Plum Japonais

Cinnamon and saffron open Plum Japonais with a dry, spiced heat, the kind that promises something heavier before Japanese plum and plum blossom arrive to sweeten things. Yann Vasnier balances the fruit against immortelle's slightly boozy, maple-like edge and a splash of liquor, so the plum never turns into straightforward jam. There is a boozy, faintly medicinal quality to the immortelle that adds real complexity to the sweetness.

Cypress and camellia add a green, slightly bitter lift to the heart, cutting through what could otherwise be an overly rich fruit-and-spice combination. By the drydown, oud, amber and benzoin take over, with fir adding a cold, resinous streak that pulls the composition back toward something woodier and less sweet.

The base is sturdy, holding its warmth with genuine persistence. The scent gathers in a small cloud around the wearer, discovered more than broadcast, so it works well in close quarters, an office or a car, without overwhelming anyone.

It comes into its own once the air turns cold and scarves come out, when the spice and oud feel matched to the weather. The saffron from the opening seems to echo faintly even this late, a thread of warmth running the length of the fragrance. Plum Japonais rewards anyone who wants a fruited oud that leans dry and bitter rather than syrupy.

Smells similar

We matched these by the notes each one lists, giving more weight to the unusual ones they share. Sharing materials does not make one a copy of the other.

Fragrenza describes Plum Oud as inspired by Plum Japonais:

“affordable impression of Tom Ford Plum Japonais”

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