The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Fou d'Amour translates from French as "crazy about love," and the name does what it says. Awshal launched this one as part of their Assaba Collection in 2024, and the brief went to Fabrice Pellegrin with a clear emotional target: the euphoria of being deeply in love. Not the comfortable kind. The obsessive kind. The kind that rewires your week. Pellegrin built the composition around a set of notes that pull in opposite directions. Raspberry and saffron open the door. Violet, jasmine, and osmanthus keep you in the room. Then oud, leather, vanilla, and styrax lock it behind you. The raspberry brings a bright, almost candy-like sweetness at the top, while saffron underneath it adds a dry, slightly bitter edge that keeps things from going too pretty.
What makes this composition work is the tension between powder and smoke. Violet and osmanthus deliver that cosmetic, almost lipsticked softness people associate with vintage French perfumery. But underneath, the oud and styrax refuse to stay polite. Leather keeps everything structural while vanilla smooths the edges just enough to make the whole thing wearable. The saffron and raspberry at the top are what give the opening its character.
The evolution
The opening is the loudest part. Saffron and raspberry collide immediately, the saffron's dry, almost metallic bitterness cutting through the raspberry's dark, jammy sweetness. The raspberry reads as dense and preserve-like, while the saffron gives the whole top a dusty, expensive character. This opening phase carries the most overt sweetness, with a powdery undertone that hints at the heart to come. After the initial burst, the violet and osmanthus begin to emerge. Violet folds over the fruit like a curtain, adding that distinctive powdery, slightly sweet softness. Osmanthus brings its apricot-skin warmth, a leathery floral quality that bridges the fruity top and the smoky base. Jasmine threads through the heart quietly, adding a creamy dimension without ever shouting. The heart phase is soft-spoken but dense, more about texture than individual notes.
Cultural impact
Fou d'Amour sits at an interesting crossroads in modern perfumery. It's composed by Fabrice Pellegrin, a perfumer with a diverse portfolio, and built from materials that span a wide stylistic range. The oud-violet pairing is one of the more unusual combinations in contemporary fragrance, and Fou d'Amour leans into it without smoothing over the contrast. The violet and osmanthus bring a powdery, almost cosmetic softness, while the oud and styrax anchor the composition with something darker and smokier. For wearers who appreciate compositions that balance sweetness with smoke, this one earns attention.
The House
AwshalAwshal is a Riyadh-based perfume house that connects contemporary fragrance composition with stories drawn from the Arabian Peninsula and wider regions encountered along historic trade routes. The house is associated with Oman through its collection narrative and presents its fragrances through evocative names such as Bois d'Aksum, Fou d'Amour and Caravanes d'Encens. Its first documented fragrance portfolio consists of ten releases introduced in 2024. Public information about the house remains limited, so its identity is best understood through this initial collection and the recurring themes of resin, wood, spice and atmosphere that give the perfumes their sense of place.
The Creator
Fabrice PellegrinPellegrin's style often leans towards a bright, fresh feel, frequently incorporating citrus notes and clean musks. He's known for his skill in creating light and airy fragrances, yet with surprising depth and longevity.
