Mohur Extrait

Comparison of Mohur EdP and Mohur Extrait Neela Vermeire loves florals, and with Duchaufour’s hands she’s unquestionably proven that she knows what to do with them. Tuberose and jasmine have been the stars of several of the brand’s perfumes so far, but with Mohur we finally get a red rose. Curiously, NVC has released an EdP concentration and an extrait concentration of it. Why? To be honest with you, I can’t tell you why; having worn both, it’s not really making sense to me why we need both as opposed to just one of them. There are some differences between the two that, perhaps, could be enough for some people to say yay or nay to one over the other, but I’m not convinced. When I ask myself “if I were to buy one, which would it be and why” I struggle for an answer. Starting from the beginning, we notice an immediate difference between the two and really the only major difference throughout the life of both. The extrait is quite a bit more powdery, it’s darker, and the musky and oily ambrette note is larger and far more focused on the outset than in the EdP. The EdP has lighter powderiness and the ambrette is not nearly as intense. In both there is a very big piquant black pepper note backed by spices, and a resinous and green elemi. This difference in light carries into the heart as well. The rose of the extrait rose is a dark magenta, and the rose of the EdP is a luscious red. They are the exact same material, but the supporting characters have had their volumes changed slightly to provide the difference in brightness. The EdP carries more heliotrope and violet leaf, while the extrait dials these back and lets orris flank the rose to greater effect. The final dry down and skin scent of both is virtually the exact same. The sandalwood amber accord puts emphasis on woods that are a bit peppery and spicy thanks to patchouli accents, with a lovely and soft string of leathery animalics running through them. Now that I’ve got my thoughts down on paper, so to speak, I’m a little less strident in my opinion that I started with but I still hold to it. It seems the purpose of the extrait is to be a richer form of the EdP. An obvious, "duh" statement, right? To that end, I get it, but I still don’t understand why we need both. No one is going to smell the EdP and say, “you know, I just wish it was richer,” but that’s exactly what NVC did. When I smell a Chanel or a Guerlain extrait, as examples, the difference between them and their lesser concentration formats is evident and clear; the differences and intentions are not vague. In my final thoughts, I really only have two. One, a reiteration of my point that I don’t understand why we need both or what the difference is truly supposed to be. Two, Mohur, in both concentrations, is absolutely gorgeous. It is a superb red rose creation that deserves to stand with the likes of Nahema, Sa Majeste La Rose, Lyric Man, Portrait of a Lady - that echelon of greats. Just don’t ask me if I prefer the EdP or the Extrait, I don’t have an answer for you. Frustrating.

A beautiful Indian floral dream. This perfume is a delicate, shimmering creation of exquisite but subtle florals, spices and woody notes. The perfume opens with notes of cardamom, coriander, ambrette, carrot seeds, pepper and elemi resin. The heart is mostly floral with notes of iris, jasmine, rose, violet, almond and slight leather. The perfume settles into a powdery base of sandalwood, amber, cedar, patchouli, oud, benzoin, vanilla and tonka bean. In spite of so many notes, the final blended juice is surprisingly light and can be worn almost in any setting or occasion. Unisex (feminine leaning) with moderate projection and sillage, and very good longevity. The extrait version brings out the nuances of the perfume better than the very light eau de parfum counterpart which stays on skin for only half the time. Refined, discreet and elegant. Enjoy!

Love this as a deep dive into sensual yet refined perfume beauty. My favorite of all the NVC perfumes so far. Sophisticated in a very French classical way, crossed with the vibrancy of Indian materials. I do agree that the amount you apply varies the effects considerably.

The coriander in the top is giving me ghormeh sabzi vibes. Ghormeh sabzi is a delicious Persian herbal stew with meat chunks. But I don’t want to smell like it. The drydown is better... but it’s just not working for me.

I get the closest thing to true sandalwood, powdered, in a long long time. Combined with the upper register of a fine rose. Beautifully sophisticated and luxurious. Balanced, very long lasting. Worth it.

Absolutely beautiful. Refined, sweet, rich and powdery rose. It reminds me of Nahema, which I also love. As voluptuous as it is, I never find it cloying or heavy. Very well done.

What a complex & lovely fragrance! I think there is one aspect in the description missing for me & that's green! First upon application, there is a lovely juxtaposition of fresh, green violet leaves, the soft, powdery violet flower, gorgeous, lush rose, & a beautifully creamy sandalwood base. The spices I find to be muted, and lend a supporting role to the star of the show, which is definitely a velvety, textual rose. A multifaceted beauty, for rose lovers this is a must try! Fresh enough to be worn with a sundress, and definitely sophisticated enough to back up the classic "LBD" Mohur Extrait is a chameleon for me in that it suits different moods & situations beautifully. Sometimes it goes a bit sultry and the leather & Oudh accords pop up for an appearance, but always lavishly cradled by the finest of sandalwood. I think this would be a fine rose scent for gents to try as well, if you are a fan of FMK LN PH, or Amouage Lyric PH. It shares a bit of personality with Lyric PF, in that it contains spice, rose, & heavy high quality sandalwood, but Mohur is more fresh, & less dense & sweet. A rose lovers dream, if you can lay hands on it, this scent is a solid winner! Great quality, composition, longevity, & projects enough to be noticed or modest, depending on how much you apply. I found in smaller applications the iris shone a bit more. A rose queen in my opinion!

