amouage, which features an almost bilge-like ambergris paired with champaca and basil.
The slightly pissy tones of the honey, combined with the heavy musk and ambergris are also somewhat reminiscent of Miel de Bois (Serge Lutens), absent the fuzzy cedar notes. In fact, forget the gourmand iris angle with which this mukhallat is marketed – if anyone is looking for an animalic, musky honey mukhallat, then look in the direction of Sohan d’Iris. I find this perfume to be borderline unpleasant, but someone with a stronger stomach for animalics might disagree.
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