Sogni

Sogni by Meo Fusciuni. Okay, this perfume had me in a chokehold in the most positive way possible. I saw this perfume in a shop that sold very niche perfumes and I was just looking around when I came across this bottle and looked at the ingredients. The bottle gave me 1800's apothecary vibes. Smokey, dark and herbs and oils everywhere. It gave me these romantic gothic dark medieval vibes and I just love that. I had to smell it. At first, I was not a fan, but that is how love stories are built, aren't they? Enemies to lovers? Well, this fragrance definitely made me think about it every day afterwards and I HAD to smell it again. I went back and I just loved the smell, it was like falling in love all over again, but intense, like a toxic push and pull relationship. Ah, I just love this fragrance. Woody, smoky, earthy and still very indescribable, probably the tatami and the rice notes in combination with the incense and the tobacco notes. Maybe like Washington State rainy forest vibes, if you get what I mean. I feared it would be to masculine for me, since it definitely passes as a unisex, probably more masculine fragrance. The seller told me that mostly women tend to buy this fragrance (well I can understand because I ended up buying it) and I tried it on my skin. It developed perfectly, actually became more sweet and less incense on my skin. It fitted perfectly and just having it on my skin gave me more confidence. It is a very strong perfume that stays on your skin even after a shower. Not more than 1-2 sprays are necessary. The price was a commitment I have to say since it only comes in the 100mL bottle, but you really get a very high quality, very individual perfume. For me, this price was worth it, but I really fell in love with it. For some, I can imagine this scent is too woody, definitely not typically feminine and leans more to darker vibes and really not for somebody who wants to be liked by everybody. For me, a 10/10 and right now my signature scent.

Every time I put on Sogni I am reminded two things. One of them is that I love this composition. The other is that I think Meo is one of the remaining True artists in this genre or method. To start with nothing and end up here is a work of true passion and true art. From my personal perspective, I don't think a fragrance has to be 100% wearable to be considered a good fragrance. The thing is, sogni is indeed wearable. It is a dichotomy. It is unique, interesting and niche, yet somehow it is also attractive and wearable. Now that is difficult to find! I don't think I'm going to bore you today with what it smells like. Obviously you can look up at the notes and get a good assumption of its softness and woodiness. There is nothing I can say here that will enhance what has already been dictated above me. I can say, however, that the fragrance notes are true to form and smell very authentic. What you see is what you get. I find that very appealing because for me, when I expect something in a fragrance and it turns out smelling very artificial, there is no bigger disappointment. Meo expresses his heart through his fragrances. He is a poet, lovingly devoted to expressing his emotions through scent. There is real beauty in that rather than creating something for mass consumption. Instead of money being the motivating factor, we have something bigger. Something with a spirit. It is up to you and your personal experience to really sit with Sogni and have a conversation with it. Let it speak to you. It has an ability to which is far more than what I can say about a large number of other fragrances on the market. Almost all of them are dead on arrival. This one has a pulse and it is breathing.

I really get irked by all this 'worth the money' / 'not worth the money' talk. Like there's some objective line that needs to be crossed, regardless of the fact that you don't know what goes into making a perfume--from raw materials to lived experience. If you don't like the fragrance, fine, but that is not in and of itself commodifiable. Anyyyyway. I'm here to talk about sogni, a stroke of genius. I’ve never smelled anything like it. Rice absolute (the real deal) and tatami make for a warm, dry, contemplative perfume. It reminds me of my soba tea, or of course genmaicha (roasted rice green tea), those in-between moments you take for yourself. A glance out the window, a pause. Those pauses between songs, between chapters. Appropriate, because this was created while listening to Ryuichi Sakamoto and reading Yasunari Kawabata. There’s more to Sogni than the reigning rice and tatami of course—this is a fragrance inspired by lingering memories of Japan and a sacred friendship. Incense, green tea, pine, bamboo, peony and guaiac wood make no mistakes in reminding you of where you are. Yet there’s nothing cliche about Sogni’s reminiscing of Japan—Sogni isn’t a fantasy or concept outside of you, but a memory within. From a wearing perspective -- this is particularly glorious on warmed skin. Despite what the notes may suggest on paper, lived experience shows summer is its ideal season. It's a masterpiece.