Mohur Extrait is my first try from Neela Vermeire Creations and it's a lovely sweet, powdery rose on the whole, with hints of iris and a dry down of sandalwood that makes for a nice, balanced offering. Bits of vanilla, tonka, and benzoin provide some depth and character to the sweetness, a certain creaminess, and there are other floral contributions apart from the rose that give it some variance. It's a lot of fun to wear, is certainly inherently feminine but not so overwhelmingly floral as to be stereotypically problematic for men. Rose lovers--sweet rose lovers, especially--should check this out, as it high-quality and surely could be the answer to their search for an ideal rose scent. Projection is modest but longevity is superb. It's very expensive at $445 for 50ml (on Luckyscent), but very refined and perhaps nice to own a small quantity of. Nearly $10/ml is a tough sell, though, in general. 8 out of 10

There's violet, rose, almond, and carrot seed. At first spray, it smells like dried plum—slightly sweet. When combined, it gives off a strangely smooth and sweet plasticky vibe.

I’m happy I don’t like this more than the edp. It’s more lipstick rose. Slightly more powdered. The longevity may even be less.

This is an almond/rose/amber/powder fragrance to me, with most of the other notes being fripperies. Almond is by far the strongest note to my nose, lending a somewhat waxy profile to this fragrance. Rose is right up there, though, gently pushing the almond up from below to try to steal the show. I don't love this rose note, honestly. I have met many rose notes I don't like and this one is not the worst one by a large margin, but it's a little sickly and a little potpourri to me. This whole fragrance smells somewhat like an old potpourri that's lost a lot of its oomph. I think the benzoin and iris contribute to a noticeable powder note. There is a sense of some of the spices far below the surface in a muddled way that gives everything a lukewarm tinge, but I primarily got a sample of this for the cardamom and that striking scent is nowhere to be found. Neither are the pepper, patchouli, oud, or leather notes, all relatively strident notes I would think would be more present. Even the sandalwood is pretty shy here. Overall, this feels muddled and too almondy for my taste. That coupled with the rose note that I don't much care for makes this something of a miss for me. I would call this just okay and not worth the price tag. 5/10.

The inspiration for Mohur was Empress Nur Jahan, chief consort of Emperor Jahangir of India’s Mughal Empire. Their romance was legendary, but her husband fell into addiction and the empress ended up running the land. After much political upheaval and her husband’s death, she spent the remainder of her life in luxurious confinement, where she devoted her time to artistic pursuits, including perfumery. Neela tooks the existing EdP formulation up a notch in sophistication, richness, luxuriousness and creaminess: here we have the extrait. As I already reviewed in brief the former, I am going to focus on the differences which for me are merely of degree and emphasis on certain key notes. 1) The roses are concentrated and heightened, tinged only subtly with the other notes, instead of sharing equal space with them. The flower is touched with carrots, followed then by violets, all atop a lightly ambered base with muted almond milk. There is a much stronger note up top of lightly powdered iris and a quiet hint of white woods. 2) The beautiful carrot has the same effect in both the versions, but in the EdP I perceive a sense of side-by-side with the rose, while in the extrait the rose dominates (I want to say that the brain may react "cancelling out" the carrot. 3) There are much more noticeable spices, pepper and elemi right at the front with the EDP. 4) The violet seems muted in the EdP in the first hours, but thn it gains strength, it deepens more, and is a much more consistent vein. For my taste, the difference in feeling boils down to this last point. The violets are in fact definitely more concentrated at the very top of the Extrait, particularly in the first thirty minutes. Yet, the note doesn’t create quite the same sort of haunting, brooding, and bittersweet thread throughout the long-term development and life the Extrait as it did in the EdP (Apres l'Onde anyone?) The sandalwood oud foundation remains pretty much the same. IG @alexolympia6

I could write a book about this perfume but I will try and keep it short. This might be one of the most astonishing rose based fragrances ever created. Imagine being in the 16th century India inside the garden of a royal palace. You walk around the home of the King and Queen and you are lucky enough to explore their garden.. And the roses in particular which leaves you speechless. This is the rose you wear when you want people to know that you have made it. Even the untrained nose will know you spend a lot of money on this fragrance. Not that it matters of course... But this rose surely gives a sense of ultra refinement and unparalleled luxury. Oh my... What a rose this is... Opulent and royal. This smells incredibly expensive.. Which it is at 445$ for 50ML. But the madman inside me somehow tries to justify the pricetag anyway... It honestly smells like something that could potentially cost ten times as much. Completely unisex. Once again Bertrand Duchaufour shows us why he is not a perfumer but an artist. One of his finest compositions in my opinion and I have tried a big bunch of his. It’s been a very long time since I’ve struggled to find the right words after sampling a fragrance. Caught me completely off guard in the best way possible. Praises don’t get much higher than that. I’m planning to live of bread and water for a couple of months to buy a bottle of this...........

A silk embroidered veil holds back the intensity of light in this dusty landscape. Yes, Mohur Extrait is built around rose and boy what a rose it is, somewhere between fresh dewy green garden rose and a rich oriental jammy red rose, it's both comforting and refreshing simultaneously. But what to me really lifts this composition is what's juxtaposed over the rose, that veil, the spices, cardamom, sandalwood and oud. They act as a Gaussian filter over the composition, softening and romanticising the setting and adding context to the Indian story. I love this stuff, it's one of those perfumes that transports you from the humdrum of everyday life to somewhere more spiritual, somewhere to reflect and be thankful for the goodness in life. On a side note, I'm a self confessed Duchaufour fanatic, and really this for me is the only thing that comes to exceeding Timbuktu. This review is for the Extrait, but equally can be taken for the EdP which is completely similar except for lower strength.