SULTAN PASHA PERFUMES
IRISOIR

2025

peach
spicy notes
violet
iris
creamy woods

‘Outgoing, luxurious and grandiose. Inspired by classic French iris fragrances from the ’40s and ’50s, but taking a slightly different approach by steering away from the grey, somewhat cool facets of orris. Instead we have a more colourful palette including violet, peach, spices and creamy woods.’ – Sultan Pasha

Thanks to my friend Perfumeaholic, who met up with Sultan, I’m able to sample his long-awaited sprayable perfumes (and one of his upcoming attars). Iris being my favorite note, Irisoir had to be the first one to put to the test.

Instantly, I knew I would like this fragrance, given the quality and type of iris scent that oozes throughout. That being said, the wear transpired different from what I expected.

Which I think all comes down to clove or eugenol or some spiciness in that direction. I feel like I’m always a bit sensative to that clove/eugenol scent and I get it here very prominently for a good couple of hours. In my mind I was almost battling the iris (which I wanted to put forward) and the spiciness (which distracted me from the iris).

As far as references go, I think Aedes de Venustas Iris Nazarena came to mind, but also the more spicy and sweet Frederic Malle Heaven Can Wait.

I get a ton of sweet carrot seed oil in the heart; almost smelling like ambroxan. Juicy, sweet, but then when I focus on it, I also get the more powdery, chalky side of the iris; constantly flanked by spiciness though.

Funny enough, I didn’t register any of the other notes (peach, violet), until later on in the wear, when I would’ve expected them to be gone already. I think my nose was just preoccupied with honing in on the iris and clove scent, that once that spiciness starts to fade out slowly, all of a sudden I smelled quite a lot of peachiness. That juicy carrot mentally merged with a fruity peach, which it hadn’t done in the first 2-3 hours of the wear. Sultan’s description mentions ‘colorful’ and it’s in this (relatively short) middle of the wear, that it became colorful to my nose.

And this is also where the iris starts to show its magnificent staying power. 8, 9, almost 10 hours into the wear, the spices have taken a welcome backseat and I get a remarkably fresh, clean, but dense iris scent still pushing forward. I wore this alongside Quintessentially Amber, which is a rather sweet scent, with notes that can be quite strong, but the iris core of Irisoir is dominating the airspace. This type of powerful, thick earthy iris reminds me of my (limited) experience of Angelos Creations Olfactives Irida.

Overall; I’d be remiss not to mention that I do find that clove-ish note in the opening hours overpowering, especially as a true iris-lover, wanting that to shine. It’s a bit sweeter and spicier for a fully versatile wear for me because of it. However, it’s not bad and the hours that follow later are definitely what I hoped for with this fragrance. Initially I was sort of surprised to find Quintessentially Amber standing out to me, but after a full wearing, my trusted iris still pulls through as a favorite.