The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Camp du Félicité: 2023 is a composition from The Dua Brand, composed by perfumer Mahsam Raza. The brand's own description sets the scene clearly: a campfire beneath a starry sky, smoky oak wrapping around you like the last night of summer. Raza built the 2023 edition around that same image, deepening the gourmand backbone while keeping the woodsmoke front and center. The result is a fragrance that leans into texture, where roasted marshmallow and coffee liqueur share space with the dry, resinous character of smoked oak. It reads as a deliberate return to that campfire scene, built with intention. The woods run through every phase of the wear, never retreating into the background, while the sweet notes provide a sticky, almost edible counterpoint.
What sets this composition apart is the refusal to separate the sweet from the smoke. The smoked oak runs through the heart, meeting maple syrup and honey at full volume, while roasted marshmallow and coffee liqueur carry the sticky, charred sweetness that defines a real fire. Wholemeal biscuit and cacao pull it toward something almost edible. Tonka bean and amber finish the job, lending the drydown a soft balsamic hum.
The evolution
The first spray lands like stepping closer to the fire. Coffee liqueur and roasted marshmallow hit immediately, warm and almost boozy, with chocolate underneath softening the edges. Maple arrives within minutes, sweet but not cloying, joined by honey that keeps the sweetness from going flat. As the opening settles, the smoked oak surfaces. It doesn't replace the gourmand heart, it weaves through it, turning what started as a dessert plate into something that smells like the wood it was cooked over. The toasted notes fade first, giving way to the oak, the amber, and a quiet thread of tonka bean that stays warm and close. The next morning, what lingers on skin is a soft, smoky sweetness, more memory than statement. Sillage holds its presence without announcing itself.
Cultural impact
The campfire metaphor runs through every layer of Camp du Félicité: 2023, shaping how the notes interact and how the fragrance wears over time. Wearers tend to be people who want their fragrance to feel lived-in, something that brings a setting with it rather than simply announcing itself. The woods and the gourmand elements work together to create that sense of place, pulling the wearer toward a specific kind of memory. It's a fragrance that asks you to settle in, to let the smoke and the sweetness do the talking. The composition rewards patience, revealing more of itself the longer it sits on skin, and the longer you spend with it.
