Written by Kristina Kybartaite-Damule

Cherry has been having its moment in perfumery lately. Just last year, Tom Ford introduced two new scents in its cherry line, and many others have since followed with their interpretations of this sweet and alluring fruity, sometimes almondy note. Yves Saint Laurent released a new version of Black Opium with cherry added, Initio came out with a boozy cherry in Narcotic Delight, and Juliette Has A Gun launched their cherry fragrance named Juliette – just to mention a few of the cherry perfumes that have been released in the last couple of years.

Fragrance du Bois recently launched their cherry fragrance – Sirène. It is the first perfume from the brand marketed to women, and this is evident in the presentation, which looks different from any other brand’s perfume’s: a pink velvety box instead of black, a pink plate, and pink crystals on the cap. It looks like something Barbie would wear. But the look is deceptive. This fragrance is not as pink as it seems.

Created by Japanese perfumer Nanako Ogi, Sirène combines sweet, lactonic, almost milkshaky cherry with dark twists of frankincense, oud, and labdanum, allowing this perfume to stand out in the abundance of scents built around this berry.

After the initial sprays, the scent is all about peppery, milky cherry. However, I don’t find this milky note to go in an unpleasantly sour direction, as it sometimes tends to do. The sweetness, although present, is not sticky and not overwhelming; it achieves a perfect balance.

As the scent develops, I start detecting the darker notes, and the cherry begins to smell slightly medicinal. This is a grown-up fruitiness, that’s for sure. The incense brings a slight bitterness, and then the oud joins in. It is not too animalic and not too heavy; it does not dominate the scent but rather acts as a supporting note – as is usual in the creations from Fragrance du Bois.

In the base, there is benzoin, cistus, cypriol, labdanum, and oakmoss. The first resin is the loudest, giving a warm, vanillic feeling that lingers on the skin for hours.

Speaking of hours, I feel that Sirène is one of the longest-lasting perfumes from Fragrance du Bois. The brand is not famous for the longevity of many of their perfumes, except for some, but Sirène definitely goes a long way. It stays well on clothes, in the hair, and lingers around all day, flirting and teasing with its sweet and very alluring scent. I didn’t expect to like it so much.

[Review based on a sample I bought]