ESHAL by Neela Vermeire Creations photo by Neela Vermeire© for CaFleureBon

 Neela Vermeire of Neela Vermeire Creations revealed her latest fragrant triumph, ESHAL, at last month’s Esxence 2025, and it was a “succès fou” for myriad reasons. It had been nearly three years since her last  endeavor, Fragments by NVC, for one; she had valiantly struggled with ongoing momentous health issues which would have felled the heartiest amongst us; and she presented us with unrivaled olfactory optimism in liquid form. These factors alone would have sufficed, but the coup, quite frankly – lay in the jus: voluptuous, shimmering, and enticingly intricate. ESHAL was fortuitous nomenclature: alternatively translated as flower of heaven, flower of paradise, it is Arabic in origin – and may also connote pleasure, desire, and purity.

 Tuberoses by Neela Vermeire©

We in the West entertain many beliefs and lore regarding tuberose which are not necessarily globally acknowledged. In Victorian England, France, Mexico, Thailand – the tuberose is traditionally viewed as a dangerously seductive flower, one which potentially corrupts, often associated with death, troubling wraiths, and funerals. In India, however, it is a completely different story: Rajnigandha (aka English tuberose, as it is known in India) possesses cultural significance associated with devotion, love, and care. It is felt that the mere act of inhaling its fragrance during the hot sunny days when in full bloom inculcates happiness and wellbeing. Hindu tradition demands tuberose’s fragrant presence upon altars, for prayers to the deities; they are a must at weddings; and thought, overall – to purify one’s dwelling and attract the good things in life.

 Tuberose in a Indian Flower Market by Neela Vermeire©

It is the sumptuous tuberose of Neela’s childhood (and every visit since) which she and Bertrand Duchaufour wished to evoke – the India which is immediately conjured by this flower’s overwhelming fullness and generosity. I agree with her that ESHAL is verdant, as a point of departure – but from there, it transmutates into a fragrant entity which traverses the profoundly spiritual and the sensual.

via Pixabay

Is there anything so lovely as ESHAL’s initial burst of solar citrus? It is multi-hued, revealing layers of gradation courtesy of red mandarin, petitgrain (with all its verdancy), bigarade and lime. This citric bouquet is encircled by the warm, fresh gingery woodiness of turmeric and cinnamon: a spiced corona. We never lose sight of the comely tuberose, whose presence trails throughout ESHAL from start to finish; it smells fully-fleshed, garlanded with just enough galbanum to accentuate its green, heady floralcy.  If this doesn’t ensorcell you, you need only await what appears to be a deceptively minimalist base to complete the spell: furry, sweetly animalic beeswax, and leathery depth of labdanum gentled with a fine patchouli, vanilla, and Peru balsam. I firmly believe that one of the secrets of fine perfumery is an ability to harness the olfactory alchemy of premium materials in such a manner that each individual fragrant voice glows while establishing a harmonious whole. There is no doubt, in my mind – that ESHAL by Neela Vermeire Creations achieves this with a seeming effortlessness It is unselfconsciously generous of spirit, all the while maintaining a blithe and mysterious character.

 Ida with Neela Vermeire at Esxence 2025

These days, I’m not in the custom of ordering full bottles of perfume unless I’m absolutely [sic] certain, because a lifetime of accumulation and desire have taken up more space in my small dwelling than they have any right to. If I tell you that the very moment ESHAL was available, I ordered it – that should speak volumes. ESHAL by Neela Vermeire Creations is amongst the best of 2025 no matter how you look at it, and I am eager to spray myself with wanton abandon.

Notes: tuberose absolute, red mandarin, bitter orange, lime, petitgrain, cinnamon oil, turmeric oil, galbanum oil, beeswax absolute, patchouli oil, vanilla absolute, Peru balsam resin, labdanum absolute

 Sample provided by Neela Vermeire – many thanks! My nose is my own…

Ida Meister, Deputy Editor and Natural Perfumery Editor

 ESHAL via Neela Vermeire Creations ESHAL by Neela Vermeire Creations  by Neela

Thanks to the generosity of Neela Vermeire of Neela Vermeire Creations, we have a  2m ml sample of Neela Vermeire Creations ESHAL for one registered reader in the  USA or EU.  You must register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment about what piqued your interest in Ida’s review, where you live, and if you have a favorite Neela Vermeire Creations fragrance. Draw closes 3/22/2025

Please read Neela’s article about her inspiration for ESHAL in her own words here

Follow us on Instagram @cafleurebonoffical @idameister @neelavermeirecreations @bertrand.duchaufour

You can order ESHAL on the Neela Vermeire Creations website here

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