Kashaya by Kenzo

If you dare to break free from vintage perfume prejudices, you’ll truly understand perfumery. Leave the ‘grandma’s comments’ for those who get excited about soulless mass-market scents. If sharp opening notes don’t scare you, follow the path of Kashaya: a creamy, voluptuous reward awaits. It’s a potent floral oriental with a fruity twist, distinct from today’s offerings. Ideal for going out at night: a tart mandarin dances with ripe apricot before turning into a thick, creamy syrup. Exquisitely fine and opulent, not light but overwhelmingly creamy. Then, absolute magic: a bouquet of neroli and jasmine so real it takes your breath away. The vanilla is burning at first but yields to woody amber and sandalwood. The final phase sticks to your skin like a second skin. Purely feminine. If you know what seduction is, this is your perfume. If you’re intrigued by the drama and confidence of the old school, grab a small bottle: you’ll have a magical potion for your vanity.

Why do they discontinue treasures like this? I found a sealed, beautiful miniature with an amber glass heart and sparkles. But the charm lies in the liquid: on my skin, it opens with candied notes of peach and sweet pineapple, giving way to a harmonious floral blend with a spicy, vanilla, and resinous touch. It’s cloying but pleasant (don’t overapply). I loved getting to know you, Kashaya.

I imagine Sophia thinking: how much peach fits in a fragrance? One smells Kashaya and recognizes her signature. Unlike Tresor, where the rose escorts the peach, or Sun Moon Stars with the carnation, here she gives the juicy peach plenty of room at the start before settling into a uniform floral bouquet. Anise, soft sandalwood, and resins give it identity. The peach/pineapple/vanilla combo recalls Sun Moon Stars, but they aren’t the same. The rose in Tresor is narcotic and pushes the similarity further away. All three bear the Grojsman seal. Beautiful bottle, very 90s, good longevity and sillage. Sweet and juicy but not cloying; the bouquet balances perfectly. Another thumbs up to this great woman of perfumery.

This Kenzo perfume is one of the sweetest I’ve ever worn… and it lasts a long time on the skin. A friend used to wear it, and I loved it; later, I found a dupe and it was identical. I wore it in winter, so I think it’s a fragrance for that season since it’s quite heavy. It’s one of the few extremely sweet scents that I actually enjoy.

A magnificent perfume by the great Sophia Grojsman. Unfortunately discontinued and hard to find. By chance, I found a 125ml bottle from ’96, sealed, and couldn’t resist the temptation. Kashaya is beautiful, sweet, fruity, with slight spicy and peppery notes. In its dry down, it’s very similar to Sun Moon Stars by Lagerfeld; it has a very 90s vibe, like In Love Again, Hypnotic Poison, Chance, Eden, Acqua di Gio, or Chloe Inocense. Kashaya inaugurated the perfumery trend that exploded in 2000: multifloral, fruity, and spicy perfumes with captivating presence and smells of warm morning dew. Complex formulas, delicate and naif aromas. Pineapple, peach, mandarin, vanilla, and benzoin, accented by cedar, are the notes I perceive most, and although they aren’t listed in the ingredients, I sense a faint hint of pink pepper and cinnamon. It’s a subtle perception. If anyone finds it, buy it. It’s collection-worthy. Medium-low sillage and longevity over 4 hours. Like eternal love, its meaning in Sanskrit, it remains on the skin like a caress.

I’d love to have it again. It’s warm, feminine, and different from many on the current market. Its bottle, which disappeared in an energetic cleaning, is worth collecting for its cap. Its aroma is a ‘caramelized’ floral-fruity style of the 90s. Its potent, sweet amber along with vanilla, sandalwood, and benzoin give it an oriental character, with good projection (not intrusive) and excellent persistence that supports the floral notes. The standout fruits are sparkling and cheerful: peach/nectarine and pineapple that aren’t too acidic. Whenever I wore it, I felt beautiful, sensual, and more WOMAN (which is relevant, considering I was a teenager back then), and I couldn’t stop smelling wherever I applied it. I think that says it all. It’s a very beautiful perfume, another masterpiece by Sophia Grojsman. Hopefully they haven’t reformulated it; it hasn’t been seen anywhere in my country for ages.