Itaca

The Greek island of Ithaca brings to mind Homer's Odyssey for most people, myself included, and in my opinion, this scent is evocative of its inspiration. A mossy, herbal marine-chypre hybrid, it is unusual, but works quite well. I love chypres but dislike marine scents, so I was intrigued by Itaca as a result. As it turns out, I find it reasonably pleasant, but ultimately, I'm not sold. Itaca opens with sharp, herbal davana, dirty and pot-like. The salty undertone emerges early, natural-smelling and fresh. It isn't aquatic at all, in the manner of more typical marine scents, and thus avoids the synthetic, window cleaner-like quality that is a common pitfall of such scents. It becomes earthier as it develops, with the herbal chypre base coming to the fore. Patchouli is most prominent to my nose, alongside a soapy oakmoss molecule. I get a hint of dewy rose as it dries down, and it remains lightly salty until final fade. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. It is a unisex, transeasonal scent. Itaca is pleasant and promising, but it leaves me underwhelmed - I would have liked this better with a richer, more rounded, more realistic-smelling chypre base. A good idea that could have been better executed. 3.5/5.

An aromatic, sharp, earthy, mossy, patchouli heavy perfume with rose, salty, warm facets. This is how I would sum up Itaca in a few words. And while this might not be my favourite scent profile, being too green and mossy for my liking, it’s a really nice, pleasant perfume. Leaning towards masculine side, but not entirely. The added rose note in the heart notes offers some balance against the more masculine top and base ones. I feel that the stand out note in Itaca is davana, a strong, aromatic herb with balsamic undertones. For me, Itaca will be an easy pass, but I am sure that men what favours these aromatic, earthier perfumes will enjoy it. It’s not a bad/synthetic/boring scent by any means, it’s just not for everybody. Like most things in life, not everything is for everyone...

The Greek poet Kavafis in his poem Ithaca writes: “When you set out for Ithaca you must hope that the road is long, fertile in adventures and experiences.” A poet marginalized because he was accused of homosexuality, who in solitude began to think about the meaning of life, or rather, about the journey we take to find its meaning. An "Ithaca" that we all must have, with the hope of a journey as long and rich as possible, because the truly important thing is the journey we take to get to the very meaning of everything. And this is a journey that opens with the davana, which gives us a sense of depth and emotion (the one you feel before a departure), and then brings out marine and woody accents (very elegant and delicate), to celebrate that very ship that took one of the greatest protagonists in history on a rich and profound journey: Ulysses. A really well crafted marine, not loud but magnetic at the same time. “Embarkation of Ulysses” painted by Lorrain.

It’s taken me a few wears to come around to this but now I love it. It’s fresh but not your typical blue marine fragrance. I love the earthiness of it and it comes off slightly powdery. Just the right hint of rose really makes it pop. Completely unisex and can be dressed up or down. It reminds me a bit of profondo but much more complex. There’s also a slight laundry feel to it.