Annindriya Seekwood bottle, courtesy of the brand
“It is the artist’s business to create sunshine when the sun fails.” — Romain Rolland
Meditation, stockcake
Hiking through the Tibetan Plateau along the southern branches of the Silk Road, known to locals as the Tea Horse Road, one comes to understand the essential human need for the warmth of the sun. Larch, pine, and spruce trees growing on mountain edges catch precious solar radiation and generate heavenly scents of woodgrain. These toasty exhalations shimmering through the thin alpine air were a lifeline of comfort during our travels. How can you capture the feeling of sun on woods? Independent perfumer Spyros Drosopoulos and Creative Director Tanja Deurloo have collaborated to explore just this question. Annindriya Seekwood is the skilled and joyful result of their project.
Sunlight Warming Trees, stockcake
As the morning sun gently warms the woods, Annindriya Seekwood effortlessly guides me into a brand-new day. Wearing this fragrance is the scent equivalent of a luxury clock that slowly eases you from sleep and into consciousness with carefully calibrated light and soft-toned chimes. Sunkissed and sophisticated orange flower opens the perfume with a honeyed floralcy that leans in a beeswax direction speckled with citrus inflections of wintergreen and vanilla. That same honeyed floralcy is matched with osmanthus, its fruity animalic layers of apricot, suede and cream adding body and depth.
Dr. Spyros Drosopoulos and Perfume Designer (and owner of the Perfume Lounge) Tanja Deurloo courtesy of the brand
The heart of Seekwood is carefree and uplifting. Sandalwood’s warm and lactonic aspects begin their full and rich journey on my skin. Hints of spice in the black pepper direction merge with a subtle energy as myrrh and saffron combine in a sensual heat. Spyros sources his saffron from Greece, the country where his father was born and where he spends his summers. The natural voluptuousness of real saffron, a rare and precious spice also known as ‘red gold,’ is warm, spicy, honeyed, floral, and suede-like.
Annindriya Seekwood lasts on my skin all day and well into the night. The dry down is a meditative mix of sandalwood, papyrus, and cedar. The deep, woody and creamy sandalwood material in this fragrance is Santalol, an alternative to endangered sandalwood oil produced with sustainable cutting-edge fermentation technology. Papyrus adds a dryly aromatic woodiness with earthy and leathery nuance. Cedar is a natural pairing to sandalwood with its dusty and woody strength supported by smoky aspects. Annindriya Seekwood captures the feeling of woods warmed by the sunlight, radiating heat into cold mountain air. The experience of this scent is elegant and meditative at the same time, warming body and soul.
Notes: orange flower, osmanthus, saffron, myrrh, papyrus, Santalol (sandalwood), cedar
Disclaimer: sample kindly provided by Annindriya. Opinions my own.
~ Rachel K. Ng, Editor
Thanks to the generosity of Annindriya, we have 50 ml bottle of Seekwood for one registered reader in the EU or USA only. You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest based on Rachel’s review and where you live. Draw closes 1/11/2025
Annindriya Orris Joyeux by Francesca Bianchi was one of Danu’s Best of 2024
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