I love Sogni. I’ll start by saying that outright. It’s incredibly soft, with every edge carefully rounded. A beautiful interplay of woods and a savory rice-steam accord defines the composition. This is a fragrance that truly comes alive on skin; I wouldn’t recommend judging it on paper. It feels both rain-kissed and woody to me. I close my eyes and focus on it... and it brings a sense of calm. I’ve never taken part in a Kōdō (香道) ritual, though I’ve always longed to. This fragrance feels like an homage to that meditative, elegant, and highly disciplined practice of scent appreciation; one centered on focus, ritual, and quiet contemplation, accompanied by tea. It’s truly magnificent.. Here, the incense and tea facets act purely as support; they’re present, but never dominant. There’s a perfume I deeply love and can’t part with (Naked Dance), which gives me strong artistic sensations, and interestingly, it shares fragments of what I experience with Sogni. I’m not saying they’re similar, but anyone drawn to that kind of atmosphere should absolutely try this one as well. In the final stages, what remains on the skin is a creamy, comforting woodiness. Wow. Tag(s): woody, calming, gentle, serene, rice-steam, rain-kissed

I rarely write reviews but I just have to write this one! Sogni is perhaps in my top three discoveries of 2023. Perhaps even my top discovery. Unlike some other rice fragrances this one does not feel like a novelty fragrance. Full disclosure I LOVE rice notes and that is the reason why I sampled it. This one can absolutely be a signature sent and an every day fragrance. I think it could be worn all year, except perhaps in the warmest most humid sunny days when you need something zesty or cooling. If you don't like rice ... I would still go I it a chance because the note is not too overwhelming. Sogni is indeed a really transportative and calming fragrance. I imagine a calm meditative place, with no sounds around me just me and my breath, or perhaps looking into the distance at a beautiful and peaceful landscape early in the morning. More practically it's a woody fragrance with rice and perhaps some incense notes. It is not too loud, but it is very long lasting. For me...10/10. It just does me in every time...

Absolutely majestic ode to Japan. Dirty sticky glutinous rice note on wonderful musky base. I feel transported to my beloved Japan, i sense the tatami , the incense , the tea. I'm in that old centenary japanese house i visited once in Kyoto, sitting down on a worn tatami, drinking rice tea. The warmth follows from my hands holding the tea bowl to my tummy and bowel as i drink it. I spend time in silence as i enjoy looking outside, in a floaty meditative state. I eat glutinous rice small treats with sesame on them and that " void flavour" sticky rice can have. I watch the pond and smell at full lungs the watery muddiness of the water in the air. Then i get up and barefoot i walk with my socks on the crackly beautiful raw wood of the patio and make my way to the steps that bring me in the garden. A story in a bottle. the most evocative rice fragrance i 've ever smelled. Isn't it incredible that an Italian Artist created the most amazing Japanese rice scent. Gorgeous.

This one ventures into the olfactory "art" territory while remaining wearable. The top note is listed as "rice absolute" on their website, but to me it smells like some sort of nutty milk (or the water that you used to wash your rice). Overall just a soft and nutty smell. Can't really detect bamboo, pine or peony as listed upon spraying. Honestly first time I've smelled something like this. The dry down is composed of 4 main notes: incense, wood/pine, floral, and tea. Incense and woody notes lead the way, trailed by floral/ tea accords. The latter notes are soft and lightly sweet. and This is new to me because often you'll see the reverse -- the soft, airy notes often emerge first, followed by heavier, woody notes. Another thing is that it's been balanced so perfectly. It's soft and light, but still has that "oomph" factor provided by the woody notes. The perfume gives off a very cozy and zen vibe -- definitely need a full bottle eventually.

