Bahiana (2005)
by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier

I wrote before that this is really not so special, and that EL Bronze Goddess covers this genre nicely for a fair price. However, after wearing SJP Covet and Realities Sweet Desire fairly recently (two very common frags, not noted for the quality of their ingredients), I must raise my opinion of Bahiana. I still think Bahiana is not a stellar fragrance, but it is a high quality as far as I can tell. It is a nice citrus/tropical floral with wood notes in the base. I could put it in the same family as all the light woody scents I have tried in the last couple of months (EL Sensuous, EL Bronze Goddess Kenzo Amour, Kenzo Peace, Lancome Magnifique, etc.). Bahiana is worthy of this category, but maybe not better. Still, if you do not want to smell like all the other Bronze Goddesses and have the budget, Bahiana could be a good choice.

From the notes, I thought I was going to like this a lot, but I'm a little disappointed. The opening is an attractive fruit medley, but a syrupy note develops quickly, and it reminds me strongly of a certain brand of "tropical fruit salad" from childhood. I also get a strong note of something I can't quite put my finger on, but reminds me of a certain type of sweet that was/is sold in the UK under the name of "dolly mixtures". It might be the coconut that does it.

I read somewhere that this fragrance is marketed at "the younger woman" - I find it wearable as unisex but only just. It's a bit too sugary for me - a trace of tartness would have bucked this up a bit.

Bahiana is a fragrance that, on paper, is meant for me as I typically like most zesty citrusy fragrances (Creed Virgin Island Water, Frederic Malle's Bigarade Concentree, etc..). I also have a lot of respect for the MPG line in general and think that they have some of the most beautiful perfume bottles around. Bahiana's translucent lime green cut glass bottle with its exquisite bejeweled cap is mighty fine.

However (didn't you know it was going to come to this?), I cannot get my head around Bahiana's weird buttered popcorn middle note! The top note is the obligatory rush of lime but then it morphs into this bizarre buttery, salty popcorn smell that is just not pleasant or wearable. I have tried this perfume 3 separate times and in each case, the popcorn note comes trotting out after about 15 minutes. Maybe they were trying to replicate a margarita scent in which case they should leave that to the good folks at Philosophy. So that I can end this review on a positive note, I should point out that Bahiana's base note is a pleasant enough little floral.

Here are Bahiana's notes per The Perfumed Court: Brazilian orange, lemon, tagetes, yellow mandarin, green leaf, rosewood, gaiac wood, amber, musk, coconut and elemi.

Dry, herbal and spicy. Very nice! Clean and fresh, like Mugler Cologne with a sweet note in it that makes your confident that your odor with not of end any one around you nor will wil make them jump into your bed. Worth the price? Possibly. It does last a good while. This is quality.

Notes: Brazilian orange, caipirinha limon, mandarin, tagette, green leaf, rosewood, gaiac wood, elemi, amber, musk, coconut

My, I'm just astounded that I'm the first one reviewing this fragrance! Is it that much of a sleeper? Oh well, that suits me just fine - I'll keep it for myself.

With listed notes like mandarin and coconut, I feared this might be a pina colada for the skin. Surprise! The opening is tropical fruit alright, but the accord comes off more like ripe mango, guava, and perhaps even a bit of passionfruit, rather than suntan lotion. Soon after application I found a buttery-smooth woody note welling up under the fruit. Could it be sandalwood? Checking the notes, I decide it must be the rosewood and gaiac at Bahiana's heart. And a beautifully handled wood it is! It blends with the bone-dry coconut note to form a warm cushion for the exotic fruits.

This is indeed tropical, and strictly for summertime. That said, Bahiana is the richest, most complex, and most lasting fruit fragrance I've encountered in a long time. It persisits for at least 6 or 8 hours on me, with a lingering amber, musk, and wood drydown just lightly touched with fruit esters. How MPG gets those citrus notes to last so long is beyond me, but I'm certainly not going to complain. There may well be a bottle in my future...

Thank you, MPG.

An excellent, fresh, feel-good scent – a trifle exotic because of the orange and coconut, but actually a person doesn’t have to be in Tahiti or Cancun to feel comfortable wearing it. There is a subtle aromatic element shadowing the sweet fruity accord that adds a seriousness that is not the usual direction of a tropical favored fragrance – not that the scent is serious, but it does show much more refinement, definition, and depth – quality – than the usual fruity cocktail. I think the aromatic element I’m referring to is the gaiac wood or perhaps the combination of gaiac wood and rosewood; the woods are certainly an important element that keeps this Bahiana sophisticatedly grounded while the fruity notes are doing their fun thing. This is a wonderfully enjoyable scent and a comfortable wear. It more than meets the expectations I have for MPG scents: high quality components, excellent balance and refinement, good sillage, and excellent longevity. Often labeled as a women’s fragrance but don’t you believe it. Basenotes is right: Bahiana is totally unisex.