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.

One of the cloyest perfumes I’ve ever tried. And look, that’s a compliment. Kenzo fragrances were the best; they always had a well-made signature with a touch of exotic, Japanese flair, or even this kitsch version of Kashaya, which could be interpreted as Indian. Before there was just Kenzo, wonderful, and Ca Sent Beu. Then came the Jungle line, but in between, Sophia Grojsman’s madness slipped in. As expected, it carried peach and apricot. Sophia was never one for half-measures; she was the queen of the tipsy 90s fruity-floral, but here she lost her mind. Kashaya is an exuberant madness where notes are hard to distinguish, all exaggerated. An ultra-sweet slap of overripe apricot and almost bursting peach, packed with syrup, with the consistency of sparkling petals swimming in scandalous oriental notes and a sinful tuberose. A perfumery atrocity. I wonder if its nuclear nature was to blame for not taking root, though I doubt it. If you find it, try it; it’s a historical curiosity that distances itself from the adult Kenzo line to dive into unnuanced extravagance. Smelling it reminds you of those discos of my early 90s, full of girls with side-swept hair, defined lips, Levi’s 501, black bombers, and a Fortuna cigarette. A bottled piece of history.

This Kenzo perfume is one of the sweetest, lasts a long time on the skin. A friend used it and I liked it a lot; later I got a clone and it was identical. I used it in winter; I think it’s for winter because it’s quite heavy. One of the few extremely sweet ones I actually enjoy.

Sophia Grosman’s masterpiece. Too bad it’s discontinued and hard to find. Luckily, by pure chance, I stumbled upon a sealed 125ml bottle from ’96 and couldn’t resist adding it to my collection. Kashaya is gorgeous—sweet, fruity, with a spicy, aromatic kick. When it dries down, it smells very similar to Sun Moon Stars by Karl Lagerfeld; it has that distinct 90s vibe, like other classics such as In Love Again, Hypnotic Poison, Chance, Eden, Acqua di Gio, or Chloe Innocence. Kashaya was the one that kicked off the new wave of perfumery that exploded in 2000: multifloral, fruity, and spicy scents with a captivating presence and notes of morning dew on hot days. Complex formulas, delicate, airy, and very innocent. What I notice most are pineapple, peach, tangerine, vanilla, and benzoin, with cedar barely peeking through. Even though they’re not listed in the ingredients, I get a subtle hint of pink pepper and cinnamon. It’s a very subtle, personal perception. If you can find it, buy it. It deserves a spot in any collection. Moderate-to-low sillage and longevity above average. Like eternal love, which is what Kashaya means in Sanskrit, it lingers on the skin like a caress, even if only you can feel it.