Ouranon by Aesop – The Candy Perfume Boy

When I think of brands that have mastered the very concept of “aesthetic” I immediately think of Aesop. Presented as a sort of modern apothecary, the Australian skin, hair, and body care brand has managed to strike that balance of style and substance with effective, high quality products that look good. Yes, OK, people would maybe judge you for having an Aesop hand soap in your bathroom these days because they’d perceive you as wanting to look cool, but also those people are dumb, snobby, and stupid and we should not listen to them. Aesop hand soap is lovely, that’s all that matters.

Aesop now has a decently-sized fragrance collection under its belt (11 at current count). I recently paid a visit to their Marylebone store to explore their olfactory offering and was impressed by the quality of their selection. Whilst their simple, amber-hued apothecary bottles may look unassuming, each scent has a clear story, told through interesting materials and unique olfactory twists. (Slight exception for Hwyl which, whilst being a beautiful incense, has a cluttered story of Japanese forests and Welsh names, but we can overlook that) I enjoyed them all in one way or another but it was Ouranon which stood out. 

Ouranon is described by Aesop as a celebration of endings and new beginnings. Perfumer Barnabé Fillion used Jordan as a reference point and the result is a composition that unfurls slowly, revealing unexpected fragrant surprises at each turn. Whilst all of the fragrances in the Aesop collection are worth smelling, Ouranon stands out as the most beguiling, unique, and divisive. To me, that’s a scent worth exploring!

Let’s Sniff!

The Notes

Top: Petitgrain, Elemi, Lavender Flower
Heart: Hay, Chamomile, Frankincense
Base: Myrrh, Tonka, Patchouli

The Perfumer

Barnabé Fillion

How Does it Smell?

Ouranon’s initial impression is of hot wood smoke. One imagines chips of golden wood gently smouldering, wafting up silky waves of shimmering, silvery smoke. There’s an immediate lightness and freshness, perhaps from the citrus facets of petitgrain, that brings contrast to the smoke, ensuring it is more of a pulsing wave as opposed to dense fog.

There’s a beautifully ancient quality to Ouranon. It smells like black sands turned to glass under the hot sun. It’s the scent of rocks formed over millennia and the stifling air of a temple sealed for centuries. It’s all smoke, resin, and mineral with a deep, dark warmth that speaks of embers glowing since the beginning of time. It’s just so richly evocative and a fantastic example of how fragrance can paint such vivid and unique imagery.

The magician’s prestige here is lavender. Listed as a top note, the lavender actually makes its appearance deep into the base. After a few hours, after the temple air clears, a sugary, malted lavender note appears. This caramelised facet of lavender is possibly my favourite and has been explored many times throughout the history of perfumery (most notably in Francis Kurkdjian’s Eau Noire for Dior). In Ouranon the lavender brings a hint of fougére (just a hint, mind) but also a warm, contrasting sweetness that tempers all that smoke. It’s like the hidden treasure found at the end of an adventure, or as my friend recently described it to me: “Indiana Jones in a bottle”.

Ouranon is an exciting olfactory adventure. From someone who really shies away from anything overtly smoky-woody, I’m really taken by it. It’s not the Aesop fragrance I would have picked for myself when looking at the descriptions, but it’s the one I walked away with. It just goes to show that there still are many surprises out there in the world of fragrance, hidden in plain sight. One just needs to approach them with an open mind.

Mood Board

Availability

Ouranon is available in 50ml Eau de Parfum for £145.

Disclaimer

Sample gifted by Aesop. Images are my own. This is not a sponsored post.