The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Xenom named this 2020 creation "Il Mio Cuore", Italian for "my heart", and meant it literally. The unseen human soul is the spirit life that defines the person carrying it. This is the perfumer's own scent, designed to represent himself. Vanilla and florals open, a musky core holds steady, and the longevity is something he takes genuine pride in. It's personal in a way that most commercial fragrances aren't, not a statement, not a mood, just a self.
The blackcurrant is the quiet differentiator. Where most floral-vanilla compositions lean fully into sweetness, this adds a tart, almost wine-like brightness that keeps everything from going powdery. The jasmine stays natural and creamy, not indolic, not heavy, and the rose reads more as a honeyed warmth than a florist's note. Together, the five materials avoid the trap of smelling composed. It smells considered.
The evolution
The blackcurrant arrives first, tart, bright, almost sharp against the vanilla. Within minutes the jasmine takes over, creamy and white, pushing the fruit into the background. The next several hours belong to the heart: jasmine and musk blend into something warm and skin-like, the rose adding a honeyed undertone without becoming obvious. Blackcurrant fades but doesn't disappear, it becomes part of the powder, a memory of tartness in a soft composition. The drydown is musk and vanilla, close and intimate, and it stays. Six to eight hours on most skin. Not a fragrance that fills a room. A fragrance that stays with you.
Cultural impact
The 2020 release found an audience among those who want a daily fragrance without the projection or occasion-specific weight of traditional orientals. Its floral-musk-vanilla structure echoes a lineage of accessible niche compositions, think MFK's approach to gender-neutral softness, but the blackcurrant note sets it apart. A tart, almost wine-like quality that keeps the sweetness from reading as generic. Wearers describe it as the scent of someone who walks into a room and doesn't need to announce themselves.
The House
Oud FactoryOud Factory is a niche perfume house founded in 2017, specializing in Oud-based fragrances with a distinct focus on the rare and aromatic heart of the agarwood tree. The house operates as an online-focused brand, offering a curated library of scents that draw from both Middle Eastern perfume traditions and broader olfactory influences. Their catalog spans from rich, resinous compositions to lighter, contemporary interpretations, reflecting a willingness to blend cultural and stylistic boundaries. The brand has built a collection that includes Japanese-inspired creations like Harukaze alongside Middle Eastern classics, suggesting an approach that values versatility alongside authenticity in oud craftsmanship.
The Creator
XenomXenom's signature techniques remain largely undisclosed, as is customary in an industry that guards its creative processes with unusual secrecy. What distinguishes skilled noses in this field is their ability to select ingredients with exceptional care and combine them in ways…