Only smelled this on paper, so this is just a quick first impression, but immediately I was wowed. This has hands-down the best rice accord I've ever smelled. It's toasty and enveloping, and calls to mind the smell of freshly made rice wafting through an apartment, or getting a plate of sticky rice at a restaurant. It's well balanced with the notes of tea and incense, which keep it aromatic and perfume-y without tumbling too far into gourmand territory. After about 10 minutes I also noticed the musk come out and mingle with the incense which was quite sexy, and felt very at home alongside the rice accord. Really just a fabulous offering from Meo Fusciuni, probably my favorite from the house, although I need to get a sample to try on skin.

This is a beautiful fragrance, it opens up with a subtle woody smell complemented by a scent of freshly cooked rice in a bowl. There’s a hint of tea and I can pick up a slight smell of rain in the dry down as well. There’s just something really soothing about the way all the notes described are nicely blended together. The projection isn’t huge, it stays closer to you, and I kind of prefer it that way, it’s a feel good comfort type of smell. Perfect for the colder days, I’m writing this as I’m wearing it on a cold rainy winter morning. One of my first tries from Meo Fusciuni and won’t be the last!

I love Sogni. It is the most gorgeous perfume containing rice notes that I’ve come across— and I have sampled dozens. It’s so wearable and nice. It feels comforting, uplifting, peaceful, elegant, and sophisticated. I would expect to smell this on someone who is self-assured and calm and has a gentle but commanding presence. I love Meo Fusciuni and could probably be called a fan girl at this point because I have liked or loved almost everything from this house.

Sogni by Meo Fusciuni was inspired by the tranquil aura of Japanese tea rooms and the essence of tatami. On my skin, the fragrance opens with a prominent rice note, which is soon joined by a blend of incense, woods, and tea. Perfectly unisex and versatile, it has good sillage and excellent longevity. It was love at first sniff for me, and I think it will make a sophisticated choice for those seeking an original, well-rounded, enduring fragrance.

I've never been to Japan - Know nothing of what it smells like I could tell you what notes I pick up - But I'm no fragrance expert I could explain how it lives and evolves on me - But my skin chemistry is not like yours What I can say is... Although it's a new fragrance to me - It feels very familiar And above everything else - And unlike the hundreds of other perfumes I tried and wore It feels like me - It makes me feel good

Strong steam rice opening, which I understand is not for everyone. I love it however. Settles quickly into something more coherent. A nice balance between the savory, woody, heavier notes towards the floral, fresher and lighter notes of bamboo and peony. Some smokier facets play a supporting role, but do not take over. Personal and beautiful composition. I need this in my life.

veryyy interesting. i love the starchiness in this from the rice note, it really compliments the woodniess and the herbalness of the tea and bamboo. this smells expensive to me. i enjoy when incense notes don’t make the scent too heavy, and sogni does a great job at retaining the airiness of the green notes while grounding it with the sandalwood and tatami. i’m a fan of this

Woody, musky, low key but oh so dreamy A right amount of green and fresh Dominant note is savory rice accompanied by creamy, milky sandalwood Freshly cut bamboo in the openingcalong with pine Dry down is soft, creamy, musky and dry woody Encaplsulates the atmosphere of sitting on a warm soft tatami

the opening rice note was somewhere in between freshly cooked rice and rice wine (sake), which mingles wonderfully with tatami, pine, bamboo and peony. all eventually blends down to smooth warm, resinous wood, with a whiff of incense

I am drinking a cup of green tea outside and it had just rained lightly in the springtime forest. Green, fresh, soft, aromatic, musky. Just beautiful and calming.

This perfume is truly a dream! It's warm and woody with a touch of sweetness that makes it perfect for any occasion. I get compliments on it all the time!

Gorg.....grounded, safe, complex. Something steamy, slightly smoky about this that is so calming. I feel v cool and collected wearing this !!

Sings on my skin. I'm clinging to my decant for dear life. This is truly the fragrance of my dreams!!

