Zan

Spicy incense and peppercorn florals are the soul of Zan, Farsi word translating to "woman." This is still much a unisex profile. The ambrox, a synthetic ambergris, hits hard, contributing a synthetic and saline aspect. Not salty enough to reach a categorical aquatic, Zan is white, smoking, intoxicating incense first. Complementing pink pepper, cardamon, and warm spice blend coats an indistinguishable floral at an undefinable distance. Beneath lies a soft white musk, nothing sweaty or animalic, simply clean skin. Though it is not a subdued fragrance, I wouldn't prescribe it a particular season, time or event, like Noor, this would make an excellent anytime, all occasion fragrance. Of the three debut Cult Gaia releases, this one is the least projecting and also my favorite. As a consummate incense lover, I find the other notes merely supporting cast and the balance between synthetic & natural quite a fun and optional musing for the nose.

This is a more feminine scent with lovely musk that pairs well with Noor. I am obsessed with layering Zan and Noor together. I only have the sample sizes from their discovery set. The full bottles seem waaay overpriced. But I will say their fragrance line is romantic, pleasant, and I feel like a sophisticated version of the hippie/rocker that I am 🖤

Of all 3 of Cult Gaia's current fragrances this is the least impressive to me; beyond the scent itself not being as mind blowingly delicious as the others I haven't found this one to be as eternally lasting or strongly projecting as the other two either. I'm sure the scent profile is lovely for many people out there but the performance is definitely not quite as good as mast and noor.

i anticipated liking this one more for the notes, but it's just very "ok" to me. definitely a musky skin scent, in the same vein as glossier you and room 1015's sonic flower. this one has an edge of spice in the opening however, which makes it a bit more interesting and less linear. not a full bottle for me, but was an interesting sniff!

A young woman's brightness. The alcohol notes in this scent keep it from being more beloved to me. The pepper and cardamom play perfectly fine with each other and the musk (what little there is). The incense on the dry down is pleasant. But there is an overeager brightness to this smell that not only makes me feel apparent but unseasonably young. I would expect to find this smell in the mall, at an eye level and a price point suitable for the 18 year old me that just wanted to be eager AND admired. The adult me knows where to find scents without as much alcohol wipe base. Both of us deserve to be happy.