The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Tempted By Sweets! arrived in 2023 from Mahsam Raza's workbench at The Dua Brand, a house with a catalog that spans oriental, gourmand, woody, and floral territory. Raza composed the fragrance as an extrait de parfum, and the concentration choice places it firmly in the realm of serious perfumery rather than casual cologne territory. The note list reads like a love letter to the oriental gourmand genre: tolu balsam brings warmth, ginger and saffron provide spice, and vanilla and tonka deliver the creamy sweetness that gives the composition its center of gravity. Together, these ingredients produce a scent that feels rich and considered, the kind of juice that announces itself when you walk into a room and lingers on every surface it touches. There's nothing shy about the way it wears.
What makes this composition interesting is the interplay between its sweet elements and its resinous backbone. Tonka bean and vanilla form the creamy foundation, while ginger and saffron introduce a spiced brightness that cuts through the richness. Beneath that warmth sits a base of styrax, tolu balsam, benzoin, and oud, layered with oak and cedar for additional depth. The fir balsam adds a green, almost coniferous quality that keeps the sweetness in check, preventing the composition from reading as one-dimensional.
The evolution
The opening is bright and immediate. Orange lifts the top while saffron and ginger bring warmth, the kind of spiced presence that fills a room without overwhelming it. Styrax and tolu balsam show up early in the development, lending a sticky, almost candied quality that reads more like spiced amber than confectionery sugar. As the composition progresses, jasmine sambac threads through the warmth, present but restrained, softening the sharper edges of the spices. The fir balsam introduces something cool and coniferous, a green thread that winds through the sweetness and keeps the composition from tipping into dessert territory. Vanilla dominates the heart of the wear. Bourbon vanilla and tonka bean swell together, creamy and full-bodied, while the resins beneath them thicken into something that reads closer to old wood and incense than pastry.
Cultural impact
Tempted By Sweets! draws on a familiar combination of saffron, ginger, and vanilla, ingredients that have become shorthand for warmth and richness in modern oriental perfumery. The resinous base, anchored by styrax, tolu balsam, benzoin, and oud, gives the composition a depth that separates it from simpler gourmand offerings. Fir balsam adds an unusual green dimension that keeps the sweetness from feeling one-note. The fragrance reads as approachable yet substantial, the kind of scent that works in cooler weather when heavier compositions feel most natural.
