Succus

Succus arrives as a clarion call—verdant, almost herbal-bright, yet underpinned by something distinctly tart. Shyamala Maisondieu has constructed a fragrance that feels botanical without being herbaceous in the predictable sense. The rhubarb sits front and centre, that peculiar green-acidic quality lending a crisp, almost bittersweet character that prevents mandarin orange from being sweet. Instead, the citrus becomes something more savoury, almost candied-vegetable, working alongside cedar leaf and juniper to create an opening that recalls walking through a winter garden after frost—cool, slightly austere, and oddly appetising.

This is unisex fragrance done properly: it contains genuine ginger and black pepper in the heart, which immediately dares any wearer to inhabit a space of quiet conviction rather than olfactory approval-seeking. The clary sage deepens the herbal theme without becoming medicinal, whilst that whisper of orchid prevents the composition from tilting into genuinely masculine territory. There's an intellectual quality here, a refusal to comfort.