THAMEEN
ROYAL SAPPHIRE (RED EDITION)

2020

Bergamot
Mandarin

Orange Blossom
Jasmine

Grey Ambergris
Patchouli
Moss
Amber
Dry woods

This is a special edition bottle containing ROYAL SAPPHIRE (2019).

Royal Sapphire is a bit of an outlier in my collection with it’s chypre backbone. It sets off as a rather conventional citrus fragrance with a lot of acidity, but surprisingly also a lot of sweetness. It lists mandarin, but it’s almost lemon to my nose or even green apple with the green tinge that it has as well, but sugared.

The more you pay attention to it, the more the white florals will take over in the opening. It has a dewy quality to the opening. Overall it reminds me of a male marketed fruity shampoo a bit.

As it dries it becomes more woody. The green tinge remains, but becomes more mossy rather than dewy and most importantly, Royal Sapphire reveals it’s amber core. It grows ever sweeter, with a vanilla-esque drydown, while retaining the brightness from the citrus for most of the wear.

It’s compared to Fragrance du Bois Oud Jaune Intense on Fragrantica, but that leans much more traditionally feminine to me and it’s more creamy; I don’t agree that they are closely related. There are two fragrances thatreminded me off Royal Sapphire a lot. One being Prescent Summer 2020 Day, however Prescent seems to have gone out of business. Perhaps surprisingly, the other one is Elie Saab Le Parfum in White, which I find very similar, but slightly more feminine leaning.

Royal Sapphire comes across very sophisticated and unique. I can see this being a bit harsh for some people and up close it smells highly unnatural to me, yet it’s a wonderful wearing experience overall. It’s not just a freshie, nor is it cloyingly sweet and I think it offers a good mature and versatile option, especially for men.