Acqua Santa / Holy Water
by AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo

Notes: sandalwood, incense, rose

On paper, Holy Water smells of strong frankincense right away. The frankincense is resinous and slightly sweet with an almost-but-not-quite lemon quality to it. It definitely smells watery in an abstract way, and after the frankincense settles, I smell orange and a subtle woody base. The orange fades leaving faint wood, but it also has that edge that faded citrus oils get. Thankfully, it is well masked by the woody base note.

On skin, I smell lemony, woody frankincense with hints of tar and soft evergreen. I think there must also be some other citrus in this fragrance, as it smells quite a bit more fruity than I usually notice in pure frankincense essential oil. As the fragrance dries, I smell something like a tropical flower such as ylang ylang, but it is subtle and short lived. The floral component is a bit heady but not overpowering, and it gives some sweetness and softness to the frankincense. As I have stated above, there is a watery quality to this fragrance, but it is not aquatic or ozonic, nor does it smell of sea water. The notes state that rose is in this blend--this does start to come out more as the fragrance develops. It is not the liquor-like rose I am used to from my own rose absolute, but rather is an ethereal, cloud-like tea rose scent, very light and refined. I must admit, I have attempted this same accord with completely different results. Still, I love how rose, frankincense and sandalwood work together, even though at the moment I can't yet detect the sandalwood.

The rose fades in the latter parts of the middle drydown, and I smell a bit of an ammonia note which I often detect in modern, partly synthetic fougeres. I suspect that it is an evergreen note that I am hyperosmic to. Holy Water definitely has an aromatic herbal side to it, so if it contains pine, cypress, or maybe even some lavender, this could be the culprit. The ammonia note is not overly strong, and it eventually dies down. I can eventually smell the sandalwood in the deep drydown--it is faintly woody, sweet, nutty and a little creamy. My (very old) essential oil is quite similar to this. It is easily overpowered by other notes, so it is great when it finally can show itself!

Acqua Santa does not smell aquatic, yet there something wet about it, or maybe stone-like. I'm not expert in cyphering the nuances of the incenses, but that's the other element in play here. It sounds like I'm describing Messe de Minuit, and I wish I had a sample of MdM around so I could give you a fair comparison. Perhaps someone else can comment on that.

Wonderfully uplifting and inspiring - this composition of all naturals is oustandingly beautiful. A powerful incense with full happy orange blossom, rose and santal. This sings a song of pure joy, but never frivolity. It knows that true conentment has deep roots underpinning its branches of plenty, and never dominates or burdens but guides gently and supports firmly.

It is only with you for a short time, but long enough to deliver its lingering ghost of frankincense which remains to remind.

Pofumo is a perfumer of great integrety, with his perfumes you get to smell only the real thing. His conviction transfers deep into his work and leaves me with a feeling of substance and physical reality which almost has its own gravitational pull.