Índia Misteriosa

Índia Misteriosa was launched in 2010. At the time, its bottle was rounded and other perfumes of the brand had the same visual pattern, namely: Frangipani Flower, Zanzibar, Bulgarian Rose, etc. These latter has also gone through a process of repackaging and are now sold with straight-finishing bottles, which I particularly think they communicate essentially male products and I believe that they deserved more attention. According to the company, the fragrance of Índia Misteriosa is classified as floral-oriental woody and features notes of mandarin, bergamot, lemon, peach, pineapple, and cantaloupe, in the output. Then, in the body of the fragrance, notes of mimosa, tuberose, pomegranate flower, jasmine, lily, lotus, and rose. The base carries notes of sandalwood, patchouli, cedar and tonka beans. In theory, Índia Misteriosa is a floral and exotic scent. In practice, it is a rescue to the 90's and an approach, now up-to-date, of the type of flower scents that men of the new millennium can wear. What does that mean? I'll explain below. I am still part of a generation, in which genres mattered a lot in perfumery. Luckily, this issue has been discussed with more flexibility in the last decade and this is mainly due to the growing interest in fragrances of the High Perfumery market, which opened the mind of the current consumer and gave voice to the passionate costumer of yesteryear, the one who liked perfumes, regardless of the commercial profile imposed. I am referring to men who liked perfumes like Poison, Chanel No. 5, Anaïs Anaïs, Cabochard, etc. but they underwent social pressure, which, until then, seemed much more lenient when the situation was the reverse. In 1994, a perfume was released and it did not take long to drawn crowds. Its name was Eden, from the brand Cacharel, and it became one of the greatest successes, not only of the brand but also of the worldwide perfumery of a generation. This critical analysis is not about it, but Índia Misteriosa pays it a tribute of irreproachable quality and worthy of applause. When this fragrance touches the skin, it is rather strange and reminds, for a moment, those powdered juices that were sold in the old days. This is because the output is fruity and sparkling. On me, what stands out are the nuances of peach and pineapple combined with the citrus acidity, but without their juiciness. Then flowers, lots of flowers. The heart of the fragrance pulsates with vigor, bringing many facets of jasmine and mimosa. But the great highlight is the lily, which leaves a dry and real scent, as the natural flowers with their stamens, full of pollen. As it evolves and consequently dries on the skin, a beautiful patchouli reveals itself, showing its earthy side that somehow matches the creaminess of the tonka bean. And the final result makes you think of a type of incense burning inside an esoteric store. Índia Misteriosa does not project as much as I expected, even though I've heard it speak so consistently (since its launch), apart from the countless comments I've read. But it has a good duration and makes me happy when I realize we have this kind of fragrance so unusual and still on sale in the Brazilian market, with an excellent cost-benefit ratio.

First scent perceived: sweet flowers then you feel the cedar, sandalwood, peach and cumaru seed. Sounds powdery to me but is very, very strong and a little bit peppery at the end.

This scent on me from a distance has an incredible likeness to Eden, a mimosa/ ripest melon/ green/ soft woody scent. Up close (smelling from the wrist) it is more smokey and incense-like just like its name India would suggest. But from the distance it is dead-on. On my skin it lasts up to 12 hours, 4 to 5 hours of which with heavy sillage, decreasing to moderate/ soft sillage in the hours that follow.On clothes it lasts up to 3 days. Moreover it was not expensive. It will be reintroduced in the next months.