KAYALI
YUM PISTACHIO GELATO 33
2023
PERFUMER
Olivier Cresp
bergamot
Pistachio Gelato
Hazelnut
Sweet Rum
Cardamom
Geranium
White Peony
Muguet
Jasmine
Raspberry
White Peach
Pear
Whipped Cream
Marshmallow
Cotton Candy
Turkish Delight
Cocoa
Cedarwood
Sandalwood
Tonka Bean
Yum Pistachio Gelato 33 has to be one of the most pre-hyped fragrance releases I’ve encountered in my years in this hobby. I guess that everything from the brand, the colors and aesthetic and the overload of sweet notes, created the perfect storm.
I’d tried several Kayali fragrances prior and after and found most to be pretty solid, although not worthy of the hype surrounding the brand. Unfortunately, Pistachio Gelato is one of, if not the, worst release of the brand for me.
Straight away this is super sweet. For me personally, bordering on cloying at first, and it has a very modern, women’s-designer-release-ish type of sweetness. That being said, the pistachio idea definitely comes through and sets this fragrance apart.
It’s somewhere in between milky, nutty and cotton candy-fluffy. The texture is nice, but the sweetness blends into one big scent, with few of the sweet notes standing out in particular. I don’t really smell hazelnut, cocoa or rum for example. Tonka definitely comes through a lot on my skin. After a while, it feels like one big accord, with a slightly fruity and floral sweetness, transitioning into fully vanillic several hours in. Before it does that, Yum Pistachio has too much of a room spray vibe for me; the quality felt lacking.
It’s not as nutty as the remotely similar Masque Milano Madeleine and overall more focused on sweet and fluffy. I personally would’ve preferred some of the notes to stand out more. As mentioned, it has a pistachio ice cream vibe at first and that’s the most interesting element. I’ve never been big on pistachio, so I actually ended up liking the more generic vanilla drydown more (an ever so-slightly floral-tinged Casamorati Lira-esque drydown). I assume people might expect this to lean heavier into the pistachio and it would’ve been nice to see something a little further away from the norm.
On first impression this is an okay fragrance with an over-selling premise (and that could be read as a compliment as well). Kayali boasts a list of interesting, attention-grabbing notes, but the fragrance isn’t as intricate. It reminds me of the McDonalds McFlurry; it’s Twix, Snickers, Mars, Fudge, Rocky Road etc., but they all taste like caramel and chocolate. That being said, it’s a decent gourmand, with seemingly good performance so far, and one that I’m sure will sweep the community. I’d still pick Vanilla 28 if I want a sweet Kayali.
