BYREDO
SEVEN VEILS

2011

Carrot
Pink Pepper
Orchid
Wisteria
Rose
sandalwood
vanilla

Seven Veils is essentially an iris fragrance. So it’s no surprise that I love it, but it’s also a little bit more than that. As far as the iris goes, it’s enhanced with carrot oil, making for a strong, slightly sweet carroty scent akin to what you might find in Maison Crivelli’s excellent Iris Malikhan. It grows into a sweet, vanillic spicy scent… super cozy.

Another stand-out here is the pink pepper. In combination with the vanilla it reminds me of the spices used in Casamorati’s Bouquet Ideale. Seven Veils doesn’t list the tobacco blossom from Bouquet Ideale, but I don’t think it’s a big reach to imagine it here anyway.

As you will read in other reviews, people liken something in this to a syrupy fruit-cake or gingerbread and I fully agree. Another reference that comes to mind in that aspect is The Different Company’s Majaina Sin. Lastly, Seven Veils has a slight feminine leaning touch in the drydown, whereas it opens quite completely unisex, maybe even a tad traditionally masculine leaning compared to many iris fragrances.

I love all the fragrances referenced above and I like Seven Veils as a whole even more than the sum of it’s parts. It’s not unlike anything we’ve seen before, yet there is a certain intrigue and depth that takes Seven Veils to the next level for me. One of the better performing Byredo’s as well, so that’s a bonus.

Sidenote: Byredo later released Eyes Closed, which shares notes with Seven Veils. While I like Eyes Closed and it has a couple of similar cues, it’s definitely not a proper replacement for the discontinued Seven Veils.