Kenzo
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Bitter orange and grapefruit burst forth with an almost aggressive brightness, immediately complicated by ginger's peppery heat. The opening demands attention rather than seduces, establishing Tokyo's fundamental character within seconds—sharp, intellectual, slightly provocative.
The citrus gradually recedes as shiso and green tea claim the composition, introducing a cool, leafy character with a faint mineral quality. Pink pepper adds subtle warmth, whilst the woody accords begin their ascent, creating an intriguing tension between herbal freshness and nascent smoke.
Cedarwood and gaiac wood dominate, rendered smoky and slightly spiced by clove and nutmeg, settling into a warm, faintly resinous embrace that maintains Tokyo's understated elegance without the earlier brightness.
Tokyo reads as a deliberate contradiction—a fragrance that insists on immediacy whilst harbouring something altogether more contemplative beneath its bright surface. Marie Salamagne has crafted something genuinely angular here, where the citrus top notes (bitter orange, grapefruit, lemon) arrive with the sharp, almost austere quality of morning air rather than summery sweetness. The ginger refuses to play supporting role; it interrupts, adds bite, creates friction against the softer fruits.
What's particularly clever is how the heart notes—mat, shiso, and green tea—transform the composition entirely. This isn't a citrus fragrance that happens to contain green notes; rather, the green tea and shiso assert dominion, pulling the composition inward, making it introspective. The shiso leaf especially contributes an herbal, almost medicinal undertone that prevents this from ever feeling decorative. Pink pepper arrives as a whisper of warmth, a counterpoint to the verdant coolness surrounding it.
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4.0/5 (77)