J’s image of Neshama Perfume Souls on Fire.

I’ve been a fan of Simon Shaer’s Neshama Perfume work for a while now, back when he was still Rebel Perfume and Souls on Fire or Osmanthus Floral as it was known then came out in 2022. I picked up a bottle and was wowed. You can smell and feel the materials in here are of a stunning quality. They are deeply rich and complex with density and weight that only a heavily natural ingredient perfume has, yet he knows that a bit of the other helps those naturals shine. Souls on Fire was shortlisted as a Finalist for the Art and Olfaction Awards in 2023 and is definitely a house to watch. I’m very excited to be able to write about this perfume I love.

Simon Shaer of Neshama Perfume at work courtesy of the brand.

Neshama Perfume Souls On Fire opens with a rich vintage boozy aroma, you can feel its civet base wink in the opening. Think of that magic electricity when you catch and hold the eye of someone your attracted to, that wild excitement is there. It purrs with the past like you have found a timeless piece of magic that drips with a vintage feel yet it’s bright osmanthus and fruits keep it feeling contemporary and fresh.  Souls on Fire is rather unique chypre in the way it’s composed with the osmanthus creating the fresh citrus like opening as well as the fruity floral and also a bit of the base to with a touch of indolics and soft sided like leather. The osmanthus was the first thing that struck me in Souls on Fire and it’s burned a place in my heart as one of the best osmanthus Perfume I’ve smelled, yes it’s up there with the magic of vintage Jean Patou 1000. But Neshama’s Souls on Fire osmanthus is a different beast, it is dripping with a deep complex richness, one that’s fleshy, the kind you’d like to gently sink your teeth into the shoulder of a lover with a playful bite.

Simon Shaer of Neshama Perfume and Neshama Perfume Souls on Fire courtesy of the brand.

Perfumer Simon Shaer has used a spectacular Thai osmanthus from Robertet. It’s a juicy white floral that’s honeyed with a sweet yet balanced apricot giving Souls on Fire its delicious seductive feel of summer. He very cleverly offset this perfume with some green aromatic basil sketching out leaves, letting its creamy side melt into the osmanthus’s fruity facets, letting basil’s clove spice give Souls on Fire a subtle warmth. The kind that feels like heat radiating from your body after a day in the sun you feel from that special someone. Pink pepper adds a sparkle to this spiced heat, little flickers of a sunset catching on the water, as you look out into the glowing musky haze of the rich osmanthus floral. One that holds your attention through the entire wear. You can feel Simon’s love of materials and understanding of them as he cleverly uses others to accentuate the facets he wants to show. The spices conjure the sunset and bright rays of light while subtle darker elements are slowly being revealed like burning love blossoming. You get some  delicious textures too with Souls of Fire, its creamy rich florals are velvety smooth playing against that classic rough mossy spice chypre’s have but here is the spices with some tobacco that are giving this fuzzy rough texture that sitting low in the base.

Neshama Perfume Souls on Fire courtesy of the brand.

Dark Egyptian jasmine whispers of soft suede and expensive fine leathers while giving Souls on Fire a slight indolic kiss of desire. Again this animalic facet is returned to things dry down with a beautiful dose of civet. You quietly feel its abstract floral side from the opening if you know what your looking for, but its cleverly hidden like a love that’s revealed as the sun goes down and you get closer to the one you love. The pairing of the osmanthus and civet is magic! It just gives you this subtle animalic darkness that also emphasises the rather stunning floral aspects of the osmanthus. There’s a touch of dark resinous smoke that pushes the animalic base into a rich musky area yet that fresh floral flame keeps burning, growing darker in colour yet still maintains its fruity richness. The balance of the two is rather stunning. Civet has a rather floral feel at its edges especially in small doses, but when the dry down kicks in, it’s all about that sexy furry purr. Soft hints of basil add a subtle clean counterpoint with deeper stone fruity aromas picked up on from tobacco. Creamy balsams are weaved cleverly through Souls on Fire giving it a luxurious feel to wear.

Neshama Perfume courtesy of the brand.

And it’s in this darker phase of the late dry down that the civet shines. Or rather its purrs are felt deeply. Souls on Fire starts to drip with civet sensuality. The civet is used rather deftly here, giving a stunning bodily warmth and intimate spice as if you’re nuzzling into the body of your lover. The osmanthus and jasmine form a plump smooth fleshiness which the civet licks and teases finding the memories of the day and the suns warmth as it gets in close to rub its animalic magic over them. There’s a gentle fruity sourness giving a delightful tang yet that osmanthus still keeps things feeling sweet and fresh. Souls of Fire reminds me of a more floral fruity Thai oud at various points, but Simon Shaer reveals his knowledge and love of classical perfume as he expands weaving a deeply rich unique chypre from these stunning materials. Souls on Fire keeps me coming back all day to smell myself, those floral pops are magic to smell and as the darker elements grow they just get more and more delicious to smell. It’s an extrait de parfum that stays feeling rich with a lovely sillage that haunts you like a love you can’t forget. Neshama Perfume Souls on Fire is a must smell for those who love osmanthus and also for this who love a great vintage style chypre. For me this has become my reference osmanthus perfume and has set my soul on fire since smelling it all those years ago. Highly recommended and also please check out his Jasmine and Tobacco if you are  looking for an effortlessly classy perfume to wear. Again this is one house to watch.

Notes: Thai Osmanthus Absolute, Egyptian Jasmine, Basil, Tobacco, Balsams, Civet.

Disclosure: Neshama Perfume Souls on Fire was sent to J for this review but he has also previously purchased and nearly drained a 15ml bottle; his thoughts and nose are his own.

J Wearescentient, Senior Editor, artist & olfactive writer.

J’s image of Neshama Perfume Souls on Fire.

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