Bon Zai (2001)
by Ayala Moriel

At first I thought it smelled like juniper and pine; by the end of the day it was rosemary. A tiby bit of lemon verbena, wood, and vetiver. No rose. Overall I liked it.

Bon Zai is interesting, but I am of mixed mind about it. I love the dry-down, which is one of the most satisfying sandalwood-vetiver combos I’ve encountered. It is beautiful! The wood is sandalwood, not agarwood as indicated above. Getting to the finish line is another matter. Nothing problematic in the journey, but it was not what I expected. The opening is very fruity (tangerine), and then it quickly shifts to a kind of toasty, baked-good aspect. Some have called that like hay or grass, but I think it is the shiso oil which apparently can be like sesame. I don’t find this to be a green or spicy scent at all. Nor do I detect any cedar or juniper notes. Verbena or rose likewise are not readily apparent, at least to me. So kudos for the last phase, but I’m neutral on the initial phases.

I tried this because I was curious about shiso. It smells herbal, live and green, spicy and delectable. It pairs nicely with evergreen notes; therefore, it is presented with cedar and juniper. Tangerine leads the way into this fragrance and gives is a citrus edge, along with lemony verbena. Woody vetiver is apparent in the base. Overall, the fragrance is a bit too light for me. It is the scent of the needles and the wood of the tree, but not much below the trunk. I wonder if more earthy patchouli would allow this little tree to grow. But then, it would no longer be a miniature bonsai.

Bon Zai opens with citrus and a beautiful green note that reminds me of freshly cut hay. The green note lingers as some woods and a very dry rose emerge in an accord that's clean, yet without any of the irritating cheap and "chirpy" quality that mars so many modern "fresh" scents. Vetiver is clearly detectable in the base, as is a very modest oud note. I believe that it's the medicinal side of oud that gives Bon Zai its suave freshness, while the very rounded vetiver lies behind the grassy quality.

Bon Zai is an original fragrance that works like a crisp breeze on the senses, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's looking for a new summer scent. Very enjoyable.