Have you heard of Byredo, the Stockholm-based perfume house that was founded in 2006? It might not have been raved about too often, but trust me on this: if you like scents that are different and interesting, you’ll need to take a good look at it! Today I’m sharing their latest perfume creation, Black Saffron Eau de Parfum and Bohemia Fragranced Candle.
I planted some saffron crocus a couple of years ago, and this is one of the flowers I got. The spice comes from the dried crimson stigmas, and it must be collected by hand before sunrise (otherwise the flowers wilt). The founder of Byredo, Ben Gorham, is half Indian. He claims that saffron is a part of his Indian upbringing, as it is considered holy by the Hindus. Saffron has a bitter taste and hay-like scent, and it is used in various cuisines.
Byredo Black Saffron Eau de Parfum opens with a burst of pomelo. Pomelo is a large citrus fruit, and it is milder in taste than even grapefruit. It fades almost as soon as the alcohol evaporates, leaving a slight sweetness behind. The bitterness and depth of saffron as well as the freshness of juniper berry gradually begin to dominate the olfactory experience before it moves on to the heart notes.
Cristal Rose, leather, and black violet lie in the heart of this fragrance. Saffron still lingers in the background while the beautiful and floral components reveal themselves. The leather in there gives it a mellow edge. Despite the fact that Black Saffron is unisex, since the predominantly floral heart notes stay present for quite some time, I would say it is rather soft and feminine.
Right before the base notes come through, the heart notes calm down so much that I always think the perfume is going to wear off already. But no: a steady stream of blond Woods, raspberry, and vetiver keeps getting louder and louder until the fragrance reasserts its existence. I like to imagine the quieter part as the costume change during a concert. The woodiness of the base notes is spiced up by vetiver, and softened down with raspberry.
All Byredo fragrances come in the same minimalist packaging. After all, this is a Scandinavian brand and the cultural aesthetics sets the packaging apart. All in all Byredo Black Saffron is an exquisite piece with all the elements working extremely well together. It lasts about 7-8 hours on me, which is slightly shorter than average when it comes to eau de parfums, but it has completely stolen my heart!
Byredo Bohemia Fragranced Candle is supposed to have top notes (opapanax, rum), heart notes (geranium, labdanum, rosemary), and base notes (vanilla, sandalwood, moss) just like fragrances. The deep purple wax (paraffin. Ben Gorham thinks it performs the best in diffusing scent) burns clean, though it does produce a bit more smoke when it is blown out. It envelops the room with its delicious scent quickly. While the fragrance is soft and unintrusive, there is no way you can ignore its existence!
Maybe it’s my nose, but when it comes to this candle I can’t really tell the different layers of smell. It smells wonderfully powdery to me, as vanilla is the note that comes through the most. I can also catch the rum and sandalwood, but the other notes are somehow lost in translation. It’s a bit of a pity as I would love a bit more geranium, but all in all this is a very calming and feminine scent!
Byredo Fragranced Candles come in two sizes (80 grams/3oz or 300 grams/10oz, though some are only available in the bigger format). It is a joy to light this candle, and I can’t wait to find out more about the brand!
Have you heard of Byredo? Are you a fan of more unique scents? What are your favorite candles? Don’t be shy: I know a lot of you are candle hoarders!
Sunny, your beauty culture translator xx
PS: I have spotted Byredo at Parfuma and Senteurs d’Ailleurs in Belgium. For other countries, check out the Byredo website for more information.
