African Queen Pink Panther
by AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo

My first impression of this was, “Holy mother of God! This smells great!” Then it was “Wait a second, what the &*#! is this?” Since then, I've worn African Queen Pink Panther (AQPP) numerous times, and have come to the conclusion that AQPP is simply “Strange and beautiful.”

AQPP starts off with a bit of tart and mouth watering mandarin, which soon burns off to reveal a combination of Buchu (which provides a strange minty/cat-pee-like note) and Karo Karounde (a flower that smells a bit like flowery leather, but also smells a bit of feet). I’m sure there are other supporting notes, although my nose isn’t well trained enough to isolate them. Overall, AQPP smells like minty, citrusy human skin, glistening with sweat.

In my description above, I mention minty cat pee and flowery feet, and it's because it’s totally necessary to do so – I simply have no other way to describe this fragrance. At the same time, it doesn’t smell like pee or feet per se – while Kouros smells a bit like a urinal, AQPP actually smells fresh, clean and alive. I’ve spoken to Salaam about the minty cat pee note, and he's informed me that this is because Buchu (a member of the mint family) mimics some of the pheromones found in pee and sweat – thus, it makes for an incredibly sensual fragrance note, reminiscent of minty sweat (and, erhh cat pee). Don't get me wrong though, I love this stuff.

AQPP is the type of fragrance that is teetering on a thin line between fantastic and off-putting, although the balance is so impeccable that it is totally wearable (although its still very eccentric). I'm still too much of a wuss to wear this outside of the house, but I can't deny that AQPP is unique, well constructed and always an enjoyable intrigue to smell.

As for longevity and sillage, AQPP doesn't project very loudly, yet it's definitely noticeable. It doesn't last longer than a few hours either, but for an all natural perfume, those are great feats.

If AQPP is not animalic enough for your fancy, Salaam has also created another fragrance named African Queen BLACK Panther. AQBP is basically the same as AQPP, except it's even more raw, sensual and human-like, with the mandarin note being no longer present. Both African Queens are great, but I prefer the Pink to the Black, as it's a little more playful and less bold.

8.5/10

The initial top notes smell mainly of citrus, orange, mandarine or tangerine, with supporting ripe fruit notes of apricot or peach. Having smelled the single note karo karounde, I recognize this ripe fruit note as the KK floral. On paper, this fragrance has a very persistent and off-putting gasoline note in the mid development. On skin, this is less pronounced, and smells more of a pungent, oily evergreen such as cypress. As the green note develops, the fragrance composition takes on a sweaty quality, almost like a combination bad body odor and urine. This stage does not last terribly long on my skin--the BO quality soon attenuates, and starts developing into a softened evergreen with sweet indolic floral and lingering citrus. Eventually, the karo karounde moves into an overripe fruit stage as I also perceived in the single note--it is sweet fruits and melons on the verge of going bad, and it has a fermented and sligtly meaty quality. The citrus changes significantly, and in this stage adds a tiny bit of sulfuric harshness which is also reminiscent of urine. In the drydown, the overripe fruit becomes quite sweet, but not cloying, and the fragrance as a whole takes on a soft powdery quality.

I must admit, I was really quite afraid to try AQPP on skin. The gasoline scent I smelled on paper was so incredibly harsh and revolting that I did not want it on my body. Now it is clear that this fragrance is one of those that has a very different personality on the skin. I actually find it relatively pleasant, even if it seems to be more of a conceptual composition rather than a daily wear fragrance. In fact, the AQPP drydown is quite gorgeous--soft and sweet fruit with a hint of dry powder and spice. The more challenging part is definitely the mid development when the green notes add an animalic harshness that is simultaneously disgusting and alluring.