Ancestral Papyrus

On the first sniff before spraying you can tell that this is a very peculiar scent, like nothing I own or have smelled before so what a lovely surprise this is. I love being taken on a trip by a creator, a trip that makes my brain, who likes to categorise things in order to be able to recall it later on, work on trying to find a smell that can be related to something in it's scent library , decoding this weird green, dry, sweetish smell, that makes it think :" oh, this smells like this or reminds me of this ". But alas, for the moment it has not found a category it can file this under yet there are some connections bubbling up. After spraying it on my skin and a few moments /sniffs later : it's starting to think now: hmm, did I forget to take out the flowers of the vase and now the water is green and stale, it reminds me of that a bit, this greenish smell of decayed stems in water. Do I like this? Weirdly enough I do . Other flash , now it's been reminded of when I put my nose into a flower and smell the pollen it contains, like in a sunflower or gerbera , that natural uplifting green smell . Or that smell of cut grass that has been in the sun for a while and hay, fresh cut hay An other connection is just made : the smell of coriander when you cut it comes to mind Now it's detecting this vanille pudding powder smell that's activated. Oh, brain, you intensely intricate organ, how smart and fast you work. This trip is so much fun as it's taking me to meanders in my memory that makes me feel alive . What a great creation this is by Miss Jo. Of all the 4 I have of this collection , this is the most unique and peculiar and I love it, as I love to be surprised and taken on a scent "memory" trip. I'll leave it here for the moment, let my sensitive nose and brain enjoy the voyage . I'm sure it's going to get me to some more other places in my scent library as it evolves on my skin... It's been a few hours now and the it's still going and I love it, it's such a unique smell. It's green and earth like, a bit sultry, quite alluring and weird at the same time. I just love it ! Hands up to Zara and Jo Malone to bring this to the masses, even though I'm sure the masses won't like this and that's fine by me. We all want to stand out in one way or an other, be unique and authentic and wearing this as a perfume will surely give you that appeal .

The opening is very single-noted papyrus, but almost immediately it turns fresher and more complex. I'm not normally a huge fan of violet leaf, but the addition of the acidic grapefruit note makes it palatable. At dry down, it definitely has "old book sitting next to an open window in Spring" vibes. This is one of those fragrances that successfully juxtaposes a warm, slightly woody scent with a cool, fresh green/citrus one. The complexity is lovely, frankly, and I'm thrilled I bothered to hunt this down on eBay. Also, there are relatively few fragrances that I feel can be worn almost year round, but I'd put this in that category. I could see in as a daytime fragrance in all but the dead of winter. Note: I was wrong. This is fabulous in cold weather. I retract any limitations I may have given this fragrance.

I get the green wet ozone papyrus scent. I was so surprised when I smelled this because it's different and it's pleasant and it smells rich. It smells, to me, like a very rich posh library with glass ceilings, sky lights, a green rainforest smell every time someone opens the door, and there are gold and green bankers lamps with rose wood heavy desks and old rich leather bound volumes of books - an exclusive Ivy league library full of class, learning and opulence. This scent also, on me, lasts a very long time for a zara/jo malone offering, about 6-8 hours. It's distinctive and special and gorgeous. I miss those university days when I'd be forced to walk in the rain after studying all night and this scent reminds me of those wonderful times.

This is a really good green ozonic scent!! Definitely my favourite from Zara’s Emotions Desert range! Jo Malone just keeps on surprising me with her collaboration range!

Smells like a pond. Stagnant water, vegetation, dry grass and for some reason underripe melon/melon rind. Very green and juicy (that's where the melon comes is) but bitter rather than fresh/smooth. In cold weather is feels drier, with more papyrus/dusty notes. I really enjoy the scent on its own but not sure how I feel about it as a perfume, and its definetly not something to wear everyday.

I just rediscovered this fragrance in my collection and gave it another try. I felt dubious upon sniffing the atomizer -- all I got was the smell of yardwork: emptying a lawnmower's steaming pile of cut grass near a damp flowerbed freshly fertilized by manure. However I was encouraged by some of the reviews and decided to make it my scent of the day. At the top there is a sharp grapefruit note with only a small hint of sweetness. Next comes the green papyrus, imparting a strong sense of humid atmosphere. I feel like I'm in a luxury spa's steam room. It feels very clean, but in a powerful way. About 2 hours in, the faint hint of manure has appeared. I don't know how to justify it, but I don't hate it. While still suggesting clean humidity, underneath I think I also feel some powdery, slightly anise-tinged candy notes, and that must be the violet leaf. At this point I'm wishing I didn't choose to wear this on a WFH day because I could really use the opinion of others nearby to let me know if this is rude and repellent, or refreshingly different.

