Delta of Venus

At least in the first half or so of the perfume's life I see quite a bit in common with the Anais Nin short story of the same name. Antoine Lie's composition for Eris is going to raise eyebrows and push the limits of the socially acceptable. However, like one of the less offensive taboos, it could pique curiosity more than repulsion; the perfume will make you feel the shame that comes from some unintentional voyeurism, but it will be overpowered by the desire to look over your shoulder and out of the corners of your eyes to make sure no one will witness you going in for another look. The opening instantly suggests sin and the forbidden. Bergamot zapped of all energetic, innocent, citrus zestiness to present dry and bitter rinds, and the equally parched, dry, and sulfuric aspects of grapefruit overlay one of the most green and indolic jasmine notes I have ever smelled. The violet leaf carries a lot of the responsibility for the super dry, green, vegetal notes and textures. For a while I thought I was smelling a bizarre form of orris and galbanum; the starchy, potatoey, earthy, somewhat floral qualities of orris are there, and the hyper-green galbanum textures and notes, reminiscent of No. 19 and Private Collection, are also there. Take your pick of interpretation, but you'll arrive at the roughly the same conclusion: massively strident, massively dry, massively dense, massively green, very pushy and illicit. These notes don't subside without a fight, but they do eventually give way where the jasmine sheds quite a bit of its green and indolic qualities to take on whiter, gentler, floral aspects, and a "guava" note takes center stage. Perhaps controversially, I've always said that osmanthus's fruity note is far more like guava to my nose than the apricot note that many/most tend to identify. The very fleshy heart of DV is soft, sweet, musky, floral, and very tropically fruity, smelling very close to a lot of "osmanthus" materials I recall over many years, but it has been amped-up to bring a density that tends to be lacking in the typically airy and diffusive osmanthus floral accord materials. The heart of DV is beautiful. Somehow Antoine Lie is able to make the tropical fruit notes and floral notes smell very naturalistic yet the heart doesn't go down the sickly saccharine route like so many perfumes do that attempt a section like this. What certainly helps is the faded but still present green paint stroke hanging on to the floral note of the heart. Compared to the opening that hissed and snapped at you, the heart is tantalizingly inviting - a cool bowl of juicy tropical fruit on a warm summer day. A good amount of time later you've had more than your fill, and you're left with green notes again in the form of a lightly green and more so woody vetiver, and a bright beige and creamy sandalwood that is just as light and playful as it is clean and crisp. By the end of Delta of Venus I'm not sure I continue to smell the raunchy short story that shares the title, but forbidden fruit guarded by a hissy green snake that ends up being so tasty and revelatory as to be worth the risk? Yes, indeed. Call me Adam. Now, where are my pants?

I love guava: the fresh fruit, in juice form, guava paste, too. I drink GT's Synergy Guava Goddess kombucha regularly. I will spare you all of my purple prose and say this: Delta of Venus has the best guava accord I'd ever smelled in a fragrance, head and shoulders. It seems to be a hard one to pin down by perfumers, and Antoine Lie has perfected it here. Juicy, mouth-watering, luscious—it's all here, down to the distinctive muskiness associated with the ripe fruit. I could very well be wrong, but I detect what I believe are materials ncalled Paradisamide and Guavanate, the former an aromachem produced by Givaudan that reminds me of passionfruit and guava, and the latter produced by Bedoukian that imparts the woodier, muskier aspects of a pink guava. Otherwise, Lie had his own proprietary trickery in creating this vivid representation. Aside from some accents that shade in Delta of Venus, to me it's mostly a guava "solinote" and I am all for it. One welcome detour in the dry down that I do want to highlight is a certain waxiness that gives it body and character. It's really just a splendid experience from beginning to end.

