Champaca

This is a lovely light Green/Spicy Floral perfume, and it is interesting how the notes change as you wear. On me it starts out as bright citrusy white florals, then transitions to a really interesting tea/rice note then finally settles as a slightly spicy skin scent. This is the first perfume where I've really noticed the different elements as it wears and truly enjoy each one. I never thought of myself as a person who likes pepper notes but this perfume changed that! And this perfume has solidified my love for rice/tea notes. It is perfect for the office, sophisticated but not overwhelming or "old" (I am in my mid 20s and have trouble finding a scent that is both office appropriate and age appropriate, I've had clients think that I'm in my 40s at first glance! Age and experience is a blessing but I don't want my perfume be an inaccurate representation right now lol). Its sillage isn't crazy and the scent is likeable while still unique. I highly doubt anyone else in the building will be wearing it when I do! I have family members that can be overwhelmed by scents/perfume but this does not bother them. This is one of the few perfumes I own that truly feel like they can be worn year round, day or night. To me it doesn't lean super hard into a season or situation and is what I put on when I don't know what to wear. This is the first perfume that I have bought a full size straight from the sample, usually I try to use up a few more samples or finish a travel size before making the plunge. I know this will be a staple in my perfume wardrobe for years to come!

This is a beautiful summer floral. As it dries its not cloying like I find so many white florals. It's creamy, slightly citric and bright. I think the rice note smooths the edges. My nose can't really pick the notes apart, it almost smells watery and fresh but it doesn't cross the line like you would expect others in that category to smell. I read other reviews below calling this "generic" and not very remarkable, don't let those influence your choice to try this. Its delightful. I find it extraordinary, I don't find many florals I can't live without. I find most florals, especially white florals too loud and screechy, that is not the case here. Even though it's an eau de parfum, this scent on my skin pulls in close after first 1/2 hour and stays there for 4-6 hrs. It is a bit pricey but I bought the biggest bottle so that I may reapply at my leisure. On a side note, I was on a quest to find a gardenia scent I could enjoy. And although most say they smell nothing alike, my mind and nose is satiated currently. This is a beautiful scent. Addendum: I've been wearing this more frequently since obtaining a full bottle and I was wrong about longevity. It lasts at least 8 hrs easy, wafting in and out and on textiles it lasts for days. I sprayed this on a shirt Sat and the following Wed can still smell it strongly. It's softly projects and leaves a wonderful trail. One of the very few scents I've gotten compliments from. Beautiful summer breeze type of scent. I'm so in love with it.

This scent is inobtrusive but distinctive; it is familiar, but none of the listed notes stand out. This is a true unisex fragrance which I think could smell great on the most feminine woman or the most masculine man. It could absolutely be a signature scent for me if not for the low sillage and longevity. Initially I get a wonderful hit of champaca and neroli, which rapidly dissipates into a vague powdery scent (rice and freesia, I assume). After several hours I begin to get whiffs of champaca again. Unfortunately, the bitter and spicy elements I love in this perfume don't even linger as a skin scent - I have to shove my nose into the clothes I'm wearing to get any of the tea or myrrh. Edit: This has no staying power on skin, but lingers surprisingly well in clothes. This was a full bottle purchase for me!

Agree with other reviewers who have noted this as a safe scent. I don't find safe to be disagreeable though. I love this one for springtime, and quiet or low-key events like a friend of a friend's house party or memorial service. Something were I want to wear scent, and want to keep it light, pretty and unique. I haven't smelled much else like it. I find it to be one of the more ethereal fragrances in my collection. I do agree that the pink pepper can be intense, but I have not experienced this every time, just once when I wore it to work (maybe it had strange interference with the HVAC system? who knows with these things!).

I love champaca, frangipani and ylang ylang but these are demanding, loud hothouse divas that need to be handled with care. I think I can say with some confidence that this exists here in OJs olfactory translation of this potent note. The myrrh and tea really compliment this diva by taming her with a touch of smokiness and dryness so she doesnt holler too loudly. Once again pepper, neroli and freesia add the pepperiness the act like accents to this three dominating notes. Towards the end the myrhh and tea stay to the end of the performance. Its very nice but again weak like many of the OJs creations on me.

At first wearing of my little sample, I swear I could not smell it on my skin. I had applied unscented lotion after my shower, so perhaps the lotion absorbed it? On second try, with no lotion, I could detect it and it is fantastic! Fresh, green, woody, spicy. In the drydown it gets a little sweeter and more floral. It's a very light, uplifting and comforting fragrance. Could wear this anywhere, anytime. But the longevity is pretty weak- 4 hours later and it's all but gone. If it lasted longer this would be absolutely signature worthy.

