I’ve got a lovely bunch of…
Coconuts! Lovely, fragrant coconuts!
Ever since I got my first bottle of coconut perfume oil from Hawaii from my mum when I was about 15, I’ve loved coconut in fragrance.
Of course, I don’t just love it in perfume, I love it on my skin, it’s moisturising and nourishing and derivatives are also used in body washes and shampoos, and as the base in perfume oils as Fractionated Coconut Oil
And, I guess I don’t have to say, I love to eat it! In desserts (coconut jelly from Yum Cha especially!) and curries (most especially Gang Dang Ped - Thai red curry with roasted duck, coconut milk, tomato and pineapple, come to mama!) or gahhh! Chocolate snowballs, or good old munchy, crunchy Aussie chocolate crackles (which I am now craving), and drink it too - well, I’d love to drink it again, haven’t in years.
As noted in Wikipedia, the coconut has an incredible array of other uses - cooking, perfume, body products just a few of many more…
- Coconut water can be used as an intravenous fluid,
- the fibre from the husk can be used in ropes, mats and brushes,
- the leaves provide materials for baskets and thatching roofs,
- dried half coconut shells are used to buff floors,
- the roots are used as a dye, a mouthwash, or a medicine for dysentery,
- a frayed-out piece of root can make a toothbrush
But, back to the fragrance!
Unfortunately, my research did not yield an awful lot about how it is extracted and added to perfumes, I couldn’t find information on
coconut they way you can about, say, musk, rose or jasmine. Maybe it is as simple as some of the texts I did find, like Coconut Absolute coming from the pressed (deoleated) coconut meal via solvent/alcohol extraction or Coconut Oil, Virgin Creme Coconut from Tahiti which is prepared from sun-dried coprah (I think this is the same as the meal), extracted by cold pressure. Also, Quality First is an interesting site on coconut oils and derivatives. Or there is the synthetic kind.
Coconut can be a tropical holiday in a bottle, which is how many might sniff it, but depending on what it’s been blended with, it doesn’t just smell like the beach or suntan lotion to me, it can also be foody and comforting. And that’s why in the past few years I’ve come back to it again sort of in the same way I returned to vanilla, and in more ways than I ever imagined since my eyes were opened to the Black Phoenix Alchmey Lab, Dragonfly Blue, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, Sage Machado and…the list goes on! Coconut does feature in commercial perfumes, but in the etailer arena, there is much more variety.
In my favourite coconut perfumes, I smell fresh, watery, milky, sweet, woody, dark, shredded or toasted notes. I guess what contributes to these notes are the type of coconut, the age, the part of the coconut, or other non-coconut notes which might be added. DSH Perfumes lists three types of coconut perfumes on her website:
Black Coconut ~ A sweet burnt coconut with a soft powdery note in its dry down
Coconut ~ A warm and creamy gourmand note with a sweet dessert-like character
Green Coconut ~ A slightly sweet and fresh coconut
Anyway, enough of that, now for my favourites!
Sage Machado ~ Onyx
Okay. Get yourself a dollop of rich double thick cream, stir in a heaped spoonful of shredded coconut, add a few pinches of very fine pipe tobacco and mix well. Let stand for a while... Now, inhale deeply, and you just about have Onyx! Lavishly sweet and creamy, but given a dark and earthy edge by the tobacco and oakmoss. It becomes gorgeously musky an hour or two later, and on the final drydown, still musky, but ever so slightly powdery. Onyx is certainly distinctive, but when I wear it, I’m reminded just a little of two other fragrances I love: La Perla Eclix and Pilar & Lucy The Exact Friction of Stars. All three have very different and complex personalities, but they’re related somehow, like distant cousins. Just as they begin to dry down, Eclix has a chocolately thing going on and EFoS has a chocolate/coconut/tobacco thing (though Onyx is deeper and richer in this department). But that’s where they’re alike, because for a while Onyx emulates chocolate in a similar way to its cousins…but darker chocolate. I had a sample of this in the oil, but on this occasion I prefer the EDT, as the scent is lifted off my skin and into the air around me so deliciously! It’s a little pricey, but total love for this delight.
Description: Dark coconut, oakmoss, tobacco and vanilla nectar
Pilar & Lucy ~ the exact friction of stars
This is one of the most delicious chocolate coconut perfumes. Comforting, yet sexy at the same time… it is scrumptious. I adore the chocolatey, vanillary, coconutty, orangey goodness of it! The dry-down brings to mind a luscious crème brulee, though it’s not sickeningly sweet. It reminds the man of an After 8 (an after-dinner mint), and also reminds me a touch of Serendipitous, though without the coconut and Serendipitous is much more a soft chocolate orange to me.
Two very favourable comments I’ve had on EFoS, the first one being - that it’s like the aroma of a very fine & expensive sweet pipe tobacco. And the second, “You smell absolutely delicious!”
Dragonfly Blue ~ Orleans Truffle
Another superb chocolate coconut perfume (and significantly cheaper than P&L above!) but they are different. DFB oils come in oil form and the coconut in Orleans Truffle is dark, like black coconut. It’s very deep with a strong woodiness and a little toasted. At first I thought a coconut milk or shredded coconut note would be better as the black coconut overpowers the chocolate for a while (it just barely peeks around the edges), but in time I’ve come to appreciate the darker, woodier coconut. And the sillage is incredible. The dark chocolate and touch of musk complement the coconut so well, makes it just amazing. A couple of hours later it’s smoother and a bit sweeter... with that gorgeous soft musk that isn’t candy-like or airy, just a lovely, slightly sweet soft musk blended into the coconut.
