The Peradam

When I read that The Peradam contained real orris butter, Mysore sandalwood (sustainably harvested) and a rare extraction of Jasmine grandiflorum, I could not wait to get my paws on it. When it hits my skin, it smells like a glob of wet, starchy, gray chalk. The jasmine is equally intense, luminous, almost too sharp. These two ingredients blended together create an odd juxtaposition of dark and bright. I have never experienced them together so prominently, so at first it feels confusing and unfamiliar, which is fascinating because it's certainly not a fragrance I can say that I have smelled somewhere else before. It doesn't remind me of any other perfume. Soon I begin to smell something faintly woody and smoky, like the scent of burnt wood that lingers in the air from a wood-burning stove. The perfume behaves like smoke too. It clings to things. For days after I sprayed the perfume on my wrists, I could smell that smoky note each time I walked past the spot in my room on which I was standing when I sprayed. It only smelled smoky, not like jasmine or orris, so it took a while to realize it was The Peradam. The smokiness is one of my favorite features of the perfume....after the orris butter. Sometime in the drydown, the orris butter blooms. No longer is it the chalky, gray, arguably oppressive scent of which it started out. It softens, sweetens, and literally melts into an oily, creamy scent that resembles salted sweet cream butter. I updated this review to add that I never noticed before that there is an intense animalic note in the base. Kind of barnyard stanky, reminds me a lot of Guerlain perfumes. I remember the first time I smelled Shalimar Initial, I thought it smelled like bad breath. I get that same funkiness with The Peradam. As the jasmine relaxes and mellows, the three key ingredients combine to create something cohesive and familiar. The drydown smells like something I would describe as femme fatale, oozing with allure, stylish, modern-vintage and a little bit shabby-chic. The scent is a soft, plush, cozy, rounded, rich floral with a delicate sweetness that reminds me of powdery violets. Very beautiful and addictive. The Paradam is a gorgeous perfume, not to be missed. This is one of those perfumes, like Tauer's masterpiece L'Air Du Desert Marocain, that every niche newbie or seasoned niche aficionado should at least sample, even if sheerly to experience the qualilty of the raw materials.

I should preface my review by saying I’m not much into florals, though i do quite like jasmine. it is one of the few dominant floral notes I’d say I have really enjoyed in various fragrances (I love ELDOs Jasmin et Cigarette for example). And this... to me this is a skanky, indolic jasmine bomb. Opening is strong, powdery and earthy Orris, then over 10 to 20 minutes it morphs into what I first thought of as almost a jasmine solifore, albeit the most indolic jasmine I have encountered. It makes the jasmine in jasmine et cigarette seem positively demure. Whereas jasmine et cigarette relies on that ashtray cigarette smell to transform it into something provocative, this just magnifies the indoles to a raunchy, almost barnyard level to achieve that effect. But then, on further consideration, I think it’s the orris adding an earthiness to the jasmine that makes it come across that way. Those two materials work in such beautiful concert here that they become one in the same, the orris truly becomes and extension of the jas. The way it transitions from the orris to the jasmine hints at the symbiosis, as it just gradually and smoothly, almost imperceptibly, transitions from the opening to the heart. I realize I am getting more jasmine from this than other reviewers, and a more indolic jasmine than most at that. It just really stands out as the dominant note to my nose/on my skin. I don’t get any sandalwood from it really, it’s just straight ahead raunchy jasmine to my nose. It doesn’t have the greatest longevity, and just gradually mellows from it climax at the 30min-1hr mark, losing its raunchiness in step with its potency, eventually retreating and coming full circle to leave a light, earthy orris scent. Materials are clearly top notch, it smells extreme natural. I would say it leans ever so slightly feminine, but I always feel scents as evocative of nature as this this know no gender, even if they are dominated by florals. I am a 40yo male and have no qualms wearing this. I have been totally blown away by this house. I know I am discovering it after the fact, but my god Holladay Saltz had to be one of the most talented independent perfumers to have come along! Every one of her creations has resonated with me in some way or another.

