Zen (new) (2007)
by Shiseido

Shiseido Zen (amber cube-shaped bottle):

Top notes are grapefruit, bergamot, peach, pineapple and blue rose; mid notes include freesia, gardenia, red apple, violet, lily of the valley, hyacinth, rose from China and lotus flower; base notes include patchouli, cedar, musk, white musk, amber, incense and marine plant. The "blue rose" note is an imaginary abstract note based on rose and violet and freshened by a lemony note, as perfumer Michel Almairac explained for the original Zen. (from Scented Salamander)

The grapefruit is most prominent in the top notes--a clean, non-sulfuric citrus scent combined with a note that smells sort of like watermelon. I suppose the listed notes of peach and pineapple can evoke a watery, generic fruit note, but to me it still smells like watermelon! There is an ingredient in this fragrance which hints at woody herbs--in fact, it has a vague ammonia note, the one I often smell in fougeres. It is subtle here, thank goodness. The herbal note gives the fragrance a bit of a green, scrubby edge, but it is definitely not bordering on masculine by any means. As the mid notes develop, I also smell something slightly ozonic, and to my surprise, it is completely at home here, not off-putting in any way. What a difference it makes to have a note coming out right on cue and in a context that allows the note to actually WORK. For some reason, the sour, wet fruit notes combined with woody herbs and ozone reminds me of Chanel Allure Sensuelle, except that in the latter case, I feel almost as if the top notes were tacked onto a base that was developed for a completely separate fragrance. Not so with Zen, although I can't say that Zen's base is particularly special, either. Perhaps a comparison to Chanel Coco Mademoiselle might be a bit more apt, although I find that Zen is such a simplistic thing compared to Coco Mlle.

The middle development of Zen is long and linear. Most of the grapefruit is lost, but the anonymous peach keeps plucking away until the fragrance turns into a very high quality "dryer sheet" soap scent. Estee Lauder, eat your heart out--Zen is soft, pleasant, a bit boring, and it does not give me a headache like most of the EL white floral offerings do. It does strike me as strange that a fragrance containing so many floral ingredients can smell so much of soap, though. I'd say Zen is as soapy as Prada Infusion d'Iris but without the lovely refinement that I enjoy in the Prada fragrance. Longevity is surprisingly long--in a separate wearing, three sprays shared between two arms lasted all day and it was still strongly perceptible the next morning.

Shisedo Zen Summer (white cube-shaped bottle):

Top notes: lemon, cedrat, apple, grapefruit, peach, blackcurrant; heart notes: freesia, gardenia, blue rose, lily of the valley, lotus bloom; base notes: raspberry, cedar, musk, amber. The "blue rose" note is an imaginary abstract note based on rose and violet and freshened by a lemony note, as perfumer Michel Almairac explained for the original Zen. (from Scented Salamander)

The summer edition of Zen opens with a sweet fruit melange--I smell mostly peach (or nectarine) and grapefruit, with the emphasis on the peach. Because of the grapefruit, the peach does not become a sweet, fuzzy or ripe fruit, but rather smells watery, refreshing and slightly green. Compared to Zen, which puts less emphasis on the fruit and more emphasis on the woods and soapy florals, Zen Summer's peach fruit stays present through most of the development, even into the soft, soapy drydown. I was surprised that this fragrance actually reminds me of Shiseido's Energizing Fragrance which does not list any fruit notes (that I could find). However, Zen Summer is not as uplifting nor as complex as EF. This is not to say EF is terribly complex, but it is a bit scary that a fragrance I originally though of as straight-forward seems more interesting than this newer composition. Perhaps Zen as a concept is supposed to be minimal, but I hardly think that means the fragrance must be insipid. At any rate, it is enjoyable enough. I thought I would like it better than Zen (in the amber cube-shaped bottle), but it did not turn out that way. Regardless, Zen Summer is very fresh, light, makes very little statement, and lacks any semblance of personality. Longevity is excellent--two sprays lasted all day in a previous wearing.

I love this fragrance, it's heady and sweet and very long lasting, all of which tick my boxes. I find it less woody then most, and perhaps the Patchouli wood is what I find most dominant in the base, instead I find the Freesia and Hyacinth predominate. I also find a kind of tangy Incense odour remains on my skin and clothing for days even after only a small application. It interacts deliciously with other fragrances also, and i imagine this is because of Shiseido's commitment to such high quality materials. I can't believe how reasonable it is in price considering.

I'm a fan of woody and musk scent so i love this fragrance. It has nice woody, musk smell...so sophisticated. And it lasts for so many hours.

I just tried this the other day. Without knowing what are in it, I just love the opening combination of juicy fruit. And it'won't take long until I can smell white musk and incense.

I'm not very good in discribing the note-thing. But I agree with you, Scentsitivity, that this one is a "decent fragrance for a lady"

I was surprised to find no one else has reviewed the most recent incarnation of Zen. Before getting to the fragrance, I would note the hype from Shiseido’s USA website (link: http://www.sca.shiseido.com/catalog/index.cfm?brand=15), which tells us that it is “scientifically created to produce calming brain wave patterns that occur during Zen meditation” and categorizes it as a “Floral Spiritual Woody” (one of the craziest classifications I have ever heard of). I would like to see test data on the brain wave patterns. For myself, I can say that I felt a greater than typical level of anxiety while testing Zen, and no, I do not blame Zen for it! I do find this type of marketing to be a turn off.

To the fragrance itself, it boasts ingredients including “water hyacinth, gentian, Eastern moss, bamboo, violet, iris and Asian Kyara wood,” doubtless to convey its oriental roots. Instead of thinking of it as a “floral spiritual woody”, I would characterize it as a “light floral woody”, very feminine and pleasant. If you like light floral scents, Zen may work for you. I think it is a decent fragrance for a lady.