Mancera
Mancera
114 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Bergamot zips through with immediate citrus clarity, but coconut cream rapidly overwhelms it, creating that distinctive sunscreen-meets-dessert opening that feels both nostalgic and slightly artificial. The synthetic notes establish themselves immediately, giving the opening a clean, polished character rather than anything particularly nuanced.
The marine notes emerge as a subtle brine-like undertone, creating an odd but compelling conversation with tiare and ylang ylang, which layer on increasingly buttery, creamy florality. The floral sweetness gradually dominates, though that salty aquatic thread prevents it from becoming one-dimensional, keeping things vaguely interesting for a good two hours.
Vanilla and white musk take complete control, constructing a fuzzy, intimate base that's almost entirely sweet and creamy; sandalwood contributes minimal woody character, leaving you with a skin scent that smells predominantly of vanilla cream and soft musk, pleasant but notably less complex than what preceded it.
Mancera Holidays reads as a sunscreen-adjacent confection—sweet, creamy, and decidedly beachy without ever venturing into proper tropical territory. The bergamot arrives with characteristic brightness, but it's immediately shouldered aside by coconut that's been rendered almost edible, less suntan lotion and more coconut cream in a dessert context. This is where the synthetic accord becomes evident; there's a polished, almost plasticky sheen to the coconut that prevents it from becoming naturalistic, instead lending the fragrance a contemporary, vaguely gourmand character.
What's most intriguing is how the heart's marine notes—that curious amphorous ingredient that smells something like ozonic seawater mixed with subtle iodine—wrestles against the tiare and ylang ylang. Rather than harmonising into tropical pastiche, they create genuine tension: the salty-aquatic character keeps the florals from becoming fully indulgent, whilst the creamy floral notes (tiare especially contributes a buttery, coconut-adjacent quality) push back against the marine's astringency. It's this friction that gives Holidays dimension.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
Yves Rocher
4.0/5 (88)