Mancera is one of those houses I always read and heard about but never thought I would get to try. All this house’s scents are created by the founder of the company, Pierre Mancera, from the highest quality raw ingredients and bottled in similar art deco flacons. Helped along by one of the biggest perfume distribution companies in the Gulf States (AL ATHAR) and the creators of the Montale brand, Msr. Mancera wanted to bring to life a western brand that captured the beauty of Arabian perfumes and were composed of equally luxurious essences.

From the first spray and sniff, these perfumes enchant, envelop and embrace you. The quality of the raw materials is extremely evident and the care and finesse with which these were made truly resonates in their aromas. They all waft gracefully and from start to finish, all of these are class acts. This is not a collection or trio, each one was released separately, over a three year period; but it will give you a good overview of the range and diversity of this House.

Cedrat Boise (2011) combines two of my favorite genres in perfumery: citrus and woody aromatic. Cedrat is a bitter thick-skinned citrus and Boise means wood or woody. No “cedrat” is listed in the notes, but the stunning lemon and supporting bergamot recreate it superbly. Hints of spiciness tease and enhance the warmth of the citrus as black currant adds just the right amount of sassiness to this. It’s fruity and mildly sweet; yet it remains bright and clear. The fruitiness continues into the heart where this perfume pivots from bright and bold to woody and rich on the fulcrum of water jasmine’s sweetness and patchouli’s woody floral earthiness.

As the soft watery flower begins her dance with rich leaves it has a floral quality that is innocent and fresh while it captivates and seduces in tandem with patchouli’s dark sensuality. It is here that I fell in love. As this developed, it got much woodier and more elegant. The citrus dried, the flowers faded but it just kept getting better and better. Maintaining just the right amount of sweetness, sharp cedar and shadowy sandalwood linger on the skin. Hints of soft buttery leather and whiffs of gentle musk accentuate the woods and their light covering of moss. It is not necessarily WHAT you say, so much as HOW you say it. With quite a few very common notes, Msr. Mancera has constructed something dynamic that is above and beyond the common. Sillage: very good. Longevity: excellent.

Aoud Black Candy (2012) was a name that made me wince (literally) on reading it! Up to my nose already with oud fragrances and never really a “sweet ‘fume” guy, I was not expecting to be blown away by any perfume with such a name.  Out of a cold green mint mist emerged a real licorice note (not candy sweet anise.) This lends an invigorating herbal aura with a grounding uniquely aromatic woodiness. The biggest surprise to me was the way this became, just as I was getting used to its opening, a stunningly subtle rose dusted with powdery amber blooming seemingly out of nowhere! My first thought was some sample switch snafu had taken place at the company prior to shipping (they have 5 rose perfumes and 8 aoud scents) as the sprayers all said, simply, EAU DE PARFUM.

The rose here is tender and pink but full and rich. Amber adds a glow, together with its rich vanillic tones, to the bloom as the licorice hangs on for dear life. Nonchalantly, oud appears (confirming this is the correct sample) and adds mystery and smokiness. The rose appeared immediately from the test strip but took quite a while to develop on my skin (adding to my initial olfactory confusion). When it did appear, it had the feel of dried roses (ground to a fine powder) and exotic incense. The base notes I had feared the most (“sweet” notes and white musk) seemed to comfort me in the end. Without smelling like black licorice ropes or pure sugar, this captures a soft and undulating sweetness and wraps it in a gauzy veil of iridescent shimmering white musk and lingers just the right amount of oud. Delicious! Sillage: very good. Longevity: very good

Roses & Chocolate (2013) takes one of my least favorite olfactive families (floral fruity gourmand) and makes it palatable. This perfume lists fruits in the opening notes (peach, black currant, mandarin and bergamot) but all they do is really add a juicy dark sweetness to the silky fine cocoa note that continues from start to finish. Even the roses here have been dipped in chocolate, making their natural heady aroma even more naughty and delicious. While wearing this I was wafting a splendid rose trail; yet when I would put my nose to my wrist, ALL I could smell was the chocolate. The execution of this scent and the way it develops on skin is fascinating.

Usually any perfume with a lot of chocolate or too much rosiness tends to wear thin my nerves after a while, yet here the divine intermingling of a truly exquisite rose and a simply decadent chocolate are topped with a powdery candied violet glaze. If the chocolate of the opening was molten and silky, the heart is now cooler and softer as it covers the flowers. The finish of oozing vanilla (part of chocolate) and comfortable cedar wood linger alongside passionate memories of chocolate-dipped fruits consumed with a lover in a bed covered in petals that is still imbued with a languid lingering musk. This perfume has made me realize fruity, floral and gourmand CAN play well together, when done correctly. This scent captures all the symbolism and passion that the words “roses and chocolate” conjure, maybe even more. Sillage: excellent. Longevity: above average.

Disclosure: Reviews based on samples from ManceraParis.         

–John Reasinger, Senior Editor