Zen Essence
Iris is expensive, difficult and nearly always the most interesting thing in any fragrance that contains it, and in Shiseido Zen Essence Eau de Parfum it is given the centre of the composition.
The opening is brief and bright. Bergamot provides a clean citrus lift and jasmine arrives almost at once, white and softly sweet, so there is no long wait for the fragrance to reveal itself. Then the iris comes up. It is cool, dry and faintly earthy, with the powdery quality that makes it read as elegant rather than pretty, and musk is laid alongside it to keep everything soft and close to the skin. Vanilla and cedarwood finish the fragrance. The vanilla is restrained, more a warmth than a sweetness, and the cedarwood keeps the drydown dry and clean so that the whole thing ends quietly rather than richly. Six materials, a short composition, and a deliberately unshowy one.
Florian Gallo composed it. It is an eau de parfum that stays near the skin rather than projecting across a room, which fits the Zen name and makes it suitable for offices, daytime wear and anyone who considers most modern fragrance too loud. It reads as feminine but not girlish, it works in any season, and it is the sort of scent people ask about only when they are standing close to you. Iris is rare at any price, and rarer still handled with this much restraint.
Shiseido is a Japanese company founded in 1872, when Arinobu Fukuhara opened what the company describes as Japan's first private Western style pharmacy in the Ginza district of Tokyo. Its Zen line goes back to the company's entry into the United States in 1964.
Please note: images are a guide only. Packaging and bottle design may occasionally differ from those shown due to manufacturer updates or promotions.
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