SOMA
SERENE

2023

bergamot
lime
mint

geranium
basil
white florals

sandalwood
ambroxan
cedarwood
musk

My favorite citrus note might be lime, which is one of the highlights in this Soma release. You can’t go wrong with a citrus heavy freshie… right?

Lime is the first and most prominent scent that hits my nose after spraying Serene. It has a minty, fresh green edge. Not the sweeter minty lime from a Guerlain Homme, but more of a nod to older masculine aftershaves.

It’s quite herbal, at the same time, the citrussy fruitiness persists. I kind of like the duality here; every time I feel like the minty aromatics start to overtake, I look for the fruits and I find them.

There’s a lot of ambroxan here and it turns the brighter acidic lime into more of a sweet lemon or mandarin vibe as it goes along. The aromatics being sharp and crisp, while the citrus becomes slightly more creamy.

As it dries down, Serene seems to opt for performance and keeping the freshness up (this will be great for Summer I think). Bright, musky, ambrox-sweet. On the sharp side.; Maybe more so functional than artistic or at least breaking new ground.

For me, Serene is reminiscent of the popular Xerjoff Renaissance as far as the style goes. Serene feeling less complex (and less floral), especially in the drydown. It’s rather simpe. Then again, Serene is less harsh and nicer to wear to me than some other ones in this genre like Amouage Search or Blackcliff Limewood.

I’m afraid I may have to wait a some time before I’m able to wear this in high heat, where I feel this one will shine the most. As it stands, you can indeed, not really go wrong with it.