When I first read the name of this, my brain started filling in the predictive notes - castoreum, musk, cumin, styrax - you know the ones. I read the book, so I should know, right? But these were missing. It wasn’t making sense. Then I read ‘guava,’ my expectations went in a different direction, and I had an aha moment. Guava is one of the fruits I have to stop and smell every chance I get. It’s tropical, humid, rich, and syrupy. You can taste the sweetness just from inhaling it, and the fragrance fills up the top of your throat with a golden glow. I was really grooving on the idea of the guava, then I read jasmine sambac was there also, and I inwardly swooned. The most sensual of all florals next to this rich velvet and it seems like this would disappear into an abyss of pure sensuality. And I think it absolutely would have if it wasn't being teased by a bright bergamot, a pop of sour grapefruit, a flash of bitter green galibanum, and grounded by vetiver and sandalwood. This is glorious! This fragrance lives up to its name, and I believe Anais Nin would approve.

Usually when I try a new sample it will evoke some person or scenario in my head different from the promotional copy--and often the marketing and concepts for fragrance are hilarious in their grandiosity--but to me, this one really is what they say on the tin. An achingly beautiful guava and jasmine, Delta of Venus bears the weight of experience and a heartbroken but still confident sensuality. It's gourmand in so much as there's fruit in it, but the juiciness of the guava and citrus combined with violet leaf and galbanum makes for a more ozonic, watery effect, kind of like it's Belle de Jour's (my favorite Eris, also with jasmine) more earnest cousin. She's the same age, but more easygoing, less clothed. This one is for the romantics. It's certainly for me.

I have been slogging through a lot of perfume testing, trying to find my next obsession, and this one truly stood out! The ripest, juciest, tangiest, sweetest - I am out of suffixes! DoV raced straight to the top of my buy list. Yeah this is a "fruity floral" but it puts all the others to shame.It gave me an instant scent memory, of an osmanthus tree in bloom outside my office window that I have been trying to find in perfume forever. I can't say that this is exactly like a guava. To me, guavas are more tart, green and strawberryish, this is more peachy and musky. There is also a nice woody, almost clean paper vibe, that is so interesting and grounds all the notes.

one of the few green leaning scents i really like. the melon jumps out but the green notes keep it tame in a way that feels uniquely natural to me (as in its not overly sweet, just present), and its light enough to wear in hot weather (85+ in the states) while still lasting a decent amount of time. not sure about projection but it didnt feel like i could overspray it so thats good (its an extrait but its not "beastmode" strong). A very nice scent especially for men who like unisex stuff and get tired/bored of the blue options we get beat in the head to wear. not bad pricing either

Opens with a bright sour grapefruit and gorgeous green thats somehow both dry and juicy. The guava (which is a citrusy floral musk, not the slightly dirty overripe type) blooms after the grapefruit fades and lasts for the remainder of the wear. The dry down is an addictive sour-floral-musk-vertiver. Decent longevity for the type, but the end is definitely a skin scent. Not a sweet fruity scent, definitely a dry green fruit; more of a tropical seltzer water than a frozen cocktail. But IMO even more refreshing because of it.

This perfume is beautiful. It’s a citrusy tropical delight to wear. When first sprayed I could smell real pink grapefruit, and as it dries down the guava takes over this would be great in the summer, at the beach. It makes me think of Costa Rica with green everywhere, leaves almost as big as I am, fruits growing on nearby trees. Such a wearable beauty!

As a guy, I love this, even though it is more on the feminine side. It smells hair freshly shampooed with a fruity shampoo. I'm also getting a bit of Philosykos (maybe there is fig in this?) in the background. Overall, a really nice fresh, fruity fragrance. No harsh artificial notes that you find in so many fruity fragrances these days. Perfection.

Grapefruit rind, green galbanum, violet leaf, and guava are the main notes I'm getting. Eris does "green" better than anyone I know. I'm not getting much jasmine, but maybe it's what's keeping this from going full tilt bitter. Loving this so far and it's perfect for the hot, humid weather we're having now. Just ordered a full bottle. :)

Very delicious, realistic guava. Humidly tropical but still crisp and bright. There is something a little suggestive about it, maybe a little funky. The drydown is still very fruity but more green and rubbery in a not unpleasant way. I really love that guava!

