The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Dulcis Nectar belongs to The Merchant of Venice's NECTARS COLLECTION, a line built around highly concentrated oil formulations. The collection centers on oil-based compositions, translating the idea of an ancient perfumed unguentum into a modern key. Dulcis Nectar fits that brief with iris, cardamom, labdanum, and costus meeting in a contemporary register. Véronique Nyberg composed the 2024 release, which markets as a unisex oriental-spicy fragrance through Mavive S.P.A. The oil format gives the composition a dense, skin-close quality from the first application, almost like an unctuous balm that warms on contact rather than a conventional spray.
What's unusual here is the tension between green spice and ancient resin. Cardamom and cinnamon leaf open with a sharp, almost bitter heat, then broom absolute adds a hay-and-honey facet that softens the edges. Labdanum and opoponax bring the sticky, ambered warmth typically reserved for much heavier compositions. Iris threads through the heart, giving the drydown a powdery, violet-like lift that keeps the whole thing from collapsing into pure incense. The myrrh and Orcanox™ in the base ground everything in a smoky, long-lasting finish that behaves like old church resin with a modern finish.
The evolution
The opening is sharp and almost aggressive. Cardamom hits first, dry and green, then cinnamon leaf layers in a kind of dusty warmth, with broom absolute lending a sweet, hay-like facet that softens the initial burn. The top notes settle quickly, and the iris in the heart begins to surface, not as a clean powdery iris but as something earthier, almost root-like, sitting between labdanum and opoponax. The two resins bring a dark amber weight, slightly medicinal, slightly sweet. As the composition moves into its drydown, the character shifts decisively. Myrrh and Orcanox™ take over, producing a smoky, almost fossilized resin character. The iris doesn't vanish; it recedes into a faint violet-ash trace that gives the base unexpected lift.
Cultural impact
Dulcis Nectar sits at the intersection of heritage Italian perfumery and modern oriental-spicy composition. The NECTARS COLLECTION framing positions it within a lineage of oil-based fragrances rather than mainstream designer releases, treating the concentrated format as a deliberate aesthetic choice rather than a niche curiosity. The composition's resin-heavy structure, anchored by labdanum, opoponax, and myrrh, places it in conversation with classical oriental perfumery, while the iris-and-cardamom combination gives it a contemporary edge that separates it from older, heavier resin-dominant works.
