Roja - Diaghilev

Diaghilev opens with a carnal jolt of cumin and citrus before the composition settles into a dense, powdery floral heart, peach and heliotrope pressing close against jasmine and tuberose, then dissolves into one of the richest bases in modern perfumery: oak moss, civet, labdanum, leather, and a slow burn of patchouli, benzoin, and vanilla.

The Nose

Composed by Roja Dove, founder of Roja Parfums, also behind Enigma, Amber Aoud and Elysium.

Fragrance Character

The opening is loud and bodily, cumin sharpening the bergamot and citrus before black currant and ylang-ylang pull the fragrance toward a warm, fleshy opulence. The heart is dense rather than pretty, heliotrope and tuberose thickening around rose and violet into something powdered and almost edible. On the drydown, leather and civet claim the skin; vetiver and guaiac wood add dry structure beneath the labdanum and vanilla, and the whole thing sits close and animalic for hours.

Best Worn

Made for cold-weather evenings when the air is still and the room is warm, worn by someone who wants their presence felt before and after they leave.

Why the Diaghilev Decant

Diaghilev is polarising by design: its civet and cumin register as either thrillingly animalic or flatly unwearable, and a decant lets you find which side you land on before committing to one of perfumery's most uncompromising bottles.

Official Notes

Cumin · Bergamot · Tarragon · Orange · Lemon · Lime · Peach · Ylang-Ylang · Jasmine · Rose · Heliotrope · Violet · Tuberose · Black Currant · Oak Moss · Civet · Leather · Musk · Labdanum · Cloves · Ambrette (Musk Mallow) · Peru Balsam · Patchouli · Benzoin · Guaiac Wood · Vanille · Vetyver · Styrax · Cedar · Nutmeg · Sandalwood

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