Ouranon

Lately, I've been visiting Pegan Hill in Dover, MA. At the crest of this 410 foot tall glacial drumlin, a wide clearance was made by the local indigenous peoples for cropland and pasture in the late 17th century. These Pegan Indians, as they were called, had sadly perished by the 1760s, and settlers had taken over this farmland. What now remains are only the stone walls as evidence of these farming days of long ago. Great meadows now exist where the crops were raised and cattle would graze, and when the sun warms the weeds, grasses, and wildflowers, there emits an unforgettable aroma of resinous verdure, albeit somewhat dry and dusty. Clover, sedge, chamomile, joe pye weed, yarrow, all grow in abundance. Ouranon is as contemplative as these visits to Pegan Hill, wandering through the wide open spaces, catching whiffs of sun-baked herbaceous vegetation and hay-like grasses that are hemmed with these time-worn stone walls. Chamomile is the standout accord here. Olibanum runs through Ouranon like a cool current, imparting sort of a druidry to it, as if I am witnessing a nature-connecting ritual. Its energy is slow and quiet but nonetheless impactful, especially as it is anchored with a significant amount of bittersweet, mineral-like myrrh resinoid and what I perceive as a particularly dry and chewy labdanum. Ouranon ruptured the growing cynicism I had toward Aesop aiming to convince the consumer that they are authentically nature-based, so I applaud them for actually "going there" with such a creation, even at the risk of commercial viability. It's a splendiferous addition to my collection of agrestic smelly waters.

This perfume has enchanted me. Initially I tried on a sample, having always been drawn to Aesop's display corner in my local perfumery, but too hesitant to purchase anything because of the steep price. I sprayed a couple spritz of Ouranon on my arm without thinking much. I ended up leaving the shop that day with Maison Crevelli's Papayrus Moleculaire (completely different vibe). When I got home, I could still smell Ouranon on my arm. I was constantly switching between smelling my right arm (Papyrus) and my left (Ouranon) and quickly realised I had made a mistake. I went back to the store the next day and swapped out my unopened bottle for Ouranon. There is something so calming about this smell - so spiritual and intimate. It evokes some sort of warm orb of peace from my heart, as if being touched by a divinity that is telling you everything is going to be okay. There is something very warm about the smell (it literally smells like hay and lavender sitting in a sun bathed barn) which makes me feel it'd be perfect for summer or spring. The sillage is quite weak, I only smell it if I am smelling directly from my skin, but the intricacies of this smell makes it worth it. It's truly a niche and beautiful scent, I am in love!

Myrrh, frankincense? Put on some gold then you would literally smell like baby Jesus. The scent is incense-heavy, opens with dry lavender. After a while, the myrrh and frankincense does it job, while some hay supports it. On my skin, it is dry, a bit spicy and sweet, feels like a warm hug in a church. To exaggerate, this is probably how a Bible would smell like. Fell in love with this fragrance first sniff at the store. It’s a quiet fragrance, but nothing subtle about it. The performance is nice, lasts me 6 hours with good projection. Although the price point is pretty high, the scent is pretty niche that you wouldn’t find an alternative easily. So i’d say it is good value if you love the smell of this.

If you like woods, incense, dark and/or naturalistic fragrances, this is one of them. The lovely and delicate herbal accord of lavender, hay and chamomile sets Ouranon apart from all my other woody fragrances. I have always loved chamomile in fragrances (Aromatics Elixir and Beloved by Amouage immediately spring to mind), but they are always rather vintage-leaning, which I don’t often enjoy wearing. Ouranon smells like wet rocks, minerals, moss and strong myrrh. Smells a little rubbery, like oud maybe, and dark woods. Makes me think of Druids performing rituals at a stone circle in the forest. Dabbing from a vial I get 7+ hours. Update: Bought a bottle. One spray lasts all day long on me, easily.

Sniffed the whole line in store last fall, and this was by far my favorite. Clearly, not for everyone, though. This week, I thought to stop by the store again to sniff it and sadly discovered that it has been discontinued. I was told some stores in New York. Do you have a small stash still but removed from the shelves so you must ask for it specifically. I’ll continue my hunt! Knowing that it’s discontinued only makes me want it more.