As far as Meo Fusciuni scents go, this one wears slightly more dense than some, but not as densely as, say, Little Song. I feel some similarities between the two, though they are still markedly their own thing. Where there’s an ashy-smokiness to Little Song, this one has a true incense note that becomes detectable in the early dry down. The incense is burning, and you can sense a touch of ash. The incense takes on a gentle spiciness, almost cinnamon-like, though that note isn’t listed in the pyramid. Having jumped past the opening, I can share that it indeed has a satisfying, steamy rice note. Similar to others from the house, this scent transitions like watercolors from one phase to the next. The opening note lingered for about 10-15 minutes before I began to detect the incense I mentioned above. The early drydown phase lasted about an hour, and then I could sense the more traditionally masculine phase mentioned by some other reviewers. I’m not deterred by this as a woman, but it is worth noting. For this reason, I’d use a light hand and layer it with other scents for balance. With this on my wrists, I’d spray something else on my clothes. This one does project, unlike others from the line that wear more closely. It’s similar in strength to Little Song, for reference, maybe stronger. My favorite scents from this house are the three Notas di Viaggio, which show off Giuseppe’s background in herbalism and ethnobotany. All wear lighter than this one and have an herbal quality that contrasts nicely to the rest of my collection. This scent feels like it blends cultural tradition with more current day human elements. It’s a western tourist visiting a Japanese restaurant with gorgeous traditional architecture.

The opening of Sogni is a bit rough—the hickory smoke and pine needle notes hit with a synthetic, medicinal edge that’s a little unpleasant at first spray. But give it a minute! As it settles, a savory rice note comes through, sweetened by fluffy peony and fresh bamboo. The real magic happens 10–15 minutes later when the tobacco, tea, and sandalwood finally show up. It dries down into a gorgeous, complex, starchy-smoky unisex scent that is an absolute head-turner. This one isn't a safe blind-buy.

Like the washitsu of an abandoned house in the Japanese countryside. The amber note does take over and makes the rest of the notes cloying. I love the opening, but as it develops it gives me a slight head throb and smart at the cavity between my eyes. edit: I do not know what happened but I now crave the sweetness I was previously objecting to -- it's like a haystack in an old barn. big fan

What an interesting scent! I must admit, I can't pick out any of the specific notes that are listed above, so if you love sniffing actual rice or tatami mats and are hoping for the same experience, this may or may not satisfy that urge. What I do get is something warm and rich, with faintly grassy, toasty undercurrents. Pleasant and sophisticated, if a bit subdued for my particular tastes.

The most true-to-the-real-thing rice scent I've experienced. Really.... it's like putting the face over a bowl of lukewarm steamed sticky rice. Superb from that standpoint. The drydown is more floral-(sandal)woody. Very comforting/calming, but might become boring at some point as well. Try for yourself. Overall unisex, but I would prefer to smell it on a woman than myself.

the opening is magical but fleeting. then turns into something I cannot make up my mind about yet.

I got a sample and in short it is a descent sweet woody scent. It's correct, not worth the price.

I’m so confused why is this completely identical to liam by lataffa which is a dupe for gris charnel. But it’s more like liam that GC..... I get so much iris for absolutely no reason it just smells nothing like anyone else is saying but I can identify some other notes like the tatami and rice. But it’s just not as magical as everyone’s saying..... TO ME.... To me...... I’m so disappointed but also happy bc if I loved it I didn’t wanna be drawn to buy this considering it’s price. And I already have Liam so I’m good

UPDATE: I agree with the review below me. Starts of amazing then suddenly too much ambrofix! Had to sell my bottle after owning for around 3 months. I have a few fragrances that have heavy amberwoods in the dry-down but something about this became completely intolerable for me! The dry down is extremely screechy and bitter. Was not giving me the relaxing vibe the fragrance was created/ intend to do, instead I couldn’t wait to wash off :(

I was a little disappointed by this. I really don't pick up any rice notes, or anything remotely incensy or woody. I only get a ton of super-ambers which make it smell really sharp and a clean, musky-sweet base similar to Fugazzi Angel Dust. It's not bad, just not as I expected.

I wanted to love this but something about it makes me feel ill. I get the rice, bamboo, peony on the opening, and the woodiness on the drydown, but the combination of notes just did not work for me. It was surprisingly floral for a long time to my nose.

