Often what I crave in a fragrance (and maybe in life) is something I call “redness.” The craving can be satisfied with pomegranate (I strongly recommend Fugazzi’s Pomegranoudh for this!), berries (try Drunk Lovers or Pure Crystal), or cherry.

Cherry is a troublesome note in perfumes, though.  It can be babyish, cloying, tutti-frutti, evanescent, and just generally unsatisfying.

However, I love cherries as objects.  They are such winsome little things.  How perfectly compactly voluptuous they are!  And when one settles down with one’s sweetheart on the sofa on a hot summer’s evening to watch another couple of episodes of I, Claudius, there is nothing better than having a bowl of plump, firm, purpureous cherries to nibble.  They also smell perfect.  Do the perfumes smell perfect?  Not exactly, but some of them are charming.

According to my amateur research, cherry perfumes fall into three broad categories:  Bright and Fruity, Medium (with sweet admixtures), and Deep and Spicy. I am fond of fragrances in all of these categories, though I may lean most towards the latter in my preference. 

I should qualify these summary reviews by saying that although I crave cherry, I may be slightly anosmic to it.  I wonder if others get cherry any more intensely than I do from these scents.  Without further ado, let me begin with…

Bright, Fruity Scents

Afnan Cherry Bouquet: 

While not exactly tart or sparkling, this one has a slight greenness that does not abstract cherry from the world of plant matter.  It is pleasing, but you can see the bottom notes as well as the florals that keep it from being pure cherry and nothing but cherry.

Top notes are Black Cherry, Cherry Liqueur, Sour Cherry and Almond; middle notes are Plum, Raspberry, Damask Rose and Jasmine Sambac; and base notes are Vanilla, Cedar, Vetiver, Patchouli and Cloves.

Mamlakat al Oud Afrah Cherry:

Perhaps because of the Mandarin and Lavender on top, and the ginger in the middle, this one opens with a bit more zing than the Afnan.  The fruit/floral/deep base structure is similar, but it is a bit fresher from the outset. 

Top Notes : Cherry, Mandarin, Blackcurrant, Lavender Flower, Cardamom, Pear (Bright and Fruity)Middle Notes : Jasmine, Almond, Orange Blossom, Ginger, Black Tea (Floral and Warm Spices)Base Notes :Vanilla, Milk, Coffee, Patchouli, Cedarwood, Musk (Creamy and Sensual)

Arabiyat Prestige Bahiya Garnet: 

This one says cherry fruit to me a bit more than the previous two.  There’s no reason it should except that it has a slightly brighter hello.  I don’t know what Marin Amber is; it certainly isn’t something I encountered living in Marin as a child.  Google tells me Marin Amber  is a sort of ozonic accord.  It does sound intriguing, but it isn’t really perceptible. One feature of this perfume that makes it even more desirable is its full bottle presentation as a wine cup.  I don’t own it; I don’t have many full bottles because 1) I have limited apartment space and money, and 2) I fall in love with too many fragrances and my world would be overwhelmed by them.  This fragrance has a sort of chemical lift that I like in perfumes.  I don’t know if it is hedione, ambroxan, or what; my technical knowledge is still developing.

Top Notes: Bergamot, Mandarin, Cherry, Mango, and Pear. Heart Notes: Coconut, Jasmine, Fig, and Marin Amber. Base Notes: Dry Amber, Musk, Vanilla, and Sandalwood

Snif Tart Deco:

This still isn’t quite as tart as the name promises, but it’s getting there. I’m fond of this one, but not more than the previous three Middle Eastern versions.  One reviewer commented on a lipstick note; I kind of get that, too. This fragrance is appealing, but then most of these, with a couple of noticeable exceptions, are.

Top Notes: Black Cherry, Raspberry. Heart (Middle) Notes: Rose, Jasmine, Mimosa. Base (Dry) Notes: Birchwood, Vetiver, Vanilla

Medium/Sweet Cherry Admixtures

Banana Republic Dark Cherry and Amber:

The first words in the note list below are “tart and sour,” and I do get that, but then there is freesia praline, and amber to challenge the tartness.  I don’t get “darkness” from this scent at all.  Maybe Banana Republic is trying (unsuccessfully, like their silly neo-safari wear) to evoke Heart of Darkness?  This is just a pleasant cherry mixture with a little lift, maybe from the cedar.  Or those chemicals I don’t yet understand.

