Italian indie perfume house La Via del Profumo has launched Mecca Balsam / Balsamo della Mecca, a new fragrance inspired by a trip to Mecca:
In Mecca, the scents of Labdanum resin, of Benzoin, frankincense and of the precious Agar wood invade the streets together with the 4 million pilgrims who pour to the streets 5 times every day, walking to the great mosque like river.
[...] The grave and austere note of Labdanum, deep and resinous, at once sacred and profane, is the center of gravity of “Mecca Balsam”.
Wrapped in the amber fragrance of Tonka and in the mystic aroma of the Arabic Frankincense, Labdanum wildness is tamed in an almost ecclesiastic scent that evocates at once the perfume of the mosques and the music of the wind organs in cathedrals.
Additional notes include tobacco, Indian tuberose and Damask rose.
Mecca Balsam is made with all natural materials, and is available now directly from La Via del Profumo; 16 (€34,17) or 50 (€91,67) ml, concentration unknown. (via profumo.it)
Update: see a review of La Via del Profumo Mecca Balsam.
Ooh. Sounds like a long lost cousin from the CDG Incense Series. I definitely must smell this.
The oakmoss is supposed to be wonderful too…and Luca Turin raved about one or more of his scents, & now I can’t remember which.
Ha–I was just going to suggest which one I thought it was, and my mind went blank! Dang it.
This does sound really good. Maybe I’m slowly being brainwashed by advertising, but I even kind of liked the ad copy. I’ve always had a soft spot for incense, just because it was the only part of going to church that I enjoyed as a child, so the religious imagery really works for me.
In Perfumes: The Guide, LT talks about a bespoke scent he had done by the line, but I do think there’s another. Won’t come to me, darn it.
Hindu Kush is probably the one you’re thinking of. Just noticed this morning that my husband’s bottle is below the halfway point. Good stuff.
Thanks — that must be it!
Our favorite of the ones we had at the time was Grezzo (initially named Brut d’Eleganza). And I loved another that didn’t make it into the guide, the Muschio di Quercia, which any lover of oakmoss, the real deal, must buy, as it is surely not compliant. In fact, checking his site just now, I believe he may have renamed it Oak Moss.
Which means, of course, the same thing, but in English.
Thanks T!
Sounds good, and once again I find myself really loving the packaging. I’m hopeless.
We’re all hopeless.
This sounds luscious and the packaging is gorgeous. Going to have to at least sniff this one.
He does do samples.
Oooh, they had me at “sacred and profane”!
You’re easily had, LOL!
They did do a nice job on the ad copy! It sounds verra nice……I may go see about some samples. Most all natural perfumes don’t work for me….keeping an open mind…..
There must be a natural out there for you somewhere!
Sounds delicious, and nice to have a 16ml size for a “reasonable” price. I may look at the sample program… I recall looking at the site before and maybe hearing things about the Oakmoss / Muschia di Quercia scent. Have you tried that, Robin.
I’m curious about the “inspired by a trip to Mecca” bit… I had thought (and just verified) that only Muslims are allowed to visit and “Individuals who use fake certificates of Muslim identity to enter may be arrested and prosecuted by Saudi authorities.” We’ll have to take his word for it!!
I think you can visit Mecca and Medina as a non-muslim, but I don’t think you can enter the mosque or touch the big rock (ka’ba). Sort of like going to a Grateful Dead concert and just hanging around in the parking lot.
That’s a hilarious — if more than slightly irreverent — analogy.
Non-Muslim’s are not permitted to enter Mecca, so I’m not sure where this ‘trip to Mecca’ connotation comes from outside of simply being figurative. Perhaps, it was in reference to the Makkah Province, often referred to as Mecca. The sacred city of Mecca is it’s capital. Tourists may enter Makkah but the city of Mecca is closed off to non-Muslims — they have passports of sorts that identify religion, people have forged them, but they are subject to Shar’ia law.
K: I’m quite sure from what little I know that the proprietor of “profumo.it” (Mr Dabrana?) is qualified to visit Mecca..
Joe, I’m confused, thought I had but it’s not in my notes so I guess I didn’t.
I just came back from Mecca a couple of days ago and completed a pilgrimage. It was an amazing experience to say the least. I have been to Mecca over a dozen times, and I continue to get mezmerized by the cultural diversity and the devotion to religion the city posseses. Just to clarify for non-Muslims, there is a check point at the border of Mecca in which the Saudi police check your passport to verify your religion. Profumo.it ‘s owner’s name is Abdulsalam, which translates to Servant of Peace and is also one of the 99 names of Allah (God). My name, for example is Abdulla, which translate to Servant of Allah (God). The Kaaba (black-clothed cube shaped structure), which Muslims have to circle seven times to begin their pilgrimage, is heavily perfumed with oud, musk and amber. It is true what they say about Mecca; the whole city smells like an oriental perfume. It is a very moving experience. Just a tid bit for you folks out there
Looking forward to trying it.
Oh about the perfume…it sounds very Mecca-esuqe
Thanks!
Yes, after a little research I did see that the owner would have been able to visit Mecca.
The city sounds like it is simply lovely, as does your experience. Thanks for confirming as well that it is very much Mecca-esque. Definitely going to have to try it now.
Sounds heavenly. And there are samples of this available you say? Hmmmm….
I did not check, but I do know they’ve had a sample program in the past.