PERNOIRE
MELOS

2025

PERFUMER
Andreas Wilhelm

rose tea
grape
grapefruit
blackcurrant

rose
nile honey
saffron
hazelnut
baked apple

milk
amber
Patchouli
musk

‘Embrace the legacy of Cleopatra VII, the legendary queen of Egypt whose unmatched allure captivated the world. Her secret ritual – immersing in rose-petal baths and savoring rose-infused tea sweetened with pure Nile honey – not only infused her with grace but also made her smell so enchanting, becoming a symbol of irresistible charm. Melos, named after the main actor in the scene and short for honey and rose tea – a metaphor for timeliess charm.’ – Pernoire

After applying Melos, I was momentarily convinced that it would be my favorite of the white bottles from Penoire. However, after a full wearing, I don’t get along with Melos as well as I though and I would easily prefer both Oudian and Poka (with Anelo being the one that I do not like to wear).

Melos opens with a lot of honey. It’s pretty strong; this is not your light, honeyed, soft gourmand. It’s in-your-face, dark, dense honey. I get dried fruits, some earthy, band-aid like tones, but most of all, leather. Or saffron, suede… that direction.

The honey sticks around, but Melos above all feels like a sweet leather fragrance to me and its the type of leather that starts to wear me down. A bit grating, nutty (ambrette-like), almost palpable leather with a sweet and slightly fruity tinge to it. It doesn’t feel as gourmand as an Ella K Melodie D’Altai, nor does it in any way, shape or form relate to Tom Ford Tuscan Leather. It’s a more ambery, caramelized leather to me that has a minute hint of skankiness to it. Raw beeswax more than gourmand honey. Personally, I don’t get any rose from this on first wear, but I went in blindly; perhaps now knowing that rose is one of its main themes, I would experience it differently.

Saffron is one of the listed notes, but neither saffron or leather are mentioned in the brand’s description, so perhaps I’m just overly sensitive to this facet, but to me, it’s quite dominant and overpowering after the opening hour or so. Melos didn’t pan out as well as I hoped it would for my taste.