There is a part of the world where fragrance is an important part of the culture, but it remains separated. In Brazil perfume is a part of society. The business of it is also a large part of that. It includes all the big oil houses which have a presence down there. There are many releases which are for that market exclusively. Which means I am unlikely to try them. It is my belief that fragrance in Brazil is where a lot of innovation happens. When a perfume makes the jump to more general distribution, I look forward to trying it. Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa ’62 has made its way north.
Jerome Epinette
Cheirosa ’62 is, according to the website, based on Brazilian Bum Bum Cream. Which is exactly what it sounds like. Like I said fragrance is a big deal in Brazil; in every product. The basis for this is a gourmand style fragrance. Perfumer Jerome Epinette was asked to turn it into a perfume. Sol de Janeiro also makes the Bum Bum Cream so I was able to compare the scent of each. The perfume is different because it isn’t part of a thick cream it is by nature more open. It follows the transparent trend of perfume currently popular. It makes for one of the better fragrances in this style.
It begins and ends with gourmand aspects. On top is a nutty accord of pistachio and almond. It is more of the former with a rawer type of nuttiness as opposed to being toasty. Heliotrope captures the almond and connects it to an opaque jasmine. It then goes more fully gourmand with a caramel accord in the base oozing over a bit of sandalwood.
Cheirosa ’62 has 6-8 hour longevity and average sillage.
As I continue to point out, it is this style of transparent floral gourmand which is where I find my greatest pleasure within the current trend. Cheirosa ’62 is one of the good ones. It lasts only a short time on my skin. I have yet to determine whether that is a flaw or feature for the consumer this is meant for. I don’t care because I am not averse to spraying a second, or third, time through the day. I think for those who wanted the scent of Bum Bum to become a perfume Cheirosa ’62 does a great job of that.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample supplied by Sephora.
–Mark Behnke
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