Wabisabi (2023) • THE HOUSE OF OUD🔺 • ScentAdvice

Wabisabi has to be one of the more interesting releases on paper. I don’t think I’ve tried a fragrane with a wasabi note before, so I was intrigued going in. An intriguing it is, with one of the more unexpected transitions.

This fragrance opens quite nice and not as eccentric as it may look from the outside. I mostly get fizzy citrus in the opening. It has a bit of a retro, cleaning-product lemon/lime vibe to my nose, which I usually don’t love, but with the fizziness, it works quite nicely. It’s not as spicy as I’d thought, but I do picture the almost neon-green and a bitterness here. The green feels like it mostly comes from the lime; it’s a very citrussy and floral experience overall in the first hour.

After some minutes, there’s a lot of jasmine coming through. It’s a bit harsh and dry, with the lime being almost airy instead of watery and juicy. It’s not really indolic at all to me (as some other reviews have stated), but it is perhaps a bit heady and it’s definitely on the rough side as far as the texture goes. Not the most easy going, soft white floral, but rather quite relentless.

An… let’s call it interesting, contrast is added by a sweetness. After an hour I started noticing more and more of a candied, powdery sweetness. I’m not sure this release needed that, but it’s intriguing nonetheless. However, later in the wear, this starts to overtake the fragrance and once the citrus fades away, you’re left with a sweet, powdery, musky scent. The color I picture changes from neon green to pastel pink or purple. A mix of confectionery and white musk powderiness, almost like parma violets.

Probably will be a divisive release, albeit not for the wasabi. I really enjoyed the opening, but later on, while being pleasant, it’s not what I wanted from it. An unexpected transition, but kind of a weird combination and I’d have trouble figuring out when I’d want to go out wearing like sharp citrus and jasmine that smells like sweet musky powder by the time I arrive somewhere. Not bad though.