Aedes de Venustas - African Grenadilla

Its name is belied by the range of the wood's colors, which spans from deep purple to brownish black, also known as grenadilla. The ancient Egyptians, who called it h’bny (Ebony of the Pharaohs), fashioned precious furniture from its heartwood. In Tanzania, the Makonde people, who know it as mpingo, use it to create spectacular and highly prized carvings of the Tree of Life.

Thus, in 2016, Alberto Morillas transformed Grenadille D’Afrique into an elegant and surprising olfactory sculpture. Traversed entirely from roots to twigs by an aromatic sap with a scent of juniper, the mythical African Blackwood tree is built around a “trunk” of Haitian vetiver. With its complex facets of wood, smoke, earth, and flint, it is the vertical axis that unites the fragrance’s vegetal, animal, and mineral notes.

At first glance, it is hard to tell if the scent transports you to sunset or sunrise. Sparkling bergamot captures the last rays of the sun, while a purple haze of lavender and violet sheds its powdery moonlight over the savanna grasslands. Further on, the vanilla develops, transformed into a combustible resin by a lash of amber-like cistus labdanum, and exudes a balsamic warmth. Bleached wood, bark as soft as skin, and sun-warmed stone release the day’s heat into the ink-black night, cooled by a breeze of musk.

Gender: Eau de Parfum Woody, Incense, Unisex.

Olfactory Pyramid

Top Notes: White Tea, Bergamot, Lavender, Violet.

Heart Notes: Cistus Labdanum, Vanilla.

Base Notes: African Blackwood Accord, Vetiver, Juniper.

Nose: Alberto Morillas

Size: 100ml Spray