Altaro by Body Shop, 2004

A nice, quiet, hanging out at home with a book scent. Not really a full oriental, more of an aromatherapy scent, but very pleasant and soothing.

Altaro is the oriental-type entry in the "invent your scent" range. It's basically okay but bottom line - if it's an oriental you seek, you might as well go for the real thing (take your pick, from a classic like Vol de Nuit or Shalimar all the way to the newest variations on Opium) because this is just a little too anemic to do the classification justice. It tries hard but is just lacking the body, the substance, the oomph that makes orientals so indelible. There is spiciness here, and the requisite vanillic sweetness, but the basic absence of floral midnotes is what makes you realize just why florals are such a key part of an oriental composition. It's not as though they're the stars of the show, but the supporting roles they play are so key. An adequate dose of rose in Altaro would have made all the difference, I believe. Add to that a jarring opening, one that errs on the side of harshness with a Dentyne-esque blast of chemically cinnamon, and you have a scent not worth purchasing in my book. I'll save my money for some of the range's other better selections.