Bruhhhh this shit smells fucking amazing. I just got the sample set from this brand and am beyond impressed. This one is def a stand-out. Will be so sexy on a hot summer day. Definitely will be getting a full bottle of this once my sample is up.

This is a highly creative fruity green citrus that really smells like tart ripe guava, how idk, but they did it and it's super nice and zingy in warmer weather. The jasmine and vetiver round the sharp edges making DoV really enjoyable to wear.

perfect gorgeous guava. like fruit when it’s still a little crunchy, only as green and as sweet as a height of summer fragrance needs to be. a bit tangy and dewy and held together by a delicious green musk.

Just updating my previous review to say that this is absolutely glorious. The guava and citruses are not too sweet thanks to the green notes. I cannot get enough of this and it lasted for over 10 hours.

This is a beautiful fragrance, I have a full bottle and am selling it as it was a blind buy and am more in to citrus. If you're looking to buy it I am happy to sell.

Yum! The initial spray felt a bit shampoo-y, but that didn't last long. Love the guava and grapefruit. Looking forward to trying this out in warmer weather!

Smells like sex in the best way. Juicy, photorealistic guava and lush green tropical plants. A little funky and so utterly sexy.

Heaven in a bottle. I might want to eat it at some point. Best one from Eris in my opinion.

A slightly tart, slightly damp, mildly creamy 'guava'-forward freshie. Green, raw, succulent; slightly indolic, this is remarkably refreshing without falling under what I would categorically determine to be a 'bright' fragrance. I find this quite fascinating because it can, and does, serve to brighten up low spirits (the dread of the daily grind, the desire to stay in bed and tell your boss your dog ate your homework, etc.). There is something here which is archetypally feminine. It taps into something spiritual innate to all persons--a 'mother of the world', if you will. Uplifting and elevating.. there is an emotional connection which DoV channels quite brilliantly. I get the guava but it is more creamy, more green, less photorealistic than what I initially had presumed it would be. Beautiful blend of both citrus and florals, appropriate for warm spring and summer days. Remains quite tropical throughout wear with a soapy-skin scent as it settles into its dry down. Wearing it earlier this morning on a particularly hot-and-muggy day actually seemed to highlight its more tropical aspects... like making a pilgrimage through a lush Costa Rican cloud rainforest to meet mother Gaia herself. A lovely, lovely perfume.

I was on the verge of leveling up with this one, i.e. going from a 2ml spray sample to a larger decant. And maybe one day I'll pull the trigger, but at the moment it's falling just a hair short. It's very "just got out of the shower after using a fruity floral shampoo" and sometimes that's what I want, especially on a warm day. But I've got two issues with Delta of Venus: (1) I cannot smell it on myself; there's no projection. I don't want to be constantly smelling my fragrance but I do want to get the occasional light waft, at least for the first hour or so, and, from first spray, I can only smell DoV if I do the thing where you flutter your shirt to push the scent up to your nose. (2) There's something just a teeny bit rough about the drydown. It's like having a large grain of sand in an otherwise really comfy shoe. It's so close to being really really good though and I want something almost exactly like it, so I'm going to try Calyx and see if it manages to avoid or resolve those issues. Edit: Wore it on a hot day and didn't have the projection issues this time, which is good.

Clean, fresh, bitter, a little green. There is guava in here and I smell it as soon as I spray the perfume, but it’s a thin, stripped down guava. Any of the expected meatiness, juiciness, densely nectarous aspect of Guava is replaced by airiness, like a headspace recreation that has been greatly diluted. This is a good perfume for someone who doesn’t usually like the more cloying aspects of some fruity fragrances. It is guava carried in from far away on a warm wind, accompanied by bitter greens and lots of fresh air. The jasmine in here is also muted, and provides a kind of creamy balance to the bitter green of some of the other notes. This isn’t a sweet perfume, or a particularly floral perfume. It’s dry and clean, totally unisex, and subtle, at least in the beginning. On my skin as it dried down it developed a little bit of a musty effect. This was enough to prevent me from whole heartedly liking it. I think the first couple stages are really nice though. I give it a 3.75 out of 5.

