New Perfume Reviews Hayari Parfums Le Paradis de L’Homme & Only for Him- Couture for the Nose 5 May 2014

Designer perfumes can be a tricky undertaking. By putting their name on a fragrance label the fashion designer is trusting the fragrance team to interpret the couture into the olfactory. It is by its nature a very hit or miss proposition. It gets even harder for me if I know the fashion designer and admire their clothing. Nabil Hayari is one of those designers who creates incredibly detailed pieces of fashion which are regularly seen on red carpets and on the bride at weddings. Along with the detail there is often cutouts and sheer panels to add a sensual nature to the fashion design. So when I see the name Hayari on a fragrance what I want is detail and texture mixed with sensuality. For the two newest releases from Hayari Parfums, Le Paradis de L’Homme and Only for Him, I got exactly that.

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Nabil Hayari (r.) and I at Sniffapalooza Spring Fling 2013 / Cecile Zarokian wearing Hayari at Esxence 2014

Le Paradis de L’Homme was signed by Dorothee Piot who previously did Goldy for Her in the Hayari line. This is about as straightforward a perfume architecture as one can ask for it is woods and leather. What sets it apart is Mme Piot’s choices to add textural context to this simple design. First there are no real top notes meant to linger for a while and dissipate. Le Paradis de L’Homme starts with light woody notes of redwood and cedar. To add something to the stark woodiness Mme Piot uses the greener aspects of papyrus and vetiver to wrap them in a bit of gauzy green from the papyrus and a silky green from the vetiver. That both of these predominantly green notes also have a woody underpinning allows them to be woven seamlessly into the early woods. The leather accord comes next and it also melts right into the greenish woods and creates a really beautiful intersection as the leather enhances different details. Eventually sandalwood and musk add the sensual finish to Le Paradis de L’Homme.

Only for Him was composed by Cecile Zarokian and captures M. Hayari’s heritage as he was born in Algeria but works in Paris fashion. His designs may have a label which says “Made in France” but in small print it should also say “Inspired in Algeria”. Only for Him also unabashedly has one foot in France and the other in Algeria. Mme Zarokian takes a Mediterranean citrus mélange and spices it up with a pinch of black pepper. She also uses elemi to add a bit of citrus tinged resinous depth to the top notes. The heart is a very Parisian verdant floral boutonniere of jasmine and muguet also draped in green notes of papyrus and an herbal patchouli. This time they are there to butch the florals up a bit and make them less overtly floral. The base is all oriental as amber, benzoin and vetiver provide the foundation for guaiac and cedar all of this is set over a musk laden finish.

Le Paradis de L’Homme and Only for Him have 8-10 hour longevity and above average sillage.

Both of these perfumes capture the spirit of M. Hayari’s fashion. Both Mme Piot and Mme Zarokian each illuminate a different part of what makes that fashion unique. This time the perfume matches the couture beautifully.

Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by Hayari Parfums.

–Mark Behnke