New Zealand

~ digging around in the soil and leaves after a thunderstorm ~ smelled so divine on my husband, fresh and crisp, earthy. when he wore it....oooh

I'm from New Zealand and there's nothing especially New Zealandy about this, but I can understand its appeal from those who only know New Zealand is its presented to tourists. The fragrance reminds me of the cologne that Air NZ have in their toilets on international flights. It has a lovely fresh, herbal kind of smell.

Immediately this smells like a soap fragrance but it quickly warms to a green mossy smell. not like patchouli but more like warm cut grass and sandalwood bark. I think it's the women's version of classic Old Spice.

I just got this frag and I'm not gonna says it's a work of art, but I love the grass smell! It will be great for layering.

Most of the clean Demeter scents just don't agree with me. New Zealand is unfortunatelly one of them. New Zealand starts with some weird, soap-bubble-in-a-plastic-tube-for-too-long smell, somewhat getting glue-y. However, soon it transformed into real, lush, green leafy scent reminds me of those evergreen trees. Somewhat it does reminds me of New Zealand if I think about New Zealand while smelling this, I lived in Christchurch for about two years, and New Zealand reminds me of the gardens, the sun, the little hills and a vast landscape of green trees. Somehow it’s refreshingly young and lively. Just when I think I can forgive the weird opening and love this scent, old glue plus sugarcane juice is the image hits my mind, yes, New Zealand transformed into a weirder smell. When the weird glue scent gradually disappears, it’s actually not bad, it reminds me a lot of Rain, also by Demeter, the sweet, kinda airy smell; plus a touch of those light, sweet, woody smell from uncoated wood furniture. However the drawback is, it gives me a headache, even though all these smells are so naturally present in life.

It doesn't appear in the listed notes but, for me, the most prominent note, by far, is lemon. The rest of the notes are almost non existing. I get a punch of fresh, tart lemon juice smell in the opening and it continues like that until it completely disappears, two hours (tops) later. There's is sutil grass scent, in the background, but it doesn't compete with the lemon. It intrigues me that citruses aren't listed in the composition or main accord. I don't detect any earthy or aquatic smell. It's refreshing and I use it as room scent and also I spray it in my bed and pijamas before going to bed, but I won't wear it on my self and for that, it was a dissapointment for me.

I really, really, really wanted to like this. I tried. It is not for me. Hoping this would smell like GRASS - it does not. It smells like aquarium water. Like moss on a rock in an aquarium. Not even a stream out in nature, gross aquarium water.

Demeter lists the notes as “plant leaves, barks, grass, snow, ocean, river and stone” and states that this fragrance is “a unique combination of the flora of the lowland rainforests of southwestern New Zealand, the rich, loamy soil that develops under the canopy of the rain forest, and the pure, unspoiled rainwater that makes the lush and varied vegetation possible.” Alrighty. Well.. at first, it’s VERY green .. maybe a touch of citrus but really, just very grassy. Then, imagine ... you’ve just given your thick-coated dog (a Chow Chow, perhaps) a bath with a very strong smelling soap. You try to keep her inside the house for a minute so that she’ll dry off a little, but she escapes into the backyard, makes 14 laps around the lawn, and starts rolling in wet grass and leaves. When she finally comes back inside, she smells like Demeter New Zealand ... some sweaty saltiness, very astringent soapiness, green grassiness, and a photorealistic wet dog. It was a scrubber, so it obviously wasn’t for me. And I want to touch on the fact that this was given to guests at a special, private viewing of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in 2002 .. I’m guessing to better transport the viewer to Middle Earth. Very, very cool! So, does this conjure up visions of hobbits and ents and elves? Not really .. not for me. While I’m sure there are certain parts that do smell like this fragrance, I’m having a hard time believing that the whole of Middle-earth smells like musty, sweaty wet dog. BUT! Mix this with Demeter Ireland (1:3), and you’ll get something much closer to what I imagine for the scent of Middle-earth.

This smelled to me almost exactly like Irish Spring soap. I completely missed any earth/soil, water, or wood notes, and it didn't read as a natural green, but rather a nauseatingly bright and artificial green. I'm glad it was extremely weak and faded completely within an hour, leaving only a migraine behind. I wore it once and gave it away as a White Elephant gift.

This one is going to be difficult, because there is a lot going on in Demeter’s New Zealand. Its GREEN, as in, smack you in the face with a bunch of cut *something* green. Its not quite grass, its sharper, and more almost, almost citrus. But that isn’t quite right either... the green is unique – and beautiful. There is an aquatic component, a big one – and I’ve thought maybe the green came from seaweed, like when you have a tide pool and it gets over grown, but, its stronger than that too. This is a raw ocean smell. There is a fishy undertone, like just caught fish being scaled – it’s a clean fish smell, if that makes sense. Not overpowering but there for sure. I smell driftwood too, and a bit of sand, but mostly lots and lots of greens and salt water. I love this scent so much. It sticks with you. When I first got it, I sprayed it on me and was a bit shocked. But within moments I was in love. It is such a warm/sunny but clouds on the horizon scent... I took it up with me to take a nap and sprayed my bedding. I’ve never done that with a perfume before! But I just wanted to lie in that green, to soak it in while I slept and wake up to that sharp, green, ocean scent. Oh, I love it!!!

Well loved in the internet and I can see why. While there’s a touch of waxyness early on, it’s green and fresh and really does invoke crisp outdoors. The lime is a clear strong note, but it lends rather than detracts. It suggests air and water and green grass, with a spike of lime. I could wear this as perfume, but I admit that I like it better as a room spray. It's very fresh without being soapy and it can almost smell like you've just opened the windows on a sunny day (almost: it is synthetic under the fresh but in such a nice way.)

I feel like a more realistic scent to sum up New Zealand would definitely have the rain. But also the waft of burnt vape juice drifting into your nostrils as you stand at the bus stop, with a hint of Night 'n Day nachos (at 11pm specifically) in the distance, and questionable beer at a flat party. But this Demeter fragrance probably sums up the other side of the country people see, yes.

Tulips! The dominant smell here is identical to some blackish-red tulips in my garden. It is almost a one-note fragrance, and I like that one note, tho I'd probably only wear it for myself. Otherwise maybe layer with another green, such as Weil de Weil.

this is a fantastic room type scent. Not something I wear as a personal fragrance often, but I like to spray it on my linens once in a while. As well, it is quite nice layered with herba fresca.

My husband, a kiwi, says this is missing mold and cow and sheep dung accords, and thus this scent does not and cannot represent the actual scent of New Zealand.

I have very reactive skin. Even flat scents develop on me. Starts out very grassy, become more aquatic, fruity light grass.. but only exists close to my skin.

More of a spray-your-room scent. Very lovely and smells like the outdoors after the rain