Notes: tart sour cherry and pink freesia, a praline and cherry blossom heart, and a warm red amber and blonde cedar base

Attar Collection Khaltat Night:

This one stands out from the others I have mentioned so far.  It isn’t trying to evoke a realistic cherry.  It has a syrupy, cinnamon-tinged allure. The vanilla softens the whole composition, and the clover gives it a bit of greenness (as in another scent I adore:  Damask Haus’s Clover and Crumb, which works in clover, matcha, and biscuit!).  I wouldn’t put a full bottle of this past me, although it scores low on the “redness” scale.

Top Notes: Cherry, Red apple. Heart Notes: Jasmine,Vanilla. Base Notes: Amber, Cinnamon, Musk, Clover, Patchouli

Tom Ford Lost Cherry:

I’m glad I don’t love this one, even though it’s the most famous of the lot.  For one thing, the cherry disappears on me, which is odd, given that cherry shows up three times in its note pyramid. The notes sound gorgeous, I know, and I feel I should like this more given how much I love Tom Ford’s Figue Erotique (though what is so erotic about it I don’t know…it’s just a lovable scent) and Tobacco Vanille (which I adore, but the Al Haramain version, Amber Oud Tobacco Edition lasts longer and has a better drydown, though its opening doesn’t have that gorgeous Tom Ford smell of crinkling a fresh unsmoked cigarette).  In any case, on me anyway, Lost Cherry really is lost…I can barely smell it, and that melange of pretty notes is kind of a blur, and besides, this is TOO FUCKING EXPENSIVE. I actually like all the ones I have discussed so far better than this. Meanwhile, Khaltat Night, with some similar notes, is charming me on my other arm.  Seriously.

Top Notes: Bitter Almond, Black Cherry, and Cherry Liqueur. Middle Notes: Sour Cherry, Plum, Turkish Rose, and Jasmine Sambac. Base Notes: Roasted Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Peru Balsam, Benzoin, Sandalwood, Cloves, Cedar, Patchouli, and Vetiver

BDK Perfumes Rouge Smoking:

Mmm yum, speaking of tobacco…OK, it doesn’t have tobacco in it, but it still has a cherry pipe tobacco ambiance.  I have no desire to smoke a pipe, but cherry pipe tobacco calls my name every time.  I love this perfume. It’s not a realistic cherry at all, but who cares. It’s absurdly enjoyable, but it might be even better layered with one of the tobacco perfumes.  The name conjures up for me the most exquisite crimson jacquard smoking jacket made of the best Chinese silk, with rounded velvet lapels and a self belt with gold tassels.  Poor exquisite garment, to eventually be imbued with smoke, but the elegance is undeniable. 

Top Notes: Italian bergamot, cherry accord, and pink berries. Heart Notes: Black vanilla absolute and heliotrope. Base Notes: Ambroxan, cashmeran, tonka bean, labdanum, and white musks.

Perfumology Decadent Memories:

This one hardly should be called a cherry perfume at all.  I smell tonka more than anything, and something that smells almost wheatlike.  It’s ultra-gourmande.  I don’t think I actually love it, and also…there is absolutely nothing decadent about it.  It’s supposed to evoke pies, which are…am I wrong?…wholesome.

Notes:  Cherry Accord, Blueberry Accord, Baked Apple, Blackcurrant, Vanilla Absolute, Tonka Bean Absolute, Sandalwood Oil, Virginia Cedar, Ambroxan, Musks.

Khadlaj Nuha Cherry Blush:

I feel  I should like this one.  I like Khadlaj perfumes, often, and I like all these notes, though sometimes not orris so much, but every single time I have tried this, I’m afraid I just get…bandaids.  This is a true thumbs down from me.

Top Notes: Cherry, Rum, Wine. Middle Notes: Jasmin, Rose, Orris, Raspberry, Cedarwood. Base Notes: Tonka, Labdanum, Vanilla, Vetiver, Musky, Sandalwood

Lattafa Mayar Cherry Intense

Every time I have tried this one, I’m always thinking, where’s the cherry?  I get the bergamot opening, which, let’s face it, is a cliché, and then my brain goes right to the cacao.   I don’t hate this, and sometimes the cherry smell is more present on the atomizer than it is on me, but I’m not, by any means, mad for this.  I don’t understand why Lattafa doesn’t make a real true cherry scent, since they seem to churn out twelve new fragrances a day.

Top Notes: Strawberry, Bergamot. Middle Notes: Cherry Jam, Cacao. Base Notes: Vanilla, Patchouli, Amber

Fariis Kyra Blazing Cherry:

I wish that Kyra Blazing Cherry blazed a little more.  It is a bit Lost Cherryish on me, but not quite as dull. It’s one of those scents that makes me suspect a slight anosmia.  The note list, again, is so gorgeous, but it blurs on me.  I LOVE palo santo, but hardly pick it up here.  This is better than Lost Cherry, anyway, and decidedly less expensive.  If you want a dupe, maybe this one.

