Camel Zoologist - Golden Autumn, Moroccan Spices

Camel is rich, spicy and unmistakably oriental, but there’s something surprisingly comforting about it. It opens with rose oil and dried fruit - dates, slightly smoky cherries, oily prunes. Oud and tonka add something sweet and sour, a little animalic and incredibly seductive. There’s plenty of richness here, but it never feels flat or simply sweet. Fresh green jasmine cuts through the honeyed rose, while myrrh brings this unexpected sense of calm.

As it develops, the fragrance becomes warmer and almost gourmand. Incense, warm amber, dry woods and herbs, a little smoke. The vanilla is there too, but thankfully never becomes cloying. Instead, everything feels enveloping, intoxicating and strangely meditative. The obvious image would be a Moroccan medina - fragrant oils, spices and incense warming in the air. And yes, I can absolutely see it.

But for some reason, Camel takes me somewhere else too. To a perfect golden autumn day. The sun is still warm, the sky is intensely blue, and the maples have turned yellow and red. You’re outside wrapped in a scarf, drinking spiced coffee and eating something like a honey cake. The air is cool enough to make all that warmth feel even better.

That contrast is what I love most about Camel. It’s sensual without becoming overwhelming, opulent without feeling heavy. Warm, spicy, slightly animalic and deeply comforting - like wrapping yourself in something beautiful when the air outside has just begun to turn cold.