The Peradam is perhaps the prettiest of Apoteker Tepe's perfumes. The opening of cold and rooty iris has a distinct aquatic feel to it. This iris is soaking wet. In all of the AP perfumes I've tried, which is now all of them after wearing The Peradam, every accord within every stage of every perfume's life is airy, diffusive, and highly breathable. The iris accord at the opening of Peradam, relatively speaking to most other perfumes featuring an iris accord, is airy, diffusive, and breathable but less so than nearly all of the other accords in all other Apoteker's perfumes. The elastic and almost impenetrable feeling of the wetness is palpable. The dry down to the heart notes brings a texture far more familiar and similar to the textures Saltz gave us in nearly every other AT perfume via white cloud wafts of jasmine and muguet filled with the golden light of day. The heart is gorgeous. Once this dry down hit, I let out an involuntary sigh of euphoria. The white florals are rich and photorealistic, like the smell of a bouquet of jasmine and muguet on a cool breeze. The final skin scent is a similarly light and airy amalgam of sandalwood and tree moss; milky, woody, slightly green and earthy. In the press blurb is a quote from Rene Daumal: "One finds here, very rarely in the low lying areas, more frequently as one goes farther up, a clear and extremely hard stone that is spherical and varies in size—a kind of crystal, but a curved crystal, something extraordinary and unknown on the rest of the planet. Among the French of Port-des-Singes, it is called peradam. The clarity of this stone is so great and its index of refraction so close to that of air that, despite the crystal’s great density, the unaccustomed eye hardly perceives it. But to anyone who seeks it with sincere desire and true need, it reveals itself by its sudden sparkle, like that of dewdrops." I can't say anything more any better. The Peradam is gorgeous.

What. Is. This. Witchcraft? I smelled this blind, knowing nothing more about it than the name and the house. It is utterly bizarre - and completely compelling. So strange and so constantly-mutating it kept and keeps me guessing because my nose and brain can't figure out what on earth is going on. A riot of conflicting and sometimes not even pleasant impressions - but the kind of thing that keeps you sniffing and sniffing and sniffing - and which takes some astonishing turns through different territories. Like other Apotekers it's just so weird and yet so rooted in nature. The notes I jotted down about it read like a surrealist improv session: " wet clay ... gum ... glue ... Copydex? ... more gum ... eucalyptus? camphor? but there's resin ... is it tolu balsam? plasticine? then deep wood then... tuberose? WTF? who put those flowers in there? but so beautiful..." So obviously my nose wasn't having a good day, but that's the way this blend tormented and toyed with me, continuing on its merry way, riding a rollercoaster of scent impressions, morphing from one scent to a completely other one every 20 minutes or so, growing more beautiful as it went, becoming sweeter and weirder and still more fascinating until I could barely deal with it any more. The note pyramid here makes it all make a little more sense, but not much. There's still strange magic in the mix. This is a mind-bender, in the best possible way. My jotting notes end: "Total Enigma - My God WHAT A HOUSE..." and I'll stand by it. For me this is so far from simple it's not even funny. One to try to open your horizons out for sure.

Barnyard lipstick creamy rooty waxy bliss. I first sampled The Peradam in 2015 and haven't been able to get it out of my mind since. The Peradam opens with a very challenging natural orris bomb. If you don't truly love orris you will hate this perfume. The opening is raunchy. The heart has a salty, close to skin, animalic quality probably also from the orris. The jasmine comes in very strong towards the middle and end stages, smelling cloudy, astringent/green and blunt, not like the sparkling and indolic aroma of the flower, but like the tea, or the essential oil, albeit a very fine essential oil. Sandalwood and lily are way in the background here. This perfume is an homage to orris and jasmine. If you don't love each of those in their purest and rawest forms, this won't be for you. If you're not sure, testing the Peradam is a great way to find out. In the dry down, I do get a whiff of straight sandalwood here and there with the shadow of orris sticking around. This perfume is like my spirit animal. The first time the word "bewitching" has actually applied to a scent for me. Takes some time to get to know and even then, you can be surprised to find yourself in its grip. Update: I ultimately decided not to purchase this because even though the quality and the scent was very impressive, it never became more than the sum of its parts. It smelled like high quality orris mixed with jasmine and sandalwood essential oils. I wanted a harmony that I never found. The elements stayed separate. Maybe some will love it for that very thing. I went with New Sibet instead.

