Highness Iii Green

What makes Highness III Green structurally interesting is the way the oud doesn't arrive early. Here, it's held in reserve, waiting beneath the cedar and leather until the fresh top notes have done their work. The galbanum is the quiet surprise, adding a bitter-green edge that keeps the bergamot from becoming sweet and the lavender from becoming soft. The result is a pyramid that reads almost backwards, green and aromatic first, then spicy and woody, with the oud finally surfacing in the drydown like a secret kept until the end.

The evolution

The opening hits sharp and immediate. Cypress dominates, backed by a bergamot that reads more lemon-adjacent than sweet. Galbanum adds that slightly bitter, vegetal edge, the smell of green stems crushed between fingers. It lingers in this bright phase before the heart begins to emerge. The heart is where this fragrance earns its name. Black pepper and cedar arrive together, with petitgrain adding an herbal, slightly bitter twist that keeps the green alive even as the composition deepens. The cedar doesn't fully reveal itself here, it's more felt than seen, a warmth building beneath the spicier notes. This phase lasts an extended period of evolving complexity. The base brings oud and leather simultaneously, with oakmoss providing an earthy, almost damp quality that prevents the drydown from becoming too dry or too animal.