SOMA
CARMINE

2021

Lemon
Saffron
Geranium

Rose
Violet
Amber
Leather
Vetiver

Oud
Rose
Leather
Sandalwood
Resin

Soma is a brand headed by my fellow reviewer Dan. Carmine is a rose-oud offering from the brand.

Straight away to my nose this rose feels light red, maybe even pink. It’s a rose oud style that smells familiar and I would say it’s a middle ground between the heavier ones like Dior’s Oud Ispahan or Louis Vuitton’s Ombre Nomade and the lighter, more watery rose ones with more citrus.

Citrus is prominent in the opening here as well, but it’s not the dominant feature. The rose is up front and center and to my nose it errs on the fruity side. No fruits are listed in the notes, but I could picture a raspberry when smelling this rose.

Where this fragrance shines for me is in the texture. It’s a soft and well-rounded scent, where the leather doesn’t overpower as much as it does in the aforementioned heavier oud-rose fragrances. Carmine leans a bit more to the ambery side vs. the sugary sweetness and that’s a plus in my book. The sweetness does overtake most of the drydowns, but it’s pleasant nonetheless.

Aside from Carmine being a familiar, potentially overdone scent profile, I have no bad things to say and Carmine doesn’t seem to compromise on the quality of many popular oud rose fragrances to my nose.