Al Haramain / الحرمين
Al Haramain / الحرمين
170 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Blackcurrant and passion fruit arrive with crystalline sharpness, immediately joined by geranium's green-tinged pepper and hibiscus's floral tartness—this reads almost citrus-adjacent in its brightness. Within two minutes, however, tagetes' herbal mustiness and the first whispers of cardamom's warmth begin to cloud this clarity, hinting at the spice-driven journey ahead.
The fruited florals recede as saffron threads through cardamom and white pepper, creating a warmly spiced, slightly peppery character that feels almost culinary in its intensity. Cypriol's mineral earthiness and the addition of marine notes keep this phase from becoming purely sweet, adding a salty-savory counterpoint that prevents the composition from tipping into gimmickry, though the oud remains somewhat restrained beneath these brighter mid-notes.
Gaiac wood and cedarwood emerge fully, joined by a warm, skin-like musk that anchors the composition into something genuinely woody rather than simply spiced. The fragrance settles into a quietly amber-tinged woody base where sandalwood's creamy smoothness tempers the darker ebony and mahogany notes, creating a dry, resinous finish that suggests incense-laden temples rather than extravagant gourmandise.
Excellent Men presents itself as a fragrance caught between two competing impulses—a fruited floral top that suggests brightness, and a heavily spiced, resinous base that demands gravitas. The opening salvo of blackcurrant and passion fruit arrives with genuine vibrancy, brightened further by geranium's green snap and hibiscus's tart florality, but this frivolity is immediately tempered by tagetes' herbal astringency and a creeping spice that refuses to recede into the background.
What distinguishes this composition is the peculiar tension between its fruity-floral opening and the oud-forward heart that dominates the middle phase. Rather than allowing the fruit to fade gracefully, the perfumer has instead layered saffron, cardamom, and white pepper directly beneath, creating a somewhat jagged transition where sweetness collides with savoury warmth. The marine notes add an unexpected salty undertone that prevents the spice from becoming cloying, though cypriol's mineral earthiness occasionally feels at odds with the sweeter passage fruit notes.
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3.9/5 (169)