Best Bal d'Afrique Absolu by Byredo Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

Madagasgar’s threatened forests are home to some of the most intoxicating plants in the world. Including vanilla. Which smells loads better than a lemur.

But we’re not talking about ice cream or a shot of vanilla goo in a skinny latte. No, this is naked vanilla packed with luxurious orchid warmth. Blended with the best Madagascar has to offer including ylang oil, vetiver,violet, musk, jasmine and cloves.

Think of this it as an ecosystem in a bottle; a hug from mother earth. You get the picture.

Early morning, October 1175, Calabria

The cool night air dissipates under the sun’s first rays. The ripe citrus in the field has absorbed all the water of the morning dew and the farmers are ready to work on the misty green fields, speckled by the bright yellow of the citron. They leave their woody cabin and take a deep breath…

Perfumer: Ane Ayo

The sensitive and sensuous artist picks up her paintbrush, burning with creativity and beauty. Bright light shines in the studio mirroring the floral and woody scent that surrounds her. Intense and passionate. With peppered lemons, and edible praline giving a sexy edge to the delicate and floral ambery rose.  

Perfumer: Chris Maurice

Sensual, refined and compelling this fruity rose opens with crisp, succulent green apple blended with spicy pink pepper and lush blackcurrant. A honeyed bouquet of jasmine and tuberose enriches the delectable pink rose for a sophisticated effect. The tenacious golden base of amber, musk and vanilla indulges the floral fruits for a bold and amplified diffusion. 

Brocéliande is a bewitching concentrate inspired by the enchanted forest of Arthurian legend. Combining the power of the forest with the magic of the animal world, this extrait’s bergamot and lime opening leads to an unexpected wander through ginger, cinnamon and iris. A whisky sweetness rubs up against the velvet leather of civet and castoreum.

Perfumer: Michèle Saramito

A new addition to Bloom’s portfolio, an elegant cologne with sweet sun kissed citruses, honeyed neroli and amber background.

With classic formulas it’s the quality of the ingredients that matters. Marie Jeanne might be a new perfume house, but it’s founded by a young perfumer from a family connected to Robertet for several generations.

Robertet is a bit like De Beers of the fine natural perfume materials - matières premières, for decades they have been dealing with the finest, purest and most precious stuff a perfumer can dream of.

This is Marcelle, a classic elegant cologne but with highly likely the best bergamot from Italy, grapefruit from Spain, neroli from Tunisia and petigrain from Paraguay among other notes in the formula.

A contemporary orange blossom cologne.

Perfumer for 002: Karine Dubreuil – Sereni. 

A milky green fig oozing sweet musk.

PERFUMER
FLORIAN GALLO

Nawab of Oudh is part of the Four Corners of the Earth collection and represents India, the land that gives us oud, a plethora of spices, and so many beautiful flowers.

The name of the perfume can be interpreted in two ways. It’s a literal reference to the rich history and culture of India: hawab or nabob meaning ‘the ruler’, and Oudh the historical name of the modern day Uttar Pradesh region. However, given the current fashion for oud perfumes, you can interpret the name “the oud to rule them all’.

Nawab of Oudh has the complex architecture of many ingredients, surrounding the oud heart deep within. And on the way there, you will travel through layers of cardamom and other fresh spices, extravagant garlands of exotic flowers, the sea breeze of ambergris, and more.

The elixir is also exceptionally concentrated, at 42% - hence the 'intensivo' in the title.

White Blood refers to the pale, living fluid in the stem of a flower. In this case, an imaginary flower with opalescent petals. Seemingly a “nothing” colour, here white reveals itself as the sum of a thousand shades: layered iridescences, light diffracting at every angle. A crisp, appealingly sour opening of starfruit launches into a dense tropical juice of tiaré and watery pink lotus. Like the kaleidoscopic pastels of an opal, a rainbow of scent impressions drift by: is that rose? Ylang-ylang? Kiwi? The enigma continues through the drydown, which stays intriguingly cold and refreshing.