The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Ibn Dhi Yazan enters Victoria Perfumes' 2023 collection as a unisex fragrance from Sfean J.A. Bergamot, elemi, pink pepper, and patchouli create a vivid first impression, combining a bright citrus lift with a darker, earthy undertone. The heart settles into Cashmere wood, guaiac wood, cardamom, and amber, where warm grain meets spice and a soft resinous glow. In the base, leather and oud lend depth, while vanilla and white musk round the composition with sweetness and skin-like softness. The result is a scent built on contrast, pairing polished brightness with dense, woody materials.
What makes Ibn Dhi Yazan compelling is its tension between polished warmth and darker materials. Cashmere wood softens the composition, but patchouli, pink pepper, and guaiac wood keep it from becoming gentle. Amber appears twice in the pyramid, joining spice and wood at the heart before returning in the base. Leather, oud, vanilla, and white musk complete that contrast: dense and resinous, yet dressed in sweetness and soft musk. Each group of notes holds its own character while sharing a common woody backbone, so the fragrance reads as layered rather than flat.
The evolution
The opening begins with a brisk collision of pink pepper, bergamot, elemi, and patchouli. Pepper gives it an alert edge, while patchouli introduces a dark, earthy depth. Bergamot and elemi keep the opening polished rather than heavy, with a clean gleam cutting through the smoke. As those facets settle, the composition turns toward Cashmere wood, guaiac wood, cardamom, and amber, replacing brightness with warm grain, spice, and resinous glow. Eventually leather, oud, vanilla, white musk, and the returning amber take over. The result is intimate and controlled, with the bright opening giving way to a warmer, woodier signature that carries through the drydown.
Cultural impact
Ibn Dhi Yazan belongs to Victoria Perfumes' 2023 collection, a lineup that also includes fragrances named Julius Caesar, Ramesses I, and Gorm. What distinguishes this release is its own note architecture, pairing pink pepper and bergamot with patchouli, woods, spice, amber, leather, and oud. Its place among those titles rests on the composition itself, where bright citrus and pepper sit against a dense, warm base of leather, oud, vanilla, and white musk.
The House
Victoria PerfumesVictoria Perfumes is an Italian fragrance house shaped by historical figures and the world of kings, warriors, and poets. Its catalogue includes Julius Caesar, Ramesses I, Ibn Dhi Yazan, Joan of Arc, Nicholas II, and Embla, alongside names such as Al Mundhir, Langobardi, Gorm, and Oden. Every fragrance released in 2023 carries a distinct narrative, inviting wearers to encounter scent as a portrait of character rather than a simple accessory. The house occupies a distinctive niche within niche perfumery, drawing on episodes from the past and turning them into personal olfactory experiences. With a collection built around historical protagonists and a name that evokes both Queen Victoria and an Italian identity, Victoria Perfumes presents fragrance as a meeting point between memory, mythology, and individual style.
The Creator
Sfean J.A.Sfean's signature lies in the careful balance of contrast: warm materials meeting cool ones, bright top notes yielding to deeper bases that unfold over hours on the skin. The preference runs toward natural materials whenever possible, with a particular affinity for resins, woo…
