Kristina

What makes this composition distinctive is how Paolo handles the green tea and iris together, two materials that could easily cancel each other out. Instead, they create a kind of aromatic pause. The citrus shouts, then stops. What fills the silence is cool, slightly bitter, unexpectedly powdery. Blackcurrant adds a tartness that keeps the florals from going too soft. The galbanum in the base contributes a green quality that threads through the development. Patchouli and sandalwood provide the warmth that lets the whole thing settle into skin rather than float above it.

The evolution

The opening is immediate and bright. Bergamot and grapefruit arrive together, tart enough to register as almost sharp. Green mandarin adds a citrusy complexity that keeps it from being straightforward. Thirty minutes in, the citrus begins its slow retreat. Green tea appears, not as a note you're meant to identify, but as a cooling effect that slows everything down. Iris follows, powdery and soft, almost violet-adjacent. Blackcurrant provides tartness without sweetness. By hour two, the citrus is gone. What remains is green tea's coolness, iris powder, and the faintest suggestion of blackcurrant. The base takes over slowly. Galbanum's green quality persists longer than expected, keeping the drydown from going fully warm. Sandalwood and musk arrive together, creating a skin-like warmth that doesn't project as much as it lingers. Patchouli grounds everything.