Fareb by Huitième Art Parfums

*****
Year: 2010

Notes: mint, ginseng, cumin, warm sand accord, leather, immortelle
Inspired by the nomadic deserts, Fareb is the interplay of two main notes: immortelle and ginseng.

Utilising a new phyto-perfumery extraction technique, to capture a purified immortelle accord, it's a fruity, spicy and woody fragrance that's further enhanced by leather and cumin. The cumin is prominent yet well-behaved, as the overall impression is one of dry hay, pervading a ginseng-infused sweetness of stewed prunes. Nothing about it is either heavy or cloying, with the immortelle being more ethereal than dense.

Interestingly, the name Fareb is also an acronym that adequately summarises the essence of this composition – Frais (fresh), Aromatique (aromatic), Résineux (resinous), Épice (spicy) et Boisé (woody). However, as much as its intriguingly warm and savoury sweetness impresses, one can't help but feel that it's an unfinished project in need of some further development.

With very good longevity and moderate projection, Fareb is essentially a timid leathery version of Serge Lutens' Arabie, stripped-down to its very core, and then re-envisioned with more cumin and some genetically modified immortelle.


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