J’s image of Frassaï Ajedrez©

Frassaï’s latest release Ajedrez plays with time in multiple beautiful ways. In the hyper-culture we exist in, having time and place for contemplation has become limited with our attentions being vied for from all the screens in our lives. With Frassaï’ Ajedrez, Natalia Outeda wanted to bend time, letting the past flow over itself into the now and back again through each wear. Ajedrez is a tribute to her grandfather and the chess players of the past and future. She wanted that sensation of slowed time and meditative concentration which perfumer Ralf Schwieger has captured beautifully as each note in Ajedrez moves over the chess board, revealing different moves as the notes evolve slowly throughout the wear. All great chess players know the end game from the start, MANE Perfumer Ralf Schwieger thought of this as he bends time making you aware of the base of woody mossy leather that forms the chess board foreshadowed through the choices of materials as well as having them lead through from the future. He also allows space for the other notes to make their moves as the game slowly unfolds, letting the graceful notes move across this deliciously dusty woody chessboard as time moves at a graceful pace.

Frassaï Ajedrez courtesy of the brand.

The structure of the base chess board feels very contemporary with its diffusive woods chequered with soft amber musks and a lighter dusting of oakmoss, its transparent feel that also has a depth, as if your lost wondering through one of Borges’ endless libraries. Deep into the dry down you feel the beauty of a smooth empty board, as if the pieces have been removed post match, yet that space of contemplation remains. The woods give this elegant vertical wooden feel letting the resins darken it with time and a hint of mystery, while the oakmoss whispers of dust with a soft ashiness, bending time back again to the era of smoking while playing chess, it gives its an aged feel as a clever counter to the contemporary materials.

 MANE Perfumer Ralf Schwieger and Frassaï  founder and creative director Natalia Outeda at Esxence 2025 courtesy of the brand.

This aged feel plays back beautifully through the midst of Ajedrez where a gorgeous lavender wraps a rich tobacco in a warm embrace with a cool dry woody iris feeling like the polished wooden top of the chessboard and its smooth pieces. Time again is played with here as the tobacco, orris and oakmoss give a classic tobacco perfumed feel with the lavender hinting at older fougères yet the combination and structure of Ajedrez feels very unique. The lavender and tobacco play with light and dark as of their opponents on the board, yet there’s something similar that merges to the two as they invade each other’s spaces. Lavender Pure Jungle Essence© is used here, which is distilled as a C02 extraction, it gives you that beautiful sensation of picking up fresh lavender and crushing it between your fingers, it whispers of time with its gentle green facets feeling fresh before its herbaceous aromatics are crushed into a soft floral feel. The lavender teases out tobacco’s stone fruity sweetness, while its sticky mossy woody texture is felt from the opening’s spices to the mossy base. Darker tones shine through here on my skin, smoothed out by the orris into a drier coumarin like feel that also stretches into the oakmoss. I love the evolution of the materials through Ajedrez, it feels beautifully considered capturing the sensation of slowed time as a game of chess is played by Natalia’s grandfather.

Frassaï creative director Natalia Outeda courtesy of the brand

The opening moves of Ajedrez simmer with spices, forming a comforting embrace with a bodily warmth, it’s a familiar yet hard-to-place spice were black pepper and cardamom merge into a sensual melange with hints of dusty nutmeg and carnal cumin making creamy orris purr in a delightful way. That photograph by Julian Wasser of writer Eve Babitz playing chess nude against artist Marcel Duchamp comes to mind. Frassaï Ajedrez has a coziness and sensuality like it’s two sides of the same coin or light and dark chess pieces. These warm spices allow bergamot to glow with a fruity warmth, feeling lightly stewed as it foreshadows the later moves of the tobacco while also letting know that lavender is on the way. This is similar to how the creamy cardamoms informs the orris and the mossy creaminess  that softens the amber woods. Ralf Schwieger’s elegant chess playing moves of note evolutions really captures the concept of Ajedrez in a stunning way, making you see time differently from the end to the beginning and back again each time you wear Ajedrez. Frassaï Ajedrez is a stunning perfume that captures in concept and smells beautiful while doing so the elegant flacon and design from label to box just elevate it further, this is how it should be done. Gorgeous.

Notes: moss, dry spices, orris extract, lavender CO2, tobacco, labdanum, woods.

Disclosure: Frassaï Ajedrez was sent to J for review, thoughts and nose are his own.

– J Wearescentient, Senior Editor, artist & olfactive writer.

 

Frassaï Ajedrez in  50 ml and travel size courtesy of the brand.

Thanks to the generosity of Frassaï, we have a draw for one registered reader:  If you reside in the EU we have  9ml ml flacon of Frassaï Ajedrez.

Thanks to Indigo Perfumery if you are in the USA there is a 50 ml tester. There is one winner only

Please be sure to register. To be eligible please let us know what appeals to you about j’s review, and where you live. Draw closes 3/7/2025

Learn about Natalia Outeda’s role as the Creative Director of Frassaï here

Read Michelyn’s interview with Ralf Schweiger here.

Michelyn awarded Natalia Outeda Best Creative Director of 2018

Ermano awarded Dormir a Sol a top ten fragrance of 2024. A Fuego Lento received a Best of Scent 2018 from Michelyn

Please read Ida’s reviews of Dormir al Sol El Descanso Verano Porteño Blondine and Tian Di. Lauryn’s review of A Fuego Lento

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