The days where we never smell newly-minted bills again are near. Holding cash, counting it, contemplating the physicality of money, it will all be rendered obsolete like so many analog items. The orris rhizome sometimes reminds of the smell of crisp banknotes, veiled in violet whispers, somewhat starchy, a little pulpy, with traces of clean, yet oily skin, as if passed through a few hands. Now, such exchanges are diminished, while impulsive spending has reached a fever pitch. Buy now, pay later—nothing physical to give weight to transaction. There is now a complete removal from the corpus of currency. And what are we left with after this is lost? The Peradam is so physical in design. It begins with the flesh of narcotic, unnerving lily, deep orange anthers willing to stain fingertips. Damp, cool and even buttery, the orris here is like a wad of cash in a desperate man's back pocket—all that he has to get by for a long time. He was caught in the rain, but it has let up, and he is drying off, and his human warmth is drawn off his body into the cool air as the rainwater evaporates from his clothes. But he is really a metaphor for a soon-to-expire bouquet, petals still white and wet, but the advancing transpiration begins. When fully withered, like a long sigh, the skin has traces of silver flecks, faded green, crumbling soil on wood, and one last dollar with some change.

I bought a sample of The Peradam based on a review I saw on basenotes calling it “The tears of a long suffering god”. I had a very different vision of what that would smell like & upon first sniff I was really confused because I got -chapstick-! But .. after letting the sample oxidize a few weeks the more nuanced notes started to emerge & I grew to really love it & then to really prefer it over some of my other true love fragrances! (I thought Ossuary by La Curie was my ultimate orris scent but now The Peradam is a strong contender.) -It-is-not- the ‘tears of a long suffering god’, but it most certainly could boast being the ‘chapstick of a long suffering god’ & through that lens you can really appreciate this soft orris beauty. I had a date ask recently if she could wear one of my perfumes to a party we were going to - She chose this one & I was nose deep in her hairline all night & drunkenly we ordered her a bottle from the party lol. She wore a 1970s black sequin mini dress with an intricately beaded open back paired with a thick rhinestone choker - I felt she was simply the most beautiful thing to look at or smell!

This was one of the easiest and quickest buys I've ever made. A quick sample spritz, a sniff or two, and I found myself bringing the box up to the counter with my credit card in hand. The slightly waxy richness of the high quality orris immediately steps forward. Soon the waxy edge dissipates, and opens to the simple yet clever florals woven in. And the sandalwood! OH, the sandalwood! Far from being the rockstar of this composition, it stands quietly holding it all together, keeping the florals from yelling too loud. An adept conductor at the helm of these flowery musicians. It also doesn't lean into the rubbery dry down which my skin seems to be prone to evoking from sandalwood. Naomi Goodsir also released the glorious Iris Cendre in 2015, and it reached a fair bit of (well-deserved) acclaim. I feel The Peradam was rudely overlooked, and both deserve to stand as noteworthy executions of iris/orris. A bit of the oldschool, a bit of sexy sophistication, and a whole lot of compositional genius are all represented here.

A moon priestess perfume if I’ve ever smelt one. Also makes me think of St. Trina lulling people in pain to sleep with a lavender colored fog. There’s also a strong olibanum scent in picking up that isn’t listed? It gives it an air of sacred serenity. I can’t wear this if i don’t feel worthy. I pull my bottle out whenever i feel cleansed remote and deep in self reflection. After I return to myself and escape the nonsense that tries to dirtify my heart she is there like a pearl amongst filth. I don’t just wear it I claim it and and imbue myself with its grace

ya this one good too lol, reminded me of rani j jasmine kama at first. This is quite possibly the smoothest blend ive ever smelled. IF this was a MFK Maison Francis Kurjian it would be a top 10 seller of his. He's amazing and blends but this is even smoother than anything ive sniffed of his. Man this thing just floats the most beautiful scent cloud, strong, and top top shelf quality too.