Starts off effervescent and quickly veers off into a very green vegetal territory, like a super healthy vegetable smoothie - all spinach, kale, aloe and celery, no fruit, no berries, no sweetness, no compromise. Just pure green bug juice. It actually has some similarities with the dry down of Leather Jardin that also has certain green vegetal aspects. Captivatingly odd, but I can't think of an occasion or time when I would want to wear it as a daily fragrance. Totally genderless.

Purchased without blind testing. The smell of Tiger Balm when you first smell it! I thought. A scent of bitter cucumber skin mixed with herbs and spices. Very strange. Over time, it becomes an unsweetened melon skin-like scent. Thanks to Joe Malone for coming up with such a scent. I don't like top notes, but the scent is addictive! N ° 04 The scent is less sweet than AMBER & FIG CASHMERE, and the two are very similar.

We can say that this perfume is a very niche fragrance in its category. Although the strong papyrus note in it smells like a juicy cucumber when combined with other notes, when we look at it in general, we can say that it is a special scent that not everyone can use. When you use this perfume with its distinctive structure, you will definitely get questions from your surroundings.

The name is perfect. It's a dried up, green, woody scent. Exactly what you would think ancestral papyrus would smell like. I don't agree with the comparison to philosopkos. Yes, it's green but the dyprique is more fresh. This Zara smells old in a dried up sort of way. Very interesting frag but not my cuppa.

No doubt this is an odd scent. It really does smell papery. It reminded me of emptying out a shredding machine! It has"perfumed-up" that experience slightly, by the addition of some transparent, ozonic notes and a very light violet leaf. I have to applaud the creativity although I didn't buy it.

This is a weird one from Zara, it's unusual and interesting, definitely not a safe blind buy or a crowd pleaser. I don't get any citrus at all, on me the opening smells like grass but an old, dried, crispy yellow grass with a mustiness and hints of hay. There's a papery incense-like note and a little bit of a dry powderyness along with a quite animalic leather. The final drydown is a tiny bit smoky, kinda barnyard-y leather & hay, lifted slightly by some violet leaf. Overall it smells very natural, it reminds me a little bit of Lush's Smell of Weather Turning without the mint, the hay-like note is very similar. In the initial projection i get much more of that "green" grass smell but on my skin it's a lot more barnyard, not necessarily in a bad way but it's not for me.

This is definitely a green scent. It feels quite dry to me. Has a paper vibe. It's quite particular. I would say it's not a safe blind buy.

A beautiful name, a very strange odor, Fragrances supposed to give people a beautiful smell but this one is really bad and I can't even think of it as an air freshener, It smells like wet grass. Me, as Egyptian I don't think my ancestors wore this smell because the papyrus essential oil has a very nice odor.

I smelt this years ago and it was so disgusting that I still remember the scent, it smelt like a root vegetable that just got pulled out from the soil, it literally smelt like a muddy vegetable/plant.

I’ve compared this with Philosykos side by side. Philosykos has more of a unripened green banana scent. When I remove the cap of this Zara stuff and smell straight from the bottle, it does smell just like it. But once you spray the Zara, it’s way less green banana.. and more of a hay scent (in a good way) I really do like this and you can’t beat 30 bucks. I’m not one to shell out a ton of money for the next big thing in perfume and I whole heartedly do not believe it’s necessary. Everything in BR540 is synthetic! I’m no fool! I’ve never purchased Santal 33.. but I’ve read a lot of the Santal 33 reviews. Someone mentioned they smelled melon. When I left the house wearing ancestral papyrus I started smelling a fresh green and pink watermelon smell everywhere and I realized it was ancestral papyrus. It smelled like a real and very fresh watermelon. I sprayed myself In my living room and my son smelled watermelon too. Not a fake sweet watermelon.. a realistic watermelon. I’m really enjoying this strange scent and I’m enjoying not spending 300 bucks. Every time I read a complaint on folks not shelling out for the real stuff, I see a fool. Update... after my bottle sat untouched for a few months,I took it out for a spin and noticed it’s evolved to smell like a really strong lemon grass. This is not a safe blind buy

I couldn't say too much but I am surprised that no one gets turmeric notes from this. When I sprayed this in store all I got was turmeric. Although I like the smell of turmeric powder I don't think it is a very good choice for perfume, just not attractive.

What I hate the most about this collection, is how gorgeous the bottles, colors and caps are, only to hold the most disturbing scents ever! What a waste really... 🙄

Cypriol is frequently listed as papyrus. Is this the case here?