The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Christopher Sheldrake composed Quasar for Jesus del Pozo in 1994, a Madrid fashion house. The fragrance built a masculine composition around a tropical note, anchored with aromatic and woody elements throughout its structure. Sheldrake worked with banana leaf as a primary component, combining it with lavender, rosemary, sage, and geranium in the heart, grounded by a base of oakmoss, cedar, sandalwood, and patchouli. That combination creates a fragrance with a green, fresh tropical quality and an herbal character that develops throughout its structure. For those drawn to masculine fragrances with unusual tropical associations, Quasar is worth knowing.
Banana leaf opens the composition with a green, mineral quality rather than sweetness. As the banana note softens, herbal elements emerge: lavender and rosemary appear alongside geranium bringing a green-floral lift to the heart. Oakmoss and cedar in the base provide the foundation, ensuring the composition ends woody and mossy. The combination of tropical freshness with herbal and woody elements creates a distinctive masculine fragrance.
The evolution
The opening arrives green and immediate with banana leaf, mineral in quality. Herbs emerge as the banana softens: lavender and rosemary appear alongside geranium bringing a green-floral lift. Cedar and sandalwood with patchouli and oakmoss take over as the base develops. The drydown is mossy-woody, intimate, close to the skin. That tropical-fresh quality never quite becomes sweet.
Cultural impact
Quasar developed a devoted following. Christopher Sheldrake went on to work with Serge Lutens and developed numerous Shiseido fragrances. His facility with unusual combinations appears in his work with those houses. The banana note serves as a distinguishing element in Quasar, the component that sets it apart from more conventional masculine fragrances.