Although I found elements not listed in the ingredients, I'll share my experience anyway: NICE mild green tea, white floral, lily, jasmine, orris, sandalwood, abd sweet papyrus. VERY unique, quiet, classy, fragrance that LAAASTS Polarizing scent. My wife only found it odd, but I was instantly addicted and planned to make it my signature scent

This fragrance is a work of art. Rich buttery orris of the highest quality with delicate white starry jasmine blossoms scattered throughout. A single perfect lily as the centerpiece and rooted in sublime sandalwood. It is like spring immortalized in a bottle.

'The Peradam' was my (early) Christmas present to myself this year, and I have been enjoying it very much. It is a quiet, calm, and earthy fragrance. This perfume opens on my skin as ORRIS with lily flickering in and out. Despite the lily, I would not describe this fragrance as any sort of floral perfume. After the orris burns down a little bit, the sandalwood emerges. By this time the perfume has become a skin scent, and I have to hold my wrist to my nose to smell it. The quality of ingredients in this perfume is second to none. I feel that the concept of this perfume has been translated well with its materials. As the apotheosis of a holy journey (as manifested in the other perfumes of this series), 'the peradam' is the objective of this quest. The lily and sandalwood hint at the spiritual, while the orris root and sandalwood represent the precious. Simple, but well done.

The scent is hay-like with slightly sweet floral and sandalwood in the background. The naturalness of the ingredients is impressive here. The sandalwood smells natural. It's woodsy and earthy with a very slight tinge of creaminess. A strange combination of scent nonetheless. Like what is even the concept here? According to the website, the peradam is something that appears only to those who seek it. I mean I guess this perfume does capture this concept in the sense that I had to rack my brain to even comprehend it. Not wearable in my opinion but fun to sample. EDIT: after spraying it on a few more times, I now have a clearer image of what it reminds me of. It's like a field of dry grass with sweet flowers and sandalwood. Very natural and realistic. Very unique as well. I appreciate it a bit more now. But still I decided to get a FB of Anabasis instead.

Beautiful orris butter opens this up for me then a hint of lily, Jasmine is lightly blended in too and settles to a sandlewood but never loses its buttery orris. This has obviously been created using high quality ingredients and this lady has a fantastic nose for scents. It's simple yet not simply blended if you understand what I mean, I love orris in scents but never smelt one quite like this. It's linear and its spillage isn't huge but longevity is very good, it's a masterpiece in my eyes.

Whenever I first spray this on my skin, the first whiff I get is cherry candy. Not fresh cherries, but more like some type of hard candy. This is not a bad thing at all, I find the effect to be very intriguing and unusual. This dies down after a bit and the heart of The Peradum emerges, a beautiful mixture of jasmine and orris. I actually find the jasmine to be the most prominent note throughout most of it's development, and the combination of it with the orris and some sandalwood is lovely.

The 2ml sample came in a cloth bag and it's a spray, which is the format I prefer when sampling. I get mostly sandalwood and orris, a little bit buttery with some carrot nuances. The florals are barely there at first and they become more prominent with time with a slight bubblegum like sweetness. Very comforting and cuddly. I like it, but don't think I will be buying a bottle. I will definitely treasure my sample and spend more time with it to see if I change my mind.

This is an attractive perfume, as some reviewers have observed but... I catch a lot of strange notes here, some moldy bread (iris) ,something like mothballs, and the Madonna lilies are a fleeting presence at the very beginning. My feeling is that this is a base, a good one, for a work in progress. Somebody should use this as a point of departure. Interesting, but in my opinion unfinished.

this smells like a grown up, more luxury version of lust from lush with a bit more powder from the orris and a little softer. lovely scent.

Really confused if my sample somehow went rotten? I don't smell any of the notes aside from the scent of some kind of oil that has been left in my bag or in the sun for a while, maybe Castor or Vitamin E oil, leaking out of its bottle, getting anything in reachable distance greasy and soggy in an opaque, very waxy creamy and bland butter. Not sweet, not aromatic, not salted, literally smells like an "unscented" oil or shea butter with a hint of powder.