Bottle of Sora Dora Vanuatu courtesy of the brand
One of my favourite aspects of sampling and writing about so many fragrances is that when you find a good one, you may not know it immediately. The olfactory wheels, for me at least, turn slowly, often with stops along the way. And a really good perfume can create a sort of momentary fugue state, where the familiar stops and you give yourself over to the perfumer, the mood broken only by something mundane – a floorboard creak or the click of a clock hand. Sora Dora Vanuatu, a dreamlike scent that merges crunchy green notes and sandalwood with a creamy “fig milk” accord, had that effect on me. Expecting to reacquaint myself with the crunchy green fragrance I encountered at Pitti Fragranze in September, I got lost instead in a dreamlike confection of fig, cream and sandalwood. For just a moment, I almost forgot where I was.
Amelie Bourgeois, Anne-Sophie Behaghel and Camille Chamardin collage by MC photos courtesy of Flair
Sora Dora, a family brand with Portuguese and Provencal roots that go back over a century, launched in 2021. Vanuatu, part of the brand’s inaugural collection, celebrates the Melanesian origins of the composition’s central material, sandalwood, in a composition that merges tropical notes with the brand’s trademark French classicism. Here, noses Amélie Bourgeois, Anne-Sophie Behaghel and Camille Chemardin from independent perfume consultancy Flair worked together to create the fragrance.
Fig with milk unsplash
Now, I’ve smelled my share of fig perfumes and even more sandalwoods, and even some woody figs, such as Diptyque Philosykos. What sets Sora Dora Vanuatu apart is the way it creates a central creaminess by emphasizing that characteristic of sandalwood and pairing it with a lactonic fig accord. This silky richness is offset by a frame of bright, acidulous fruit notes and pungent spice, all of which is reined in just enough to keep the star ingredients firmly center stage. Vanuatu opens with sparkle and some bite: bitter, juicy bergamot spiked with black pepper. The tartness reaches a pitch with the addition of some green rhubarb, but then the dusty sweetness of cardamom takes the edge off. The lively top notes act like the red velvet curtain at the opening of a play: they frame the main action, energize the audience, but then pull back quickly to focus attention on the main action.
Cut Sandalwood, stock image
Enter sandalwood. The perfumers tease out that tree’s innate creaminess for all it’s worth: this sandalwood is warmly smooth, like worn banister wood, and lacteal in the way of old paper. The fig accord has the custardy quality of the fruit, especially when it is warm and just off the tree, the milkiness of its stem sap, it sweetness complemented by the mournful, velvety green of violet leaf in the heart. All that lovely dairy woodsiness is set against some dried leaf patchouli and cedar, which give the composition some cooler, darker shading in the base. Coming back to Vanuatu after a time, a get a touch of coconut, too, and just the slightest heat from cumin. And, while Sora Dora Vanuatu has played with creamy and sharp throughout its development, it ultimately lands squarely in camp fig milk. In the dry-down, violet is more prominent, but it is still a sandalwood-fig show. And what a lovely performance it is: engaging and refined, but with that little nod to quirky that holds attention.
Round of applause. Sora Dora is one to watch.
Notes: Violet, sandalwood, rhubarb, pepper, patchouli, papyrus, cumin, cardamom, woody notes, fig, cedar, bergamot.
Disclaimer: Sample of Sora Dora Vanuatu kindly given to me at Pitt Fragranze by Sora Dora. My opinions, as always, are my own.
Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor
Sora Dora Gladiator was in the Jovoy x ÇaFleureBon 13th anniversary box and was Video Contributor Steven Gavrielatos’ choice
Available at Jovoy Paris
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