I like it - it's pleasant, easy to wear. Smooth, not screechy at all, not headache inducing. I do find it smells a bit generic/not too unique. I don't think it's worth it for price point, and I have other Ormonde Jayne perfumes I much prefer. I have a sample of this from a set that I will happily enjoy, but I don't see myself buying a bottle of this. Edit: After revisiting this a year after, it's actually quite grown on me. I think it almost feels like the summer time versions of Ormonde Woman. Lovely!

This is a calming, comfort scent to me and I truly love it and douse myself in it on hot days. Primarily it smells like a toasted nutty rice tea, with a citrus twist. The floral aspects don't really stand out to me on their own, but may act more as a watery floral tea essence. It's soft and light but lasts quite a long time on my skin. I'm so curious about the Cacharel Noa Perle now! Too bad it was discontinued because I'd blind buy it just to compare.

I love!!! A dewy green, tea-laced scent, delicately floral, approachable and escapist. Straight away it immerses you in green tea and subtle neroli with this ever-so-slightly lactonic character coming from basmati rice—think of rice water rather than the grain. Champaca is a little orange flower and here it blossoms with a creamy sweetness, tempered by the light woodiness of bamboo. Beautiful and balanced, perfect for Spring.

Love love love the opening. Flowers dancing on a bed of sweet greens, sunlight filtering down upon the whole scene. Tropical palms, light twinkling off water. This impression goes so quickly - in 90 minutes or so at which point it's a lovely calmer light floral. Three hours in, it's a musky skin scent. Love the opening so much I'm tempted to buy a full bottle knowing I'll just need to spritz a few times throughout the day.

I tested this in a perfume boutique without looking at the notes first. I had no idea what champaca was at the time. It smells really fresh and clean and has a wonderful balance between green and slightly floral. I should have known when I fell in love with it that it also has a tea note, because that seems to be my favorite lately. This is absolutely full bottle worthy and I will be reaching for it a lot this spring.

Just recieved mine and I have to say this is stunning. It opens up warm, a tad green (due to the bamboo), spicy and fruity. Suits the summer season perfectly. This is reminiscent of the other scents from the early 2000s such as, Lancomes Miracle, Clavin Kleins Truth and Cerrutis Image so it has a nostalgic factor but this is longer lasting and higher quality. Definitely leans feminine. Thank you Geza Schoen!

This is not a bad fragrance at all, but it is much more green to my nose than floral. It reminds me of Truth by Calvin Klein, but the Ormonde Jayne is more beautiful and complex. I received this as a gift, but I don't think I'd buy this unless it was discounted. I do enjoy it, though.

Champaca has been my go to scent for a very long time. This perfume suits all occasions. Somehow this manages to be mildly sweet, but green and refreshing floral with good lasting power. I love this and also Frangipani from the OJ line.

This is the most beautiful scent I have ever smelt. If anyone knows a similar fragrance as soft and bright as champaca that men can also wear, please suggest me.

Perfectly good treatment of the note - but IMHO not as inspired or as lovely as many others from Ormonde Jayne, and some of its other white/yellow flower scents (Frangipani, Sampaquita) seem a bit more ebullient and special to me than this one. Champaca can be seriously strong - even overpowering - but while the usual OJ seasoning of pink pepper and extra notes does calm things down, and keep the whole mix from cloying, it somehow doesn't get all the way to the opulence I'd expect for OJ prices. For me, for once, this treatment is less long-lasting and a little less impressive than CDG's Luxe Champaca. Really down to skin scent only in only 2 or 3 hours and only the most discreet whiff of loveliness thereafter. Still borderline unisex, but about as femme as OJ scents really get. So not out of this world, but then, a mediocre Ormonde Jayne is still more excellent than many other houses' top-of-their-game winners. Polite applause, but not a wild screaming fan club, for this one I think. ETA on another wearing on a crisp cold day: no, I was wrong - this is great! Really strong, convincing pepperiness makes it both richer and pricklier, more exciting, than many an over-sweet go at the note - the bamboo and tea also coming across more clearly. Still not the very top of the house's game but really intriguingly spicy, teasingly herbal, and convincing throughout. Longevity also stretched a bit further in the cold, oddly - going pretty strong for 4-6h.

