King Masarat

King Masarat was an instant love for me. The combination of notes at the top gives an almost instant radiant carmel accord which is juicy and unforgettable, tinted somewhat by a slight barnyard accord, but one that is intriguing and sweet rather than off-putting. In fact there is nothing off-putting about KM, because it is a masterpiece! Through its development you get the sense of carmel being propped up by a bright anise accord from the liquorice, orange, and lavender, with dark animalic notes in the background. It reminds me of a middle eastern take on Kilian Gold Knight, where the honey is replaced by carmel but the anise is even stronger. As these alluring notes intermingle with the Thai, Borneo, and Cambodian ouds the fragrance always remains intoxicating, and mesmerising. It is soft and warm rather than bright and sharp and better for cooler weather. It is not a projection bomb, but does reach a meter for several hours and lasts for about 7 hours on my skin. All this while it remains strong while radiating its own unique and intoxicating character for hours. A true gem and up there with the best Xerjoffs. Update to a year later when I finally got my nose on Kemi...I was surprised to see that these two fragrances are about 80% similar in presenting a carmel smell against an oud and musk background. On my wrist side by side it was hard to tell the difference but KM was a bit more airy and bright while Kemi had a deep leathery vanilla dry down, shared by KM, but slightly intensified. If you drew a Venn diagram there would be 80% overlap with added brightness for KM and added dark notes for Kemi. I thought of buying Kemi because I loved it but when I discovered how close it was to KM, I decided it would be redundant and bought Ether instead.

(English) Dignified and influential, with a soul of pedigree is King Masarat, one of Xerjoff precious Oud Attars. Carrying a dizzying, magical array of materials fitted for a true monarch. XJ Oud King Masarat opens on a dazzling blood orange linked to lavender, sweet and herbal with a gentle touch of licorice, the composition soon deepens as the titular white flowers, warm and sensual, blossom in the heart of the fragrance against a smooth, creamy vanilla, forming the core of King Masarat, as the trigonal blend of Thai, Borneo and Cambidian Ouds raise to the top, framing the glorious mukhallat. King Masarat is a magical, whimsical & unforgettable scent. (Español) Digno e influyente, con un alma de pedigrí, King Masarat es uno de los preciosos Oud Attars de Xerjoff . Llevando una vertiginosa y mágica variedad de materiales adecuados para un verdadero monarca. XJ Oud King Masarat se abre en una deslumbrante naranja sanguina enlazada con una dulce lavanda y un suave toque de liquorice, la composición pronto se profundiza a medida que las flores blancas titulares, cálidas y sensuales, florecen en el corazón de la fragancia contra una suave y cremosa vainilla, que forma el núcleo de King Masarat, a lo que la mezcla trigonal de Ouds de Tailandia, Borneo y Cambidian se eleva a la cima, enmarcando el glorioso mukhallat. King Masarat es una fragancia mágica, caprichosa e inolvidable.

A lovely attar style Oud-centric scent, King Masarat is an evocative offering from Xerjoff. The perfume has a brief opening of blood orange and lavender before it transitions to its Laotian Oud heart base. At first, we get slight hints of licorice and florals (jasmine and slight rose) and then vanilla, but the Laotian Oud dominates almost from start to finish. A well blended unisex scent with moderate to strong sillage and good longevity. Enjoy!

My favorite attar oil from Italian luxury perfume house - Xerjoff. King Masarat may look expensive (320 USD per 10 milliters) but we talk about pure perfume oil without alcohol so you really need just a drop or two. Attars are usually more “personal” closer to skin experience, but King Masarat is different. Performance and projection is way stronger than your usual attar. It is linear to me from begging to end (6-8 hours, really depends on weather) but is beautifly blended so the whole “wear experience” is great. It’s fruity oudy attar (non animalic agar oud) sweeten by vanilla with hebal lavender and orange juiciness. I don’t smell much rose note. To me is unique attar with little similarities of Kemi line (sister house of Xerjoff) – Tempest and Kemi by Kemi. Overall attar very well blended, completely unisex and different than your usual middle easter standard Oud rose combo.

Fantastic oil. One of the best this house ever made across all of their collections. Spicy woods with soft floral rose heart. One thing they did right.