Sarah Jessica Parker set the standard for what a celebuscent could be when she released Lovely in 2005. It was widely praised mainly because it was obvious she was directly involved as creative director. Lovely is arguably the best mainstream celebrity perfume ever. It has become a new classic of perfumery. With that foundation I was very curious to try Ms. Parker’s latest release SJP Stash.
In the press leading up to Stash’s release one of the more interesting pieces of information was Ms. Parker had designed Stash before Lovely. She would further elaborate that Coty who owned the rights to Ms. Parker’s brand thought Stash was not “commercial” enough. It has taken eleven years but Ms. Parker now has the freedom to releases Stash with her new deal with the beauty store chain ULTA. Stash is meant to be the first in an ongoing relationship with the store.
The perfumer Ms. Parker worked with has been undisclosed although they are from IFF. If the backstory is accurate it probably means it contains themes from the perfumers behind Lovely, Clement Gavarry and Laurent LeGuernec. With an assist from an IFF perfumer today I would imagine that is the perfume team behind Stash. After trying Stash I can definitely see how there was a vigorous discussion about whether it was commercial in 2005. Now in 2016 I think Stash has found a time period where it won’t stand out as much as a woody oriental. In fact, it could be that woody orientals have become so prevalent that it might have some trouble gaining traction.
Stash opens with a contrasting trio of grapefruit, black pepper, and sage. It is a lively opening but it feels common today. The heart ramps up the woods as cedar cleans up the spicy parts and co-opts patchouli as a running mate. Ms. Parker mentioned wanting a body odor accord and I think the cedar and patchouli are meant to be that. It is subtle to be sure and not as prominent as it would have been if they had used cumin. So if you have read the press releases and seen “body odor” don’t fret because this is the cleanest body odor you will run across. The base is the best part of Stash as a sweetly resinous mixture of olibanum, vetiver, sandalwood, and musk combine.
Stash has 6-8 hour longevity and moderate sillage.
As I’ve indicated above Stash is not groundbreaking or unusual in today’s mainstream market. In 2005 this would have blazed a similar trail as Lovely did. In 2016 it is following the trail not blazing it. Stash is more complex than much of what can be found at ULTA. If that consumer is enticed by Stash I think it has a chance to open those perfume wearers’ horizons. I can see how passionate Ms. Parker was to get Stash on the market but as the old adage says, “be careful what you wish for”.
Disclosure: This review was based on a sample from ULTA.
–Mark Behnke
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