Ormonde Jayne Champaca is a light, sheer scent based around the tropical white flower known as Magnolia champaca, said to be the tree under which the Buddha achieved enlightenment. The flower has a swoony, tropical, narcotic, almost fruity scent, but here it’s treated in an ethereally fresh and subtle manner, with clean green notes in the opening, and a dry green-tea background hum, as well as some milky toasted rice in the heart. This is actually as much a rice scent as a champaca scent. It makes me think of a shady tropical verandah. Deep in the drydown there’s a spiced, sticky note that I assume is the myrrh, making this into a mild floral-rice-pudding dessert. It’s all very polite, and I can usually take my white florals quite a bit bolder than this; I’d love to try a full-bodied, epic champaca fragrance sometime, with all the nectar-dripping indoles intact. But I can’t really call Ormonde Jayne Champaca “boring” either. The sticky rice note is unusual, as is the green tea; there are no cliches here. This would make a really great bridal fragrance, I think. White florals have the kind of lush femininity that goes well with the one day in your life you’ll wear a poofy dress, but this one is light and transparent enough not to offend a crowd of guests.

Champaca is head and shoulders above the smellalikes listed, but it's fair to say it does share similarities with some of the shampooey, fruity, ozonic fragrances from the early 00s, at least in its dry down. It's very nostalgic for anyone who discovered fragrance for the first time in the late 90s, like I did. It specifically smells like something I wore to school, which had a pearly bronze plastic cap and was in a round bottle, and cost about a tenner from Boots. However, it's done very well. Incredibly balanced, with a delicious fruity heart and a pleasing halo of soapy, clean white florals. This is a very beautiful scent - definitely on the feminine side - which would suit a Gen-Z barefooted bohemian in white cotton as much as an older CEO or TV presenter. I enjoy the fact Ormonde Jayne florals are so wearable. Yes, they are expensive, but often I shell out on a niche fragrance that in the end is a bit too odd, quirky or difficult to wear often.

Ormonde Jayne's are outstanding; you must recognize that they're so well constructed and so well blended, that you can even justify the steepy price for those fabulous little bottles. That said, Champaca is not my favourite of the line (so far, this prize belongs to Tolu & Tai'f and second best, Woman) but without doubt this is a masterfully done floral. Quite prominent on the initial notes (read: it is strong), I can smell white flowers, orange blossom, Jasmine and Champaca, Tiaré, Magnolia - while I do not get neither the basmati rice nor the green tea notes. Probably the flowers are a bit overpowering... The base is resinous and musky. It has a better staying power than the other frags in the line. As I said it is not my favourite, but it is surely an unusual floral that deserves to be tried at least once.

A transparent bright and light fragrance consisting of almost equal amounts citrus, light florals and tea with the green tea being slightly dominant to the other notes. It’s quite linear and fairly short lived on the skin, with a moderate sillage. The lemony magnolia perfectly mirrors the citrus notes in this and there is very little contrast or drama within these notes, it’s a smooth as glass and pretty fragrance that will appeal to anyone that likes the Asian style of much more restrained, refined, and minimal type scents. Although I like this I will probably gift the travel spray I have to my daughter who loves Versace Bright Crystal. I feel like this one is kind of in that family, that light sparkling style of pretty and inoffensive scent.

My first impression was that this is strongly floral, with a lot of commercial-smelling fruity-floral sillage, not far removed from the standard celebrity scent. I did notice an odd note, more like a gap in the florals than a note per se, so this may have been the rice and/or bamboo accords that are reputed to be in the fragrance. I put it on, got busy with things, and completely forgot about it. By the time I remembered that I had it on, it was more or less gone, so the only thing I can say is that, to me, it’s a not very memorable floral that only lasts a few hours - the perfume equivalent of elevator music. If you’re looking for a floral scent that’s not obtrusive, this might be just the thing.

Champaca is a very light and delicate scent which is inoffensive and clean. It initially opens with a contrasting combination of soft neroli and sharp pink pepper, before the champaca itself becomes present which is sweet and a bit fruity. From here, freesia adds a powdery white floral touch in combination with the neroli, while green tea emerges very gently. However, I’m not sure how you can really vote for the notes of bamboo and rice, who even knows what they smell like? Overall, this fragrance is very pleasant on the nose - gentle, clean and inoffensive while still remaining fairly interesting. For me though it’s simply too weak, disappears very quickly and isn’t very memorable unfortunately.

Clean, sheer floral with a brisk opening. This has a crisp, pink pepper-green bamboo opening. Maybe a touch of Neroli at first but on me neroli mostly stays in the background. After about an hour, the pepper fades and the sheer, dewy magnolia heart emerges. It's well-blended and has a bit of fullness, perhaps from the basmati. Basenotes are soft, a little sweet and a touch fruity, which I didn't expect. I thought I wasn't going to like the musk/myrrh/tea base, but this is really quite nice. It has a smooth quality similar to sandlewood, but a bit sweeter. As florals go, this seems fairly unisex. And on me it does not warrant either the "sweet" note or the "amber" note in its pyramid.

