Meringa by Profumum

*****
Year: 2015

Notes: orange blossom, jasmine, tonka bean, vanilla

Comment: Meringa is an Osswald exclusive
Although Profumum could be accused of overdoing it, with regards to their vanilla fragrances, Meringa provides something new, while still coming across as a regurgitation of this house's vanilla-based predecessors.

What it offers is a more palpable floralcy, which this house's previous vanilla releases have only hinted at. Here, the jasmine plays a significant role and, thus, makes the composition venture more into feminine territory. As expected, it blends extremely well with both the tonka bean and vanilla, resulting in an elegantly rich, creamy and airy floral-vanilla premise with ambery embellishments.

However, on the downside, there are certain things about it that recall previous vanilla offerings from this house. One is the near obligatory orange blossom note that's now featured in more than half of the Profumum vanillas. In addition, Meringa initially possesses a distinct butteriness that's very reminiscent of Dolce Acqua. But, even disregarding these two points, Meringa ultimately smells too close to Santa Maria Novella's Vaniglia (especially during the caramelised drydown).

Like Guerlain, Profumum is highly regarded for masterfully working with vanillic accords. But Profumum's main problem is its constant need to produce simple reiterations of a vanilla scent that, over time, work against this niche house's reputation (especially with the amount of overlapping that occurs).

Sillage is moderate, with very good staying power.


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