Delta of Venus by Eris Parfumes opens with bright, holographic 'almost' guava accord that is tamed by citrus, making it fruit forward fragrance, but not a sweet one. I'm getting a touch of melon and a natural greenness that makes me think of a tropical forest or at least a leafy forest in the summer. I've had the privilege of smelling a guava tree full of ripe fruit and DoV lacks the overripe sweetness that I remember. Instead, the fragrance is crisp and a little perfume-y; I almost smell tart grapefruit instead of guava. The fruit accord remains the focus of the fragrance throughout the dry down, but a subtle aquatic feel starts to appear, which could be attributed to the listed violet leaf note, but it is difficult to pick it out. This fragrance is nicely blended, elegant, and slightly mature--a standout floral aquatic. DoV is a unique alternative to a typical citrus offering as this feels appropriate for spring and summer. 4/5

I've sampled Delta of Venus a few times...it's always crossed my path when my nose is craving something more intensly verdant or spicy and I've not had the opportunity to really take her for a spin until this spring. Sometimes you just need a straightforward, clean, fresh fragrance that isn't a flower/friut/green/sugar bomb or trying to rebuild Rome...that's what Delta is for me. Slightly dewey, under-ripe guava; still stiff and green but just beginning to soften and sweeten. A breezy un-obnoxious aquatic musk, unobtrusive citrus that is crisp but not tart/sour, pillow soft barely-there wood, and white flowers that are still young and sweet. It's lovely... This is one of my clean-girl skin scents, though is totally unisex in my opinion. It's a chill, unpretentious vibe...totally embraces the beginnings of the warmer season with a coy but honest smile. 7/10...but it's growing on me

Oh boy. This one is confusing for me. The opening has a VERY distinct body oder smell thanks to the guava I think. I dismissed this as an immediate dislike because of it. After a bit that BO has eased up and what is underneath is a smooth creamy fruit and green smell. I wore Calyx in the 90's and loved it. This has that green element to it with fruit and guava. I am going to give this a few more tries but I don't know if I can get past that dirty sex BO smell.

Got this sample in the summer and waited to see what it would smell like in the winter because I knew I would get a more "whole" experience. Creamy candy sweet guava, reminded my parents of their island home. But the slight b.o. throws me off, and it was worst for me during the summer time. But the b.o. gives this sex for breakfast, lunch, and dinner vibes. Edit: - Weather: -6°C, wind: 10km/h, humidity: 92% - absolutely no b.o., just creamy sweet fruity guava

A surprising like, nearing a love. Very guava-centric with the green notes. It's so fresh, juicy, and lovely. The guava is very realistic (coming from a person that has never had a guava in real life, to be perfectly up-front). But it is a very watery and fresh guava, in the best way. This will be absolutely perfect for the upcoming warmer weather. It does not seem like it will have incredible longevity, but I think it will last the majority of the day.

Maybe my nose is just underdeveloped but I’m getting straight perfectly ripe nectarine here! Maybe a touch of green leafiness too. I usually associate guava with a slight spunky, b.o. like tinge (not in a bad way- I actually think this is a good thing) but maybe I’m crazy idk. Picking up on the ripe fruitiness first and foremost but I’ve only had the tester on my wrists for about 10 mins. Maybe a some Jasmine coming through after another 20

Lovely fragrance, it really reminds me of Good Girl Gone bad by Killian. Maybe that's just on my skin However, it's not my style of perfume so I'm biased. I prefer more complex, sultry scents. A little too floral for me, but it's pretty and fresh-smelling. I asked my coworkers and they couldn't smell its sillage, and when they smelled my wrist no one was impressed. "Nice but not special"

it took me to a vacation. it smells like the hotel's body wash. tropical, sticky, fruity, shampooey... but it also could be the scent of a beautiful new bride on her honeymoon after a day of lounging on the beach.. having sex in the hotel room.. drinking cocktails.. and now shes at dinner in a beautiful dress and didnt shower the whole day. simply said: it smells like a honeymoon.