Top Notes: Black Cherry, Cherry Liquor, Bitter Almond, Pink Pepper Heart Notes: Rose Damascena, Leather Base Notes: Palo Santo, Creamy Vanilla, Cashmere, Amber, Benzoin, and ISO E Super

Paris Corner Ophidian Black Cherry:

This is supposed to be yet another Lost Cherry clone, but on me, it’s more exciting, and actually tart.  The only thing is, it doesn’t read as black cherry on me.  I even wonder if this might be better in the first category, except for all the other notes that bring the fragrance density.  I like this one, but I’m afraid I’m kind of getting Emergen-C cherry flavor packet.  Just a bit.

Top notes: cherry, raspberry, bergamot, woody.Middle notes :praline, heliotrope, rose ,oud.Base notes : tonka bean , patchouli, vetiver, incense

Maison Alhambra Forbidden Love:

This sounds like it should be the title of a naughty 1960s lesbian or interracial romance paperback. Unfortunately, it’s not really so deliciously transgressive.  Better than Lost Cherry, similar to Kyra Blazing Cherry, maybe a little more pizazz with the clove.  It’s quite nice, but I wouldn’t make a habit out of it.

Top notes are Cherry, Black Cherry and Bitter Almond; middle notes are Cherry, Plum, Turkish Rose and Jasmine; base notes are Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Cinnamon, Benzoin, Clove, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Vetiver and Cedar.

Strong, Spicy, Deep Cherry Scents

Arguably, some of the others I have mentioned may indeed be strong, spicy, and deep; I haven’t discounted the possibility that my nose doesn’t work perfectly on these accords.  But the following scents seem to me to be in another category altogether, and that’s why…they are in another category.  Please laugh.

Seven Virtues Cherry Ambition:

Unlike most of the perfumes I explore, this is one you can actually get at Sephora. I like Seven Virtues, or at least the two scents I have tried.  Vanilla Woods is also compelling.  Ambition seems a strange quality to attribute something so whimsical as a cherry, I know, but this perfume is bold!  It’s spicy!  It has character!  And even after the cherry wears off, which it will, something strong and delicious remains.  I also love that they sell travel sizes.  All perfumes should be available in travel sizes automatically. The osmanthus and saffron in the middle are also REALLY lovely. An excellent, entirely non-wimpy blend.

Top Notes: Cherry, Mandarin, Pink Pepper, and Marshmallow. Heart Notes: Cherry Blossom, Osmanthus, Orris, and Saffron. Base Notes: Vanilla, Amber, Musk, Frankincense, and Guaiacwood

Proad Cherry Syrup:

Proad is a Thai company, and I must tell you, there are some beautiful perfumes coming out of Thailand, which makes perfect sense, as Thailand is such a fragrant place.  The Glin Dee website is a very enticing space. There are several other scents I got from them which I love, and though I won’t go off on that tasty tangent right now, I do hope you go down that particular rabbit hole.  This scent is perfectly named.  It’s not giving a mere hint or a whisper of cherry.  This is, you know, the stuff they put in Italian soda, and it’s really really great. The cherries don’t run away from you like the coy little things they are but remain decisive and drool-worthy. 

Top notes: Nut, Saffron, Cherry, Rum. Middle notes: Jasmine, Rose, Cinnamon. Base notes: Cypress, Oak, Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Benzoin, Sandalwood, Ambroxan, Patchouli

Maison Alhambra Intoxicating Cherry:

 I did say that  Lattafa should make more  straightforward cherry scents, and Maison Alhambra actually is a subsidiary company of Lattafa, so maybe this counts.  The thing is, this isn’t remotely straightforward. This scent is kind of remarkable. It’s as if it’s saying, “yeah, I’m Middle Eastern, wanna make something of it?”  It’s not shy.  TWO kinds of pepper on top.  Then cognac and tobacco.  And also something cypriolic that isn’t listed.  Most distinctive.

Top Notes: Cherry, Pink Pepper, Black Pepper. Middle Notes: Cognac, Jasmine. Base Notes: Tobacco, Vanilla, Amber.

Alkemia Cherries of the Night:

This one has a special place in my heart.  If you are seeking a rich, gothic, totally satisfying cherry, please try this one.  It’s an oil, which I generally prefer, and I confess to having the urge to pour it on ice cream…not because it is sickeningly sweet…it isn’t, but because it makes me feel rapturous. Very strongly recommended.

