Superstitious Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle

Superstitious arrives as a study in controlled contradiction—a fragrance that wraps jasmine's creamy indulgence around something altogether more austere and angular. Dominique Ropion has constructed a scent that refuses easy categorisation, beginning with Egyptian jasmine that's been stripped of its typical sweetness and paired instead with aldehydes that lend a peculiar metallic shimmer, as though the flowers have been buffed to a sharp polish. The tropical fruit notes—mango and peach—feel almost incidental, glimpsed rather than embraced, adding a whisper of juiciness that prevents the composition from becoming entirely cerebral.

What emerges is a fragrance for the contrarian; someone drawn to florals but suspicious of their traditional feminine trappings. The Turkish rose settles into the composition with quiet authority, whilst the woody and smoky accords (76% and 64% respectively) create a backbone that's decidedly earthy and introspective. There's an almost unsettling elegance here—the Haitian vetiver and patchouli base layer in with an ambered resinousness that suggests old wood and distant smoke, as though you've stumbled into an abandoned parlour where expensive flowers once bloomed.