Erawan

Erawan is the scent of late summer tipping into fall. It is the smell of the harvest, with fields of aromatic barley, hay, and oats waiting to be brought in, the earthy goodness of nuts, flour, and honey stacked high in the larder, and the wholesome, leaf-brownness of tobacco leaves drying on barn floors. It is not an uncommon theme in indie perfumery, but Erawan stands proud of other examples by way of two things. First, Dusita’s sophisticated style of making perfumes puts a high-definition gloss on the rustic theme, making it the perfect choice for a young Paris or New York sophisticate who wants real, but who also wants polished. Second, whereas most fragrances with a countryside bent are loaded with syrupy sweetness, booze, or fruit, Erawan boasts only the gentle sweetness of nuts, hay, and herbs, thus making it an airy, elegant wear.

A series of little contrasts has been cleverly worked into the composition to give the scent texture and movement. There is the herbal brightness of clary sage and petigrain up top, but also a nutty, creamy undercurrent of vetiver to provide depth. Liatris, or deertongue, a plant extract that lends perfumes a coumarin-like tone, gives off the scent of freshly-toasted tobacco leaf, but its dry resinousness is nicely offset by the damp, fresh greenery of a surprising muguet note planted in the center. The inky bitterness of oakmoss is suggestive of long shadows under oak trees, but a judicious dose of vanilla softens everything into a delicious, late-afternoon blur. Erawan wears like a ray of sunshine on your face. Both beautiful and unusual, its rustic charm does not come at the cost of sophistication.