Notes:  Maraschino liqueur, cherry amber, musky black amber, dark spiced rum, warm nutmeg, and Peru Balsam

Lattafa La Collection d’Antiquites 1505:

Like most of the perfumes in the Pride Collection, this one is relatively complex.  It is also blessed with the saffron/osmanthus I mentioned in reference to Cherry Ambition. From first sniff, I find myself taken by it ­­—in part, I guess, because I really love saffron. I guess it is the olibnanum, balsam, and cypriol that give this a kind of tree-radiance.  It’s really wonderful, and if I don’t love it quite as much as I love Lattafa’s figgy Vintage Radio, of which I bought a whole bottle, I do think it’s mighty fine, and yes, you can smell the cherry for sure.

Top Notes: Black Cherry and Saffron. Middle Notes: Osmanthus, Olibnanum and Amyris. Base Notes: Balsam, Styrax, Cypriol and Guaiacwood

Hamidi Sublime Cherry:

This one is utterly exciting to me.  I am familiar with and a fan of some of the Hamidi concentrated perfume oils; there is one called Gulnar that I particularly love, and I’m still exploring the line. I got the sample of sublime cherry long after I got some of these other samples, and I was about to shrug, feeling that most cherry perfumes were insufficiently tart, intense, or cherryish for me. But this one…look, the top note isn’t just cherry, but sour cherry,  and those middle notes are mindblowingly unusual and excellent.  Apricot and osmanthus are two of my favorites in particular. What are leather and olive doing, I wonder? Olive!

I have come to the conclusion that there is no perfect cherry fragrance in existence yet, but there are many contenders, and this is one of them.

Top Notes – Sour Cherry, Saffron. Middle Notes – Leather, Olive, Apricot, Osmanthu. Base Notes – Woody Notes, Cypriol Oil, Nagarmotha.

…………………………………………

Postscript:

There is still one more cherry fragrance on its way to me:  Hekayat Cherries Hekayat Attar

I’m hopeful about it because the note list is wonderful, and includes another fruity avenue of research for me:  mango.  I will update this blog entry once it arrives, but in the meantime, here are the notes:

Top notes are Cherry Liqueur and Mango; Middle notes are Turkish Rose, Jasmine and Incense; Base notes are Vanilla, Tonka Bean and Sandalwood. 

It sounds promising.

Post-postscript

The gateway drugs to the fascinating world of Middle Eastern Perfumery were the Lattafa Khamwah Trio:  Khamrah Qawah, Khamrah Dukhan, and the original Khamrah.  The first two remain among my very favorites:  they are the spiciest, booziest, syrupiest, gourmandiest, most delicious elixirs I know.  They are DARK DARK DARK…so imagine how disoriented I felt when they recently put out a freshie version called Khamrah Waha, a blue liquid that includes sea notes and cucumber, so that when I read the notes list I always think “sea cucumber,”  a rather leathery and unpleasurable sea slug I have tasted in onsen meals in Japan.  Yecch!  How could they?

What I really wanted, of course, was for them to add—you guessed it—cherry to the Khamrah base.  Well, they didn’t.  But someone sort of did.  Let me explain.

There is a FAKE made in China probably version of a Khamrah flanker called Khamrah Karaz.  Most people know that it’s fake, even though some AIs still insist it is real.  It is real insofar as it does in fact exist, and it is not a mere illusion, but it has nothing at all to do with the Lattafa company, and I guess there would be some irony in a company that makes dupes suing a dupe-maker.

In any case, I saw it for ten bucks on Ali Express and thought what the hell, it might actually smell good.  Same bottle as a Killian-copying-Khamrah, too.

Well, reader, what they sent me was basically pink water with maybe an eyedropper’s worth of unconvincing cherry scent in it.  Tooooooo funny.  Conceptual art!!

I don’t regret the purchase though – not a bit.  Someday it may have the same kind of cult status as the Beatles’ butcher cover.  One really never knows. 

If there is a perfect cherry perfume, I haven’t found it yet. But these five come closest to satisfying my craving for redness.

#1 Proad Cherry Syrup — the fruit maximalist, cherriest

#2 Cherries of the Night — atmospheric & gothic

 #3 Khaltat Night — most evocative of elsewhere

#4 Sublime Cherry — the unexpected dark horse

 #5 Cherry Ambition — readily available and decisive

If you know any other glorious cherry scents, please leave a comment! Cherrs!