MIYAZ PERFUME
IRIS CACAO (2023)

2023

cocoa
cinnamon
amber

iris
tonka bean
vanilla

sandalwood
vintage oud assam
benzoin
civet

The original 2022 version of Iris Cacao was a birthday gift from some fragrance community friends to me and it actually ended up being one of the most worn fragrances in my collection. In this 2023 formulation, a pinch of vintage oud Assam and civet are added and I had a chance to sample and compare the two. Short answer; very very similar, but this 2023 version is a bit more daring.

Whether this is all because of a formulation change, or perhaps also because my bottle has grown a bit smoother and sweeter over time, I don’t know. Straight away, Iris Cacao 2023 feels more fiery, smoky and just a bit dryer.

This has a similar scent profile to fragrances such as Azman Majnoon and perhaps most of all to Strangers Parfumerie SM Cafe.

In the case of my 2022 Iris Cacao, it feels extremely smooth, yet thick (almost paste-like); iris with a very strong gourmand leaning scent profile. Making it easier going than either the Azman or Strangers. With Iris Cacao 2023, I feel that it’s on the same level of ‘daring’ as them, at least in the opening.

As it dries, it grows closer and closer to my 2022 bottle; more focus on the gourmand, slowly losing the smoky edge and I wouldn’t call it challenging; it’s gourmand.

Don’t expect a lot of added skank or barnyard from the Oud Assam, just a woody depth. And in my honest opinion and limited experience with the note, I don’t detect the civet here. It feels like the same scent profile, just a smidge darker, smokier, perhaps more bitter, with the iris being less pronounced and taking longer to dominate the texture, than it does in my 2022 bottle.

Close enough to be a ‘either you like both or you don’t like either’ type of situation in my opinion. I happen to like both a lot.