Kashâya (1994)
by Kenzo

Notes: apricot, tangerine, jasmine, orchid, tuberose, carnation, sandalwood, amber, vanilla, musk (OsMoz.com).

It takes work for me to get past Kashâya’s bubblegum and tropical “froot” top notes. They may have smelled exotic in 1994, but today they veer dangerously close to the adolescent mass market fruity floral cliché. With 100% Love, Yvresse, Jaïpur, and Calyx, perfumer Sophia Grojsman has made brash, plainly artificial, fruity top notes something of a calling card. In some cases – notably Yvresse and Calyx – they support an uplifting sweet accord that feels like a bath of olfactory sunshine. In others, say 100% Love, they take on an jarring chemical quality that fights with everything around them. While it holds together better than some of Grojsman’s more cacophonous arrangements, Kashâya comes across as a little bit bland.

With its lactonic fruity floral heart accord, its powdery vanillic amber, and its overall marshmallow olfactory texture, Kashâya is a close variation on the Yvresse formula, and a partial precursor to the lactonic fruity chypre idea that Aurélien Guichard has explored so successfully in Chinatown, Azzaro Couture, and Baghari. But where Yvresse reveals a mossy, chypre-like sweet base note accord, Kashâya aims east to arrive at a more resinous, balsamic oriental drydown. The result is a somewhat smoother, darker, and more rounded composition than Yvresse, but without the earlier scent’s distinctive effervescence. I can understand the affection some have for this scent, but with plenty of near analogues on the market I can also see how it drifted into obscurity.

24th January, 2010.

Kashaya suspiciously smells like a twin sister of Lagerfeld's Sun Moon Stars. Did a little search and found out they were both created by perfumer Sophia Grosjman. Guess what else, they were each created in 1994 - or at least launched in '94. Another coincidence is the list of fragrance notes for each:

Kashaya-

Bergamot, Clementine, Apricot, Hyacinth, Wild Rose
Jasmine, YlangYlang, Muguet, Cattleya, Coriander, Plum
Incense, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Amber, Musk

Sun Moon Stars-

Peach, Mandarin, Freesia, Waterlily, White Cloud Rose
Heliotrope, Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Narcisse
Sandalwood, Amber, Musk

Hmmmmm, Fruity/Green floral/Rose variation/Indolic whites/Sandalwood-Amber-Musk. Sort of leaves me scratching my head. From reading these fragrance notes my mind would probably never have put them together (as being essentially the same)...but my nose does not lie! They are twins ~ even if fraternal, this discovery is actually disappointing. I do like this fragrance, as well as the Lagerfeld, but will give it a neutral to reflect my attitude about fragrance cloning. I just feel duped.

25th November, 2008.

Seems like it been discotinued or difficult to find.
I could say was the first oiental perfume from the company:

Bergamot, Clementine, apricot, hyachinth, wild rose, jasmine, ylang- ylang, muguet, cattleya, coriander seeds, plum, musk, incense, vanilla, sandalwood, amber.

23rd June, 2007.