The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Turbulent was composed by perfumer Roger Howell and released as part of Nick Ricardo Collection's early lineup. Howell built it as an ode to non-binary experience, naming it for the chaos and tempestuousness that frame lives lived without conventional boxes. The house positioned it as a portrait of strength found in that turbulence, not despite it. The scent carries no gender, a guiding principle the house returned to again and again in how Turbulent is presented and worn. The composition leans on materials that resist easy classification, amber and patchouli up top, geranium and labdanum at the heart, sandalwood and saffron underneath. Built for the wearer to assign their own meaning to it. What hits you first is the unusual move of putting amber up front.
The composition does something unusual with its opening. Amber, often a base note in traditional builds, sits at the top alongside patchouli and vanilla, which means the sweetness arrives before the spice does. That's a structural choice that rewires expectations. Here amber greets you at the door, then the myrrh and bergamot pull it toward something resinous and bright. Meanwhile, saffron in the base is a deliberate bet. It's expensive, polarizing, and unmistakable, placed underneath leather and sandalwood rather than letting it lead.
The evolution
The first thirty minutes are louder than the rest. Amber and vanilla arrive with a near-edible sweetness, but patchouli and myrrh pull the temperature down before it crosses into gourmand territory. By the one-hour mark, geranium and orange blossom emerge, adding a green-soapy lift that catches you off guard in a composition this heavy on resins. The floral phase is brief, maybe twenty minutes, but it earns the space. Around the three-hour mark, labdanum and tonka take over, and the whole thing settles into a warm, slightly powdery groove. Vetiver keeps it from going flat. The drydown is where saffron earns its keep. From hour four through six, leather and sandalwood deepen, and the saffron threads through like a slow ember. On fabric the next morning, it reads as warm skin and faint smoke, the trace of something that was louder than it is now.
Cultural impact
Turbulent appeals to wearers who want amber-saffron warmth without the marketing telling them who it's for. The fragrance presents its blend without leaning into conventional masculine or feminine cues, letting the materials speak on their own terms. That restraint shapes how Turbulent wears and how it's received. The amber opens the composition with a sweetness that doesn't read as traditionally femme. The patchouli grounds it without tipping into the smoky, heavy territory of classic masculines. Geranium at the heart keeps the whole thing balanced, adding a green floral edge that bridges the brighter opening and the deeper base.