Very powdery - green and challenging bitter bamboo and an amazing and addicting rice accord with a musky/amberwoods dry-down. Slowly I’ve fallen in love with this. Very evocative/conceptual. Great performance!

I love the opening - soft and simple but unique nonetheless - but it doesn’t last long before it becomes very amber-forward. Unfortunately my nose doesn’t love amber accords so it’s a no for me.

I was rly looking forward to this perfume however I'm not getting any rice/savoury notes. To my nose, it smells like a woody, musky cologne. It's pleasant, albeit overpriced and unremarkable.

Smells like what I’d imagine a Japanese countryside house to smell like if it was very old, and my tour guide had a bit of cologne on. It then turns into an utterly beautiful woody scent

Smell of paper with twist. Tatami, bamboo with peony twist. Green and floral with flowery break. Perfect unisex. Hard to remember.

I was kinda disappointed by this one. It didn't give us Tatami at all. It smelled more like watered down vanilla.

You will NEVER be Dojima... how dare y’all

I really want to like this because of the perfumer and the notes but I don't. I can smell the rice, the tatami, the bamboo yes, but overall it's too unsubtle for me to associate this scent with Japan. It's too sweet and too savory that I wanted to wash it off immediately. The only way that I might be able to make that association work is to think of it as tatami soaked in soy sauce :/

Starts out great. The incense rice combination is pretty intoxicating. But then after an hour turns into every other ambery mess on the market. Started giving me a headache. So disappointed. I really wanted this to be good. Perfumers need to stop with the ambrofix. It’s gross.

The first 5 minutes is SO GOOD, just like savoury rice pudding, then all the sudden it becomes typical generic man cologne. Boring and giving me headache.... What a pity!

If you want to throw your money away, buy this. This "fragrant" app lacks versatility. This perfume disappears from your mouth and clothes in record time. And on top of that, it says it's long-lasting. Never buy perfume using this app as a reference; they have no idea. This perfume is very bland; it only smells like a very synthetic fragrance that's annoying, and then it disappears. I filed a complaint about the 50ml bottle thinking it was spoiled, and they sent me another one. Thanks... the same garbage. It's not worth the price. It's overrated. I feel cheated and disappointed.

Amberwood/Screamwood bomb, one of the worst offenders I've ever come across. A cheap, lazy, random concoction of pseudo-notes (tatami? give me a break) masquerading as art. It's got a semi-interesting opening, but very quickly transitions into the awful, nuclear synthetic mess in the drydown.

Nausea-inducing and clawing out your guts. I seldom get nauseated by a fragrance, but this one is so vile that I don't know who can even wear it. I am personally a great fan of Meo's work, but this one does not sit with me at all.

Sampled this one December at Merz, couldn't stop thinking about it, bought it the next December when I was back in town. (And I bought it from Camilla, who's a delight, always so patient with me when I shop at Merz and sample a thousand things and take up all her counter space like a lunatic.) I don't have anything else quite like it. This is a toasty, nutty, rounded rice, there is no steam rising, no cloudy rinse. It's warm and deeply sweet, adjacently gourmand just by merit of its temperature. It finds a really tricky harmony of novel sophistication and it's delightful. The tea/peony/bamboo are there but only whisper, it's sort of a phoned in spa-y accord that's factory standard for pensive fragrances meant to evoke east Asia, a clear pool of clean water, and it really does need to be there to lighten up the screamwood in the base, which is, regrettably, present, and does fatigue me. Dutiful little bursts of camphorous pine and a whiff of incense also serve to combat that knot of white musk/amber wood discord but there's no clear winner, they battle it out through the entirety of my wear time. I wish this wasn't the case and for all my love for Sogni I do find it a little imbalanced in this way and more than two wears in a row leaves me nauseated because I am just so sensitive these days to aromachemical but I really do love it, make no mistake. Those around me have no such complaints and coming back to it after some time apart is always a joyful reunion.