Ormonde Jayne Champaca is a fragrance that leans unisex, but with a subtle feminine wink. It feels very safe for summer and is the kind of perfume that will not bother anyone around you, even in warm weather.Do not let the opening fool you — it is not as bright or sparkling as it may seem at first. It moves quite quickly into the heart, where it becomes softer, calmer, and very easy to wear.I think this is a fragrance that can be worn comfortably by anyone between 20 and 40. If you want to smell good, feel polished, and still wear perfume in the summer without overwhelming people around you, this is exactly that kind of scent.

Sharp green and pepper to start. Then becomes more gently bright and floral. Settles in mildly floral and green and mildly dusty/musky. Sometimes I get a vaguely soapy whiff, maybe from the white flowers. It's well made, as expected with OJ, but it just made me want to dive back into the rich woody forest of OJ Woman. Relatively this is a bamboo forest - bright green on top and musty and pale brown and green on the bottom - with little white flowers and a clean stream of water running through it. Beautiful and it achieves what it is trying to do, without being dull. It's just not my favorite scene.

Pretty comforting scent that sits very close to the skin. The projection is nonexistent so this makes an excellent bedtime fragrance. This is a sweet and creamy yet fresh floral fragrance. This fragrance smells good but it is so generic and bland. I would not pay retail for this fragrance because it is not worth the price. I purchased this on sale from a discounter and I feel that I still overpaid. I heard so many good things about this brand so I was excited to try some of their fragrances. This was an underwhelming introduction to Ormonde Jayne.

Ormonde Jayne Champaca is a subtle, floral with a nice blend of pink pepper that is 100% geared towards summer and friendly to just about any daytime activity. It feels clean thanks to the musk and unfolds beautifully as a high quality scent that doesnt need to try too hard. I have the travel size and its in my bag for summer because I know it will just work. Not dramatic enough for nighttime but if you just want to smell good without making any particular statement, this is it.

Wow, didn't have a chance to actually experience it. Seven full-on spritzes - wrists, inner elbows, behind ears, throat - before dashing out. It was pretty much gone when I reached my destination an hour later. Managed a few attentive sniffs en route; sweet, slightly exotic, pretty floral invoking pleasant memories of a trip to India. Champaca beautifully front & center visited by Neroli. That's all I got before POOF! it was gone. Beautiful scent w/ the longevity of a mayfly.

The fragrance opens with a fresh burst of creamy white florals with a slightly peppery edge. I am picking up a bright magnolia note. The fragrance is clean and uplifting. As it settles, the sharpness softens and the florals take on a smooth, airy quality. The dry‐down becomes a musky, unisex veil that feels effortless and breezy. It’s universally pleasing, incredibly easy to wear. Perfect for warm weather. It is polished enough for day or night.

Champaca is absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful, waxy yellow flowers weave throughout from top to base. Waxy, yes... I get the association with soap. Freshly floral and clean. The rice also gives it a nice frothy feel and in combination with the hint of tea, delivers a rich, yet gentle 'white oriental' feel. The drydown is warm and lightly sweet and the scent lasts easily beyond 6 hours. Feminine, natural and endearing.

Save yourself about $250 and buy yourself a bottle of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea. This seems a bit less sharply citrusy at the start, but the after about 30 minutes it seems nearly identical. If you're someone who wants spend more or if you think the bottle is pretty, this is a lovely perfume. It's a perfect freshie, citrus floral tea. I don't really notice the musk but I think I get a quick whiff of the pepper.

Blind bought a while ago and I had no idea what to expect. I have to say, the more I wear it the more I like it. It’s fresh without being citrusy. It’s like a smooth, elegant freshie and I really like the rice note. Makes it more unique. Can get it at a steal online so would highly recommend if you can find it at a discounter.

Really really beautiful. Green floral opening, and the tea comes through a decent way through. I want to buy this but it feels in the same vein as Guerlain Neroli Outrenoir which I already own (and if these were in a fight Neroli Outrenoir would win hands down.

This is definitely not like Miracle, not even remotely. It’s beautiful. But I wish I could get the tea and rice notes that others perceive as the perfume would be more interesting. I might try layering with tea fragrances.

Green floral with a touch of honey? Settles into a very clean fresh scent with a bit of musk! I'm in love with a good fresh scent with mild projection. It always feels like a cozy secret just for me and my close friends.

So pretty. Soft and unassuming. I get a slight smokiness (the myrhh maybe?) that takes this from simply pleasant to special. I find it quite cozy and comforting.

