V Canto
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Blackcurrant and passion fruit collide with sharp bergamot and lemon, creating an almost astringent brightness that feels more complex than typical citrus-fruity openings—there's an almost green quality, a slight tartness that suggests botanical depth rather than simple sweetness. The top notes feel carefully constructed rather than innocent, pulling you forward with intrigue rather than immediate comfort.
Magnolia absolute emerges to soften the opening's bite, whilst Ceylon cinnamon introduces a gentle warmth that feels particularly elegant against raspberry and fig leaf. The composition reveals its sophistication here: the spice tempers the stone fruit sweetness, whilst fig leaf lends an unexpected peppery, almost herbal quality that keeps everything feeling fresh and considered rather than purely confectionery.
Brown sugar and vanilla provide sweetness without excess, anchored thoughtfully by patchouli and sandalwood that prevent the composition from becoming simply gourmand. Musk and amber wrap around the base, creating a warm, slightly creamy finish that carries traces of the fig leaf's green, peppery character—the fragrance ends closer to where it began, intelligent rather than sentimental.
Stricnina arrives as a calculated contradiction—a fragrance that presents itself as bright and approachable before revealing something altogether more complex. Paolo Terenzi has constructed a composition where blackcurrant and passion fruit don't simply sit atop bergamot and lemon, but actively wrestle with them, creating a top accord that feels almost tart, almost confrontational. The citrus notes possess a particular sharpness that prevents this from becoming a generic fruity-fresh, whilst the blackcurrant lends an almost herbaceous bite that grounds the composition's sweeter ambitions.
What makes Stricnina compelling is its refusal to retreat into floral sentimentality. Magnolia absolute and ylang ylang emerge in the heart, yes, but they're immediately complicated by Ceylon cinnamon—a spice that reads as subtle rather than pushy, creating a gentle warmth that feels more sophisticated than straightforward. Fig leaf introduces a green, slightly peppery quality that prevents the raspberry and peach from becoming cloying. There's an almost savoury quality here, a counterbalance to the sweetness that could have easily overwhelmed.
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4.1/5 (190)