I love to wear this with BPAL Black Pearl. Divine.
Description: Ever evolving, begins with chocolate notes, slipping into an exotic coconut, ending with a farewell of musk.
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz ~ Enamorada
Musky coconut with rum and a touch of gardenia and black coffee ....so sultry and sexy! Enamorada reminds me a little of Monyette Paris with that lovely incensey gardenia but with a foody coconut touch. The black coconut starts off a teeny touch bitter on me, with the rum and coffee lightly in the backgroud. Ten minutes in and I am really liking it, the coconut fades a little and the musk and amber come to the fore warming and sexifying the blend. A hint of black coffee also drifts out. Overall, it’s gorgeous and has wonderful sillage.
Description: Essence Studio Oils ~ (by Wendybianca and DSH): Inspired by a Mexican honeymoon of twilight kisses, sandy beaches, and tropical sensibilities. Perfect for a summer of passion…or to create passion in any season!
Top notes: Black Coconut, Rhum
Middle notes: Gardenia, Ocean
Base notes: Ambergris, Coffee Absolute, Musk
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab ~ Obatala
Oh…this is very good. When I first read the description for Obatala, I knew I had to try it. I’d been searching for a lighter coconut scent, something a bit different from the darker coconut notes and hoped that this would be the one. The “cool, refreshing water” note especially got me, water that I hoped would be captured by a feel of pureness, freshness and lightness, and I imagined a cool, trickling stream of water, somewhere on a remote, tropical island…and yes! Obatala has that note, the most beautiful fresh, watery note I’ve smelt, it really does smell of coconut meat, shea butter and water, like a stream of coconut water, clear and pure. I sometimes also get the barest hint of toffee and suntan oil, but it’s all very, very light. The coconut does go a little darker on the dry-down, nonetheless, Obatala is just beautiful, and fantastic to wear in the summer-time.
Notes: Excolo ~ Milk, coconut meat, shea butter and cool, refreshing water.
More Dawn Spencer Hurwitz
Maui
Here’s a delicious tropical coconut! It’s heavy on the coconut notes for quite a while, but soon the fruits (maybe some very light mango and pineapple) and vanilla come out to blend in and make it warm and ultra tropical, a wonderful mix of sweetness with a touch of bitterness from black coconut. Feels just like sitting in a banana lounge on the beach, sun and blue sky, lapping waves on the shore, creamy cocktail in hand…the lot!
Description: Essence Studio Oils ~ A tropical paradise available when ever you want to go! Maui is a luscious, sweet, yet fresh, coconut fragrance: The Hawaiian Islands in a bottle!
Top notes: Coconut, Tropical Fruit
Middle notes: Coconut, Vanilla
Base notes: French Sweet Vanilla, Tahitian Vanilla
Beach Blanket (no. 5)
Another lovely coconut from Dawn which is similar to Enamorada on me, but with a light citrus note and less musk.
Description: Essence Studio Oils ~ Wear this scent when you want to feel like you've been sun tanning at the beach, but you've been stuck inside instead. The nostalgic scent of suntan oil, ocean waves and salty skin will transport you.
Essence Studio Oils ~ Top notes: Sweet Orange
Middle notes: Black Coconut, Coconut, Orange Blossom, Spice Notes
Base notes: Amber, French Vanilla, Musk, Salt Spray/Ocean Notes, Sandalwood
Bamboo Pulp (accord)
I was so surprised by Bamboo Pulp, I didn’t expect to like it so much! In the vial it’s fresh and a little zippy. On, it blooms into a lovely lime with a lightly rounded sandalwood musk and sweet basil, so it’s a little herbal and minty. There’s almost a touch of sugar too and a sort of an aquatic twist. It’s beautifully blended and the sillage is so deliciously intriguing! It’s a little sweet and milky, yet very fresh and clean feeling. It’s also long-lasting, after wearing it for a couple hours I had a comment from a workmate that it smelt like a soap she’d used in Fiji. She smiled as she remembered that it was a sort of tropical, floral and coconut smell. It’s odd really, because though there is no coconut mentioned in the notes, I had two more comments from people that they smelt coconut, so it could be in there, or this mix just mimics coconut!
NB: I prefer Bamboo Pulp over the Bamboo note which actually has coconut in it as a note, it’s less woody and herbal.
Description: Essence Oils ~ A 'milky' and green tropical accord with sweet, fruity nuances and a dense "wetness" to it's character. There are added notes in this accord to give it wider aromatic range and make it suitable for both blending and wear as a fragrance on it's own.
Top notes: Lime Peel, Sweet Basil
Middle notes: Bamboo Pulp
Base notes: Sandalwood
Bamboo
Now this bamboo note does have some coconut in it! It’s similar to the Bamboo Accord but a bit earthier and herbal with the bergamot and petitgrain, and a woodier base. I mention this one because prefer the accord I think.
Description: Essence Studio Oils ~ A Good Luck charm never smelled so good !
Our Bamboo scent is as balmy, exotic and dense as a rainforest... Originally designed as a compliment "basenote layer" to our Fresh Ginger, this tropical wood scent is so complex that it can easily stand alone.
Top notes: Bergamot, Green Mandarin, Papaya, Petitgrain, Sweet Basil, Yuzu
Middle notes: Bamboo Pulp, Coconut, Orris, Sandalwood
Base notes: Guiacwood, Musk, Rosewood (bois de rose), Teakwood, Virginia Cedar
More Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab
Perversion
See my previous review on Perversion.
Tarot: The Star
