Tabu
Fragrance notes
Character
Tabu opens on a cluster of spices, orange and coriander, brash and a little old-fashioned in the best sense of old perfumery. Cloves and ylang-ylang move in next, dark and heady, with narcissus and rose adding a bruised, heavy floral layer. It refuses to fade quietly, holding its shape with real stubbornness, and it has real reach, announcing the wearer's presence well before anyone gets close enough to place the notes individually. Civet in the base gives it an animalic growl that newer orientals mostly sand away.
Amber, oakmoss and vetiver round out a base that's dense even by vintage standards, sandalwood and cedar adding structure without lightening the mood much. Benzoin and patchouli keep the whole thing warm and a little earthy through to the end.
Fall and winter are the only seasons that make sense for it, and night wear suits the mood far better than anything in daylight. Jean Carles composed something in 1932 that still smells assertive today, powdery and animalic in a way almost nothing released recently attempts, heavy in a manner that some noses will find too much before the drydown even settles in.
Smells similar
Built from the same materials — ranked by how unusual the shared notes are, not by how many.
