This month, Shiseido will launch Zen Purple, a new limited edition flanker to the 2007 Zen fragrance. Zen Purple was inspired by a summer night.
Like Zen, Zen Purple was developed by perfumer Michel Almairac; the notes feature yuzu, lily of the valley, freesia, tuberose, jasmine, musk cedar and amber.
Shiseido Zen Purple will be available in 50 ml Eau de Toilette. (via cosmoty.de)
Freesia always makes my ears perk up, mostly because I loved B&BW Freesia when I was a teenager. This one sounds gorgeous, to me. I like the bottle, too. I wonder how long it will take it to reach good ol Salem, Oregon?
The Zen flankers did all make it to my local Nordstrom eventually.
You’re in Salem? I think we need to start an Oregon Perfumistas Club!
Is the 2007 Zen worth trying? I haven’t read perfumeshrine’s big writeup about the history yet.
I think discontinued Basara is the one that got me curious at one point, but pffft… chasing rainbows and all…
It didn’t blow me away, but it’s nice. And I’d say the same of the middle Zen (white bottle), nice — probably nicer (to me) than the new, but nothing to get all excited about. Pretty sure I tried the first Zen (black bottle) some time ago but can’t remember it.
And will also add that have now tried several Japan-only Shiseido scents that I had to chase down after hearing they were wonderful, but so far, nah.
I had a bottle of the original (black) Zen in the early 80s. A friend of mine had lived in Japan and was into all things Japanese, and she put me onto it. It was a nice incensy, spicy floral, but much, much to sophisticated for me at the time. I wish I knew what happened to that bottle!
Shiseido seems to be repeating its naming aesthetic with Zen Purple. In the early eighties they also had a fragrance called Murasaki (‘Purple’, although it was probably named after the author Lady Murasaki). Of course, the notes for Zen Purple are nothing like those in Murasaki.
They still make the black one, but don’t think they export it.
I wish Shiseido had more unusual naming conventions. It can make searching for my favorite version of Zen really difficult, especially since images aren’t any help and many seem to use the original notes from the sixties or the newest Zen when its the complete opposite after I get visual input before I buy. 🙁
I’m on the last few drops of my Zen (white bottle from the early 2000s), and found while it wasn’t quite my thing when I first got it as a birthday gift, I fell head over heels for it as I grew and found my perfumista feet… Or is it nose. I think it’s discontinued now, and am frantically trying to track down a bottle for sentimental value. It is a really beautiful and ambery rose, and wears like a soft gossamer cloud on balmy summer nights. If anyone’s on the fence about trying it, it is really elegant and snuggly all at once. I have no idea about the post 2000 Zen frags, though, since I haven’t tried them.
Agree…terribly annoying that they just use the same name over & over, esp. when they still produce the prior versions! And I do think you can still buy Zen White, just not in the US. Or so I’ve been told.
I had ZEN eleben years ago, as it first came out in a white bottle. Great scent, though much to adult for a 20-year old like me then. Now I see ZEN and all the flankers and think of this wonderful english expression I learned somewhere in the blogs
yadda yadda yadda.
Please, can’t we just get a new scent?
I guess Shiseido REALLY likes the name Zen 😉