Sarrasins: a dark forbidden fruit

Picture from Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

Russian verion - click here

If A la Nuit could be called a reference jasmine representing the smell of real flowers, then Sarrasins can get a title of reference jasmine in fragrances. Although the most jasmines are just represented by their fruity and narcotic notes, Sarrasins is a clever combination of fruits and dark indolic depth. In many reviews it was called dirty, heavy, indolic or animalic. That’s true if you compare Sarrasins to those innocent indolless creations, but if you know what jasmine absolute or a real flower smells like, you definitely recognize it as is in Sarrasins.

In contrast with A la Nuit that seems to be a representation of a real flower, Sarrasins is more like a jasmine shaped jewellery, where each part is thoroughly faceted. The dark animalic and deep note of Indole is supported by Castoreum giving a pleasant leather accord. The fruitiness of jasmine is mostly undefined (unless you’d define it with a corresponding aromachemical benzyl acetate), but in Sarrasins it’s a fully developed accord of apricots. And in the middle of the clash between leather and apricots a beautiful jasmine is born.

There is some resemblance between Tubereuse Criminelle and Sarrasins – they share a sweet narcotic note and a wild character – they are both not easy to tame, but jasmine is more appeaseable. Its soft, ripe and sweet orange apricots slowly come after leather and remain to be the most prominent on my skin.

This potion has a deep dark purple colour that stains fabric. The message is clear – it’s not supposed to be used on fabric – only in intimate contact with your bare skin.

According to the creator himself, Sarrasins is “a sumptuous jasmin which smoothes its fur... a sigh of time.”
Developed by Christopher Sheldrake and launched in 2007
Notes: Bergamot, Jasmine, Carnation, Woods, Musk, Coumarin, Patchouli