I LOVE the review below. So so accurate and well said. This perfume has a pulse. I feel like it is talking to me as I move my wrists around to get things done today. It beckons and calls to me. Something within it feels lived in and attractive to me. It even feels like a memory, a hint of nostalgia or deja vu or something. I could see it being a little like Gris Charnel. Honestly it really reminds me of Good Dearest Unhappy’s Calotype rice gourmand perfume married with Heartbreak Silverado, their dusty melancholy Vetiver perfume. A marriage of those two, and I am here for it. This is full size bottle worthy. On paper it intrigued me and I thought it was interesting. But smelling this emanating off of my own skin, I can see why Meo Fusciuni is so cool! This is a really special fragrance honestly and is just absolutely gorgeous in my opinion. So cozy, and warm while being bright and cool like the comfort of shade on a hot day. It’s such a cool one. I also really love the mint tea perfume by this perfumer! So photorealistic, my god! But yeah, Sogni is something special and I dream of getting a bottle someday.

I’m not trying to be a negative reviewer, but this house is VERY over rated IMO. There! I guess I’m going to be one today! I’m a lover of woods, incense, and zen style fragrances. Japanese arts, style, and the whole 9. With that being said, this is by far the worst I have smelled in all of those Japanese inspired fragrances and it’s not even close. There is a unique rice accord in a wooden box thing going on for about 5 minutes at the opening, and then it turns into a complete synthetic, nauseating, mess. This might be the most synthetic perfume I’ve ever smelled. I can tell the perfumer has a chemistry background because their perfumes smell like someone who believes they can outsmart the customer with accords and stories instead of real ingredients. Feel free to disagree with me. I just think this brand is a case of story telling and marketing. The few I have smelled have been some of the worst I’ve experienced. Not because they’re artistic, or challenging. It’s because they smell synthetic, and try hard, like a teachers pet who can’t figure out why they aren’t the prom king.

First Impression: I tried this blind without knowing anything about the notes or the brand. I've never smelled anything like this which is cool, and something that I look for. It reads to me as an interesting and predominantly woody fragrance. This wood isn't like any other I've tried. It smells very clean and tropical. Not tropical in beach vacation sense, but in a rainforest, jungle, or perhaps even wetlands type of way. Now that I see the notes, I am delighted to see bamboo as this is a fascinating note to me. Kilian does a decent job in bamboo harmony, but every other bamboo I've smelled is a complete fail. This really captures the true smell of it imo. Beyond this nice wood, is a floral nuance as well as the smell of humidity (not mold) and a bit of powdery musk. I haven't gotten any rice as I normally discern it as being cooked and steamy. This is more of a mist. I've never been to southeast Asia, but this is how I'd imagine it smells waking up a wooden minka next to a rice patty in the morning mist. Cool perfumery, and points for being truly different.

🍚Steamed Room 🍵 I sit on a soft mat, legs folded in a Japanese style, as I always do in this place. Around me, silent strangers – elegantly dressed, their scent a subtle blend of incense and something difficult to grasp. The air is thick like the steam rising from boiling rice – warm, sticky, almost milky. Everyone is eating, each taking their portion of rice, which holds weight and stickiness, as if carrying an elusive secret within. Green tea steams in low bowls, its floral aroma briefly cutting through the dense, heavy smell of food, only to disappear back into the background. The movements of the staff are fluid, graceful, yet never excessive. Everything here sticks together – scents, steam, glances. No one speaks a word, each of us wondering why we were summoned here. The boss raises his hand, and a cold glint flickers in his eyes, as if hinting at something unforeseeable. But that's a story for another time. @the.scent.files

I want a FB! this one I've sampled a few times. It's gorgeous and keeps calling me back. Soft, woody, incense, sweet, with a delicious note of Rice. Very interesting, very compelling. I loved many of this line, but quite a few didn't last at all on my skin - they were fantastic for the moment, but disappeared on me (I'm looking at you #2, that minty delight!) Sogni lingered... Will be looking for a bottle soon. Editing to add, tested today with Iris Malakhan on my other hand, and I kept going back to both of them - which granted is not the same notes nor formulation at all, but oddly to me, they are quite similar in feeling, especially in dry down. They both have this full body thing...