MOHUR

Extrait de Parfum

Mohur is a velveteen rose and oudh perfume inspired by the period of British Raj and Moghul Empire in India. In many ways it is the blueprint for this collection. All the other perfumes riff off the dusky memories of Moghal gardens, roses at sunset, their scent drifting on the cool evening air.

Mohur (seal or symbol in Sanskrit) takes its name from a gold coin, the costliest ever minted in India. Indian culture adores gold, usually 22 carats. Weddings drip with ornate, finely wrought jewellery for hands, feet and face. Gold thread is widely used in the making of fine textiles, sarees, and the celebrated art of miniature painting.

Mohur is rich in mood, but not overwrought, blending Indian floral inspiration with a worn, spiced and sweaty polo tack mood. The leather note sits at the heart of Mohur, surrounded by Turkish rose oil and Moroccan rose absolute, creating a swooning richesse of cashmere ambience subverted by a hint of dark oudh rubbed down with rose petals.

The opening of Mohur is so beautiful, oily green cardamom and earthy coriander mixed with the musky dust of ambrette seed, black pepper, and elemi. Carrot exalts the orris that rises from the rosy heart. Mohur smells deliciously smudged, ground like spices scattered on a pink floor.

The composition slides into creamy narcosis with a blend of almond milk, violet and the carnal undertones of hawthorn. It is a bold effect, one that works with chic bravado. There is a chemical component in the olfactive profile of hawthorn that can be perceived as coital exudence or honeyed pollen. It is not an overt part of Mohur, but its strangeness is a counterpoint to the milky almonds and roses reflected in the still pools of majestic Moghul gardens.

Mohur, while not nostalgic or overtly vintage, is a ravishing blend of dusky, aromal roses. A sublime perfume, the showcase jewel in Neela’s parure of olfactive dazzle, making skin a heaven of ambrosial blaze.

Composition:

• Cardamom Absolute, Coriander Seed Oil, Ambrette Seed, Carrot, Black Pepper, Elemi Oil
• Turkish Rose Oil, Morrocan Rose Absolute, Jasmine, Orris, Hawthorn, Almond Milk, Violet, Orris, Leather
• Sandalwood, Patchouli, Laotian Oudh Palao Oil, Benzoin, Vanilla, Tonka Bean

Perfumer: Bertrand Duchaufour, 2013

inci list: Alcohol denat., parfum (fragrance), aqua (water), alpha-isomethyl ionone, anise alcohol, benzyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate, citral, citronellol, coumarin, eugenol, farnesol, geraniol, hydroxycitronellal, limonene, linalool