Zoologist Sacred Scarab
Nose: Sultan Pasha
Notes: aldehydes, civet, lemon; lotus, plum, red wine; myrrh, incense, benzoin, musk, oakmoss, amber, styrax, labdanum, raisin, galbanum, cedar, cade
Sacred Scarab opens with sharp, airy aldehydes, gradually giving way to a funky, dense dust note, like packed earth. Underneath there's a golden amber with a dried-fruit note. It's surprisingly airy and radiant, not sticky; the aldehydic lift sticks around, in a big billowing cloud of funky, animalic, fruity amber. Not the easiest perfume to take -- the funky-dirty effect is substantial. I wouldn't necessarily reach for this kind of Oriental fantasy myself (hot desert air, musky stank, and sweet dried fruit) but it's a grand, dramatic execution of that theme.
My husband despises it; to him, it smells of red pepper.