The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Universum arrived in 2025 from Brocard, a Russian fragrance house. The composition sits inside a lineage of compositions built on indulgent single-note concepts, this one anchored entirely around cherry. That central fruit is rendered three different ways across the opening alone, then softened and deepened by rose, jasmine, and a balsamic base that recalls old confectionery. The fragrance belongs to the brand's Selective collection, a curated grouping of more directional releases. On first spray, the cherry trio behaves almost like ingredients on a pastry station, each pulling a slightly different register: one for brightness, one for that faintly bitter, almond-kissed undertone, and one for the boozy depth of steeped fruit.
What makes Universum interesting is the discipline behind its sweetness. Three cherry expressions open the composition (black cherry for flesh, cherry liqueur for soaked depth, and the sharp edge of bitter almond that stops it from becoming one-dimensional) before Turkish rose and jasmine sambac arrive to add floral lift. The base (Peru balsam and tonka bean) handles the drydown with a sticky, almost resinous warmth. The fragrance is classified as Oriental Vanilla, but the gourmand reading never overpowers the florals. That restraint is the point.
The evolution
The first fifteen minutes are dense and almost boozy, cherry liqueur poured over bitter almond with the precision of a confectioner's piping bag. Black cherry adds fruit weight underneath, slightly syrupy, slightly sour, and that almond note threads through everything like a marzipan filling hiding inside the fruit. As the opening relaxes, the Turkish rose surfaces, and the composition breathes out, softening the boozy edge with something cooler and more rounded. Jasmine sambac follows close behind, giving the heart a creamy, almost sunscreen-like lift that contrasts the dark opening and keeps the sweetness from feeling heavy. The florals hold comfortably through the middle of the wear, gradually giving way as the base starts to assert itself.
Cultural impact
Universum entered the Brocard Selective line in 2025 as a cherry-led composition that leans into the gourmand side of oriental perfumery. Its triple cherry construction, built from black cherry, bitter almond, and cherry liqueur, treats the fruit as a full structure rather than a single accent, with the almond element supplying a marzipan-like shadow underneath the juicier top notes. The base extends that sweetness into balsamic and resinous territory through Peru balsam and tonka, which together create the confectionery undertone that anchors the drydown.