Maybe the little dabber tube I got from lucky scent won’t smell like the perfume spraying out of a bottle. It smelled sweet and fresh like a pack of guava from Walmart. I can’t say what it smells like once sprayed.

This is the first Eris I've sampled so far and I enjoy it. I don't get much jasmine, mostly a smooth guava that envelops you. Has an innocent, nostalgic and joyful quality to it.

Verdant green guava musk. Dry like pressing your nose the skin of the fruit and imbued with an undeniable human warmth.

My wife and I love guava. We grew up with it in a place where it is grown and cultivated, so we know exactly how it's supposed to smell in the market and on the tabletop. After we moved to a colder clime, we still buy it unripe and wait for it to ripen, letting it release its wonderful aroma in the kitchen for days before we dig in. Both of us agree that this perfume just isn't it; it's not even close to guava. It's something else. It reminds me of a cactus fruit fragrance I own mixed with fig leaf. It's pleasant, not unique, and the selling point to me would have been if it actually smelled like guava. Since it does not, there's no reason for me to purchase it. So this goes into the long list of fragrances where "reviewers" would swear left and right that a fragrance smells exactly like something when it smells exactly not like that thing. It's a healthy lesson to not go by reviews, ever.

A juicy opening that smells like peach-honeysuckle. Reminded me of Creed's Silver Mountain Water, but less cocktail, more Snapple. The change to the heart-base is slight; the "guava" that people smell is accurate, it smells to me adjacent to an osmanthus accord, not unlike the heart of Nicolaï's Fig-Tea. Precisely I detect too a trace of Antoine Lie's accord used in Secretions Magnifiques, a slight sweatiness, much better deployed here. It's OK! Recommended for anyone wanting to smell like Jumex Guava juice. A more interesting drydown would have me returning to it, but I won't wear this again.

The opening is super green, I was actually surprised to see it’s called a fruity/tropical frag. But on drydown the guava and citrus emerge, and the comparison to Dodo is interesting - it has something in common but it’s so much cleaner, Dodo is like Venus’s goblin-mode cousin that never bathes. My issue is that it reminds me of a ladies’ antiperspirant scent. “Strong enough for a man, but pH balanced for a woman”.

Smells like a greenhouse. Heavy on green with minimal sweetness. The guava barely shows up, and while the vetiver provides some grounding, this is way too green for my taste. I wanted sensual and warm but got garden center instead. Well made, just not what the notes promised. 6/10

I think I may need to give up on anything remotely aquatic, because unfortunately this one's just not doing it for me. Something about so many of them reminds me of the opaque coarse salt bars use to rim cheap margaritas, which just makes me feel ill; there must be an issue between my skin/nose and an aromachemical. The green notes here reminded me a lot of Fig Tea by Nicolai, with a similarly fruit hair product smell. Here, however, the jasmine goes into more of a hairspray type direction, which I find overall less pleasant. I wish I got the guava accord! This seems like the type of scent I might enjoy more on someone else. Moderate strength and long lasting.

It’s quite nice on the blotter, it's bright and lively. The fruits, violet, sandalwood, and vetiver are well-balanced, they complement each other and bring out a wonderfully natural scent. Unfortunately, it turns very sweet and milky on my skin.

The guava note is recognizeable but stifled by all the other things going on. The vetiver is especially prominent and dry. While I'm not getting sweaty armpit as others have experienced, I'm also not getting any sweetness or fruit salad.

There's definitely a realistic guava note, but there's also a weird undertone of plastic to my nose

smells like fruity, sweaty armpits.

Eris' Delta of Venus opens with a ripe and distinctive rush of green and tangy fruit, ...so yes, something reasonably close to guava. The grace notes also add complexity, if one stops to savor them: Grapefruit's damp acridity, the languid sweetness of jasmine, and a piquant woodiness from santal and vetiver. That note pyramid shows guava as a base note, but I can assure you it's on top. As time passes, it is the jasmine that comes forward to take the lead. While one could hastily lump this in with other fruity-floral aquatic scents, this really is a pleasantly unusual fragrance. Delta of Venus doesn't quite smell like anything else commonly encountered, ...though I'd love to compare it with Calyx. Overall, this lands nicely on a sweet spot that isn't too sweet; a likely good choice for those seeking something possessing both measured differentiation and easy acceptability.

