Cult of Kaori Onsen Minerale and Japanese Cedar box via brand

Yuzawari: the way water feels while bathing; also, the way skin feels after bathing.

It’s my pleasure to introduce you to a new brand, created by a self-taught perfumer with an exalted sense of aesthetics: Cult of Kaori (kaori translates as scent, from the Japanese) by Chris Undi. In this day and age, we are inundated with many new brands – but not all of them originate from someone as fascinating, multi-talented, or modest. Chris and I met one year ago at ScentXplore, where he drew me into his orbit by dint of his bonhomie, perceptivity, and overall good fellowship. Unlike many individuals, he was genuinely gentlemanly and intriguing – so when I realized that he and perfumer Justin Frederico were sharing a booth together this year, I was delighted – but not prepared for just how singular and appealing his fragrances would be. I smelt behind the scenes fragrances-in-the-making, as well as the two which he recently released, Cult of Kaori Onsen Minerale and Melon Masu. While both were compelling, it was Cult of Kaori Onsen Minerale which felt seasonally appropriate, and both my husband and I loved it – so Onsen Minerale it is, then.

 

Chris Undi of Cult of Kaori via brand

A little backstory is always helpful, and one could fill a volume or two about Chris, his family history, childhood, and numerous interests. You might well wonder how a boy from the Philadelphia area became so enmeshed in Japanese culture early in life. “I grew up in a sushi bar”, Chris laughingly told me. His parents loved sushi; the Undi family became very close to the proprietors and dined there on a regular basis. Chris learned Japanese from the owners’ daughter and their mutual cultural exchange provided welcome insights. For years Chris and his brothers would travel back and forth to Japan. It was these scent memories which would come to inform his explorations into perfumery.

One of the appealing aspects of Japanese culture is its sense of seasonality: eating what is in season, honoring each phase of the calendar for its particular charms. Chris saw this as a positive, and it stirred his creative juices. For him, Onsen Minerale evokes a photorealistic olfactory image of all three brothers outdoors in a snowy winter, luxuriating in the onsen (Japanese hot springs in which one may bathe). The water itself was perfumed with yuzu. One can only imagine how soothing and/or invigorating such a soak must be.

 

Cult of Kaori’s spirit animal, the fox (kitsune) via the brand

Cult of Kaori Onsen Minerale commences with deliciously tart and mouthwatering yuzu, both in aldehydic form and as an essential oil. Yuzu is a citrus which smells like a combination of bergamot, grapefruit, and lemon, while possessing delicate floral tones and a soft balsamic drydown. Green mandarin contributes a delicate neroli undertone and enhances yuzu with its verdant citrus tang. Rose and lychee share a mutual sympathy in much the way that rose and berries do; a marriage made in heaven. Muguet imparts a whispered lyricism; it doesn’t call attention to itself in the drydown, and amplifies the sweet/tart aspect of yuzu with a dash of floral freshness from its initial burst. That first spritz is unlike anything else you’ve experienced; it beckons you to pursue Onsen Minerale as it develops and reveals different facets over time. I find that the mystery of not knowing how the perfumer constructed accords to evoke the steamy mineral nature of a natural hot spring to be intriguing: a space within a space. When I inquired about the cedars Chris pressed into use, he disclosed that he chose Chinese cedar, and had created a Japanese cedar accord. This is significant in that he gave me the opportunity to smell a very rare, limited quantity of Japanese cedar (sugi) which changed the way I interpreted the material; it was a complex perfume, and outrageously costly, so I suspect that the replication/reconstruction is yet another perfumer’s secret. A variety of fine, dry woody components add their balsamic, terpenic voices to the above established harmonies, some rich and dark, others lilting and more diaphanous, tinged with lemon and a hint of smoke. The persona of the onsen is now complete.

Notes: yuzu aldehyde, yuzu, green mandarin, hot steam, lychee, rose, muguet, mineralic notes, teak, cypress, cedar, hinoki

Perfume gifted by Chris Undi – many thanks!  My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

N.B. – Chris Undi’s background is in design and strategic branding. He designed every detail himself – in collaboration with his brother, a product designer.

 

Cult of Kaori Onsen Minerale with packaging image by Ida

Thanks to the generosity of perfumer Chris Undi, we are offering a 50 ml flacon of Cult of Kaori Onsen Minerale for one registered reader in the U.S. To be eligible, please tell us what intrigued you about Ida’s review and that you live in the US. Draw closes12/11/2023

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Available at Perfumology and Cult of Kaori

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