The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Alberto Morillas and Annie Buzantian built Pleasures around a single provocation: what if freshness could last? The answer begins with clean-cut flowers, green stems, something almost aquatic in its clarity that hits the senses like morning air. The perfumers sourced Baie Rose for its exotic tingle, a subtle spice that sparks the top notes into life, and Karo Karounde, an unusual African bloom, to give the heart a distinctive floral warmth. Together these materials create a fragrance that feels both airy and intentional, a composition where each layer supports the next rather than competing for attention. The result is a scent that lingers without heaviness, freshness that feels considered rather than accidental.
Karo Karounde is the secret. It carries a spicy-floral warmth that reads as almost honeyed without sweetness, a quality that sets it apart from more conventional heart notes. Here it anchors the heart between peony and white lilac, two florals that often smell generic in combination. The Karo Karounde gives Pleasures its slight exotic edge, a subtle difference that transforms how the florals relate to each other. Add pink pepper at the edges and you get freshness with architecture, sharpness where it counts, softness where it matters. That's harder than it sounds.
The evolution
The opening hits cool and green. Violet leaf, the barest edge of tuberose, sharp, clean, like stems just snipped. Within minutes the lilac and peony arrive, layering into something dewy and intimate. The jasmine waits. So does the pink rose. They come in soft, not announcing themselves. The drydown is where Morillas and Buzantian earn the credit: a warm sandalwood-musky base that doesn't fade but settles, intimate and close. As the top notes soften, the heart florals deepen slightly, taking on a rounder quality that bridges nicely into the woody warmth below.
Cultural impact
Pleasures speaks to a particular moment in fragrance culture when wearers sought something different from the heavier scents of the time. The scent offers a fresh take on florals, using green and aquatic notes to create an airy quality that distinguishes it from more traditional floral fragrances. Its reception among consumers reflects an appreciation for subtlety, a floral that engages without overwhelming. The fragrance has found a lasting place among those who prefer their scents light and refined, suggesting a design philosophy that continues to resonate.