Delta of Venus is built around guava, and here’s a confession: I have never smelled or tasted guava, so it’s not for me to say how realistic it is, but here’s another confession: I don’t come to fragrance for realism, so who cares! What I do experience is a fragrance ravenously lush and rosy-glowing with exuberance, a thronging pulse of velvety sunset mango, the tart-tinglingly bright shiver of pineapple, and the bittersweet toe-curling juicy astringency and vaguely funky musk of pink grapefruit. There’s nothing dark about this scent, but there’s an underlying luxe, shadowy floral that I can’t help but associate with black velvet in a way, in gorgeous contrast to those invitingly vibrant tropical fruits. In my mind’s eye, this is a brooding black velvet vanitas painting with a prismatic profusion of soft fruits tumbling lusciously off the canvas.

This is definitely a really realistic guava juice (not real guava fruit). I actually really liked this when I tried it today and really contemplated getting a full bottle. However, as it dried down it started getting into sweet candy territory and as pleasant as it was, ultimately it just wasn’t my style: I didn’t get any of the BO that others referenced and on me it was just straight up fruity. I’d say if you’re into fruity scents, this is a standout. Edit: Aug 2024 - I got a bottle. It’s been so so so hot in NYC and I was craving something fruity and juicy without it veering into juvenile candy sweet bath and body works territory. This is a high quality “grown up” fruit

I have been searching for a guava scent but none fit my fancy as they were too sickly and cloying. This is so refreshingly juicy but not your typical fruity scent, because this is cool collected and unisex. I love that it has a strong base as well so it doesn’t fall under gourmand either. It isn’t typical fruity, green nor gourmand, it’s the type of fruit that’s slightly aquatic and makes you think of certain recreational activities. Think o drinking a natural guava lemonade or freshly squeezed toronja paloma after playing a mellow sport in a country club. guava, toronja, aquatic, zest, salt, fizz, cold, glass.

Pretty tropical fragrance. It reminds me of a guava piña colada cocktail. It’s a little sweet and airy. Extremely long wearing. I would have liked it more if I didn’t get so much jasmine, and pineapple. I imagined this was going to be a more green, tarte and crisp guava. Instead it’s a lush tropical fruit cocktail. Even though there’s no coconut in here, I can’t escape the coconut vibe this has going on that’s most likely coming from the jasmine. Not a safe blind buy, but I think those who are fans of tropical scents will really enjoy this one. It’s extremely well blended and doesn’t come off as juvenile.

This is gorgeous. Fruit done well. Reminds me of Arielle Shoshana's first fragrance (renamed to Saturday) as a surprisingly beautiful and sophisticated take on fruit...though not a dupe. So many perfumes centered on fruit come off as simple and/or banal. I get citrus, guava and jasmine all fighting over a green, woody base...really lovely. I also feel like I detect a little vanilla...I am always looking for vanilla so perhaps I am imagining it. And FYI does not smell like Calyx.

Something in here is SWEATY. The initial burst of citrus is fun but I agree with the last reviewer. It smells like eating fruit and curry at the same time, in a rainforest. I've only eaten guava once in my life and it was as a child, so I can't speak to how realistic this fragrance is to the fruit. But overall: tropical fruity sweat. I won't be buying because I do find it slightly repulsive (not always a bad thing, though!). Delta of Venus is certainly unique!

I am really enjoying Delta of Venus. I get that little zip of galbanum at the opening, then it segues into the guava/violet leaf. No b.o. here. Tourtiere didn't think the drydown was interesting but I really like it. It is a quiet drydown, but I'm good with that. The vetiver (and I'm not always a fan) here is perfectly proportioned with the sandalwood and makes a lovely smooth blend to finish off a unique and beautiful perfume. Kudos to Eris Perfumes.