Masakï Matsushïma
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Watermelon and mango clash with green juniper and herbal parsley in an almost jarring first impression—the aquatic, fruity sweetness immediately complicated by something quite vegetal and almost peppery. Within moments, bamboo leaf adds a slightly waxy, mineral quality that transforms the composition from simple fruit into something considerably more architecturally interesting.
The mint emerges as a cooling force, flattening the frivolousness from the mango and watermelon whilst white rose and water jasmine provide delicate florality without softness. Blackcurrant adds a darker, slightly tart dimension, and the tea note becomes increasingly prominent—a drying agent that prevents the composition from ever feeling plush or indulgent. The green accords remain visible throughout, creating an effect somewhere between botanical and aquatic.
Crystal musk settles into a barely-there skin scent, the florals and fruits fading to whispers whilst that mineral quality from the bamboo persists alongside traces of the herbal base notes. Longevity proves the fragrance's greatest weakness—what remains is more a faint echo of the heart than a substantial evolution, diminishing to near-invisibility within a few hours.
Masaki Matsushima's mat occupies an unusual territory—a fragrance that reads less like a polished composition and more like the olfactory equivalent of morning light filtering through a Japanese garden. The opening salvo is audaciously herbaceous: mango and watermelon provide a fruity sweetness that never tips into gourmand territory, instead lending a juicy freshness to a surprisingly assertive bamboo leaf and juniper berry base. This isn't a comfortable fruity fragrance; there's a green, almost vegetative quality that prevents it from becoming saccharine.
What makes mat intriguing is how its heart refuses conventional floral languor. Water jasmine and white rose emerge, but they're immediately wrestled into submission by a cooling mint accord and blackcurrant's tart, slightly jammy presence. There's tea threading through everything—a dry, slightly astringent note that anchors the composition and prevents it from floating into fruity-floral anonymity. The green accords persist stubbornly, suggesting crushed parsley and that persistent bamboo working alongside the florals rather than opposing them.
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3.7/5 (74)