A few weeks ago I reviewed Loewe Solo Mercurio. I was curious to see the impact of a new creative team upon the brand. At the time I mentioned it was going to take a few releases to see if the promise I perceived in that first effort would be borne out. My second opportunity has arrived with Loewe Paula’s Ibiza.

Nuria Cruelles Borrull

Loewe has always worked with an in-house perfumer. Ever since the calendar changed to years which begin with 2 it had been Emilio Valeros. There was a contiguous aesthetic through the nearly two decades of his fragrances. At the end of 2019 Nuria Cruelles Borrull took over the job. Solo Mercurio was her first release. I saw a perfumer who seemed to enjoy working in dualities. Forming accords of two ingredients looking for harmony or contrast. For Paula’s Ibiza it seems that has expanded as the accords seem to be trios this time around.

Jonathan Anderson

The name comes from a now-closed famous fashion store on the resort island of Ibiza called Paula’s. It was where you went to get your island style before you turned yourself over to the rhythm of the island. Creative director Jonathan Anderson and Sra. Cruelles Borrull spent summers of their youth on the island. It was important to them to get the smell along with the ambience right.

Sra Crulles Borrull moves away from the typical beach fragrance tropes of Calone, ozonic notes, and sand. This portrait of Ibiza is much more interesting for its variety. The top accord consists of galbanum and coconut water with just a pinch of mandarin. If you’re used to beachy perfumes being citrus and fresh air, this trends differently. The galbanum is given some sparkle through the manadarin. It is still a sharply green effect given a watery sheen via the coconut water. Using this ingredient instead of coconut adds in a bit of the muskiness of the copal with a less sweet version of coconut. With the galbanum it forms a unique holiday accord. The heart accord is a very desiccated sandalwood with lily and frangipani growing upon it. As if a large piece of driftwood had been beached long enough for the flowers to grow through the gaps. The scent of the ocean comes through a synthetic version of ambergris and patchouli with a small amount of vanilla. The ambergris gives the sense of the ocean as the patchouli provides the scent of the island. Vanilla adds in the sweet fun of being on vacation.

Paula’s Ibiza has 10-12 hour longevity and average sillage.

I am impressed again at the way Sra. Cruelles Borrull is willing to work away from the common fragrance genres. She is showing an admirable degree of independence which bodes well for the future of the fragrance side of Loewe. Paula’s Ibiza is here to take you on an island trip without leaving home.

Disclosure: This review is based on a sample supplied by Loewe.

–Mark Behnke