Good, airy and good for summer. It reminds me a LOT of one of Nina Ricci's apple-bottled fragrances, so I wouldn't pay the price for the Ormonde Jayne version.

This is really extraordinary scent, not too heavy, not too sparkling but full. Unfortunatelly, I can't use it. Champaca immediately gives me a headache :(

I like it! Smells familiar, like 90s green-floral/fruity perfumes. Smells clean and casual and womanly. Longevity was 4 hrs and has intimate projection.

A beautiful and delicate fragrance. Such a shame that it is so fleeting on me. Within a couple hours it is gone entirely.

Smells like my mum's neck when I was a kid.

I ordered a decant of this, and once it was on my skin for a few minutes, it started to smell familiar. It smells like Lovely by Al Rehab. I have a rollerball of that fragrance, and this is very similar. Lovely is a like for me, but not a love, so I'm glad I sampled this rather than blind-buying. I will use up my decant and my rollerball of Lovely, but I won't repurchase either one. There are just so many choices these days, that there is no need to spend money on it if it's not a love. I agree with Michael below--the florals hit hardest with this. I really don't get any of the other notes, not even the pink pepper. I also agree with AnaBalde that it is reminiscent of Nina by Nina Ricci (I still have a half-bottle from back in the day). I do want to try some of the other fragrances from the brand, though. I've heard a lot of good things about Ormande Jayne.

The opening is surprisingly dry and powdery, on top of being sickeningly syrupy sweet. This is sadly not how I remember it on a tester in the store. There’s no way I can detect anything like bamboo, rice, or myrrh through this ambiguous floral onslaught. I can’t even pick up on the pink peppercorn that others find so strong. The flowers (which smell just like Juicy Fruit gum) on the champaca tree in my garden are currently blooming, and this is nowhere close. Put another way, I got the tree because its flowers smell heavenly. I’m about to give this sample away. It’s nothing more than a faint memory after 3 hours.

this is just alright, very meh sort of fragrance. I had higher hopes based off the notes like rice and tea but got a very generic 90s clean floral smell through and through. Opens with a very strong bamboo note and a hint of rosy pink pepper. Heart has a subtle champaca with a heavy hand of that freesia and virtually no rice smell. The dry down is ultra musky, clean, almost soapy even, with a bit of warmth and remnants of that generic perfumey floral smell.

My favorite fragrances are green florals, and the rice note in this intrigued me, so I thought it would be an instant love. The initial spray smells fantastic, but the dry down is not my favorite. I don't mind the rice, but I definitely dislike the myrrh. Even though it's not overpowering, there's enough spiciness to put me off of this fragrance.

A perfectly nice crowd-pleaser from Ormonde Jayne. Pink pepper and bamboo opening settles into white florals and myrrh. The greenness stays without turning harsh, but I also couldn't really smell a rice note. Lasts a good 6 hours with light projection.

Too much freesia for me. Champaca OJ smells fresh, floral and perfumey. It's a woman's spring floral. I can see this smelling amazing on other people. Not for me though. -

Soft skin scent.. I do smell the green tea note and some floral elements. Got a 10 ml to test it. I think it would’ve been better without the rice note

Doc Elly called it, "the elevator music of the perfume world." Much like elevator music, it is well-produced for what it is. Despite the lack of engaging content, the producers made an effort to create a high-quality professional sound. Ormonde knew what to do in the studio, and expenses weren't spared. It's always good to have a "safe" perfume - but shouldn't a safe perfume also have something remarkable about the content, rather than being just a polished production? Aesthetically and philosophically, it's often supposed that simplicity and sophistication are related, except that this perfume isn't simple - champaca can be a difficult flower. Much like the vibraphone can be a difficult instrument: to play, to record, to sample, to edit, to integrate, to enjoy.... and yet vibes are ubiquitous in elevator music. I'm surprised that some reviewers find it creamy, while others are saying "sour" and "green tea". I suppose some types of high-qaulity green tea, like Kukicha, give a slightly creamlike impression? Please just give me a cup of Kukicha with a teaspoon of cream, or Annick Goutal's Songes (a creamy version of a difficult flower, tiare).

I wanted to like this so badly. all of the notes are right up my alley, and my first impression was actually really nice- definitely on the shampoo-y side, but i don't mind that. however, within a few minutes what started as a pleasant green shower-like scent turned VERY dry on my skin. if you don't have a sensitive little autistic bitch nose like me this might not bother you, but something about it made me feel like each individual nose hair was being yanked on all at once. unfortunately, this one is a scrubber for me. this is only my first time trying out an ormonde jayne scent so hopefully i have better luck with the next one i sample.