The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Paolo Terenzi's Leonis I starts with a contradiction. Davana opens sweet and anise-heavy, then almost immediately reveals a bitter, slightly dusty edge that most perfumers would try to smooth away. Paolo didn't. The davana's bitter heart sits at the center of this fragrance, held in place by Italian saffron and black pepper. Brazilian orange brings brightness at the very start, but the davana doesn't let it linger long. This is an Assoluto composition, the house's most theatrical concentration, and Leonis I earns that name.
The result is a warm-spicy fragrance that refuses to behave like one. The opening is challenging. The heart is rich, resinous, and animalic. The base, ambergris, sandalwood, benzoin, bourbon vanilla, lingers for hours. What's unusual is the coherence of that arc. The davana's bitter quality runs through the entire composition like a thread, connecting the bright opening to the warm, smoky drydown. Most fragrances with this many materials feel assembled. Leonis I feels decided.
The evolution
The first ten minutes are the davana show. Bright orange and anise give way quickly to its bitter, almost medicinal core. Black pepper and saffron arrive together, adding heat that reads as sharp rather than sweet. The davana doesn't soften, it intensifies. Within 20 minutes, the heart takes over. Cambodian oud, Jordan myrrh, and Omani frankincense create a dense, candlelit atmosphere. Jasmine sambac adds a creaminess that keeps it from becoming brutal. This phase lasts two to three hours, rich, warm, and theatrical. Then the base does what the base does. Ambergris adds animalic depth without aggression. Australian sandalwood and benzoin create warmth that feels skin-close. Bourbon vanilla adds sweetness, but the benzoin keeps it resinous rather than dessert-like. What remains after ten-plus hours isn't a single note, it's the warm, smoky, slightly animalic conversation between all four base materials. The kind of scent that stays on a collar, a scarf, skin you didn't expect to be there.
Cultural impact
Leonis I arrived in 2024 as part of Tiziana Terenzi's Assoluto collection, representing the house's most concentrated formulations. The fragrance arrives at a moment when niche perfumery has embraced bolder, more confrontational profiles, fragrances that refuse to recede into background noise. Davana, an herb from the artemisia family, has become a signature material for those seeking distinctive openings, and Leonis I places it front and center alongside saffron and black pepper. This composition speaks to a growing segment of enthusiasts who want fragrance to make a statement, to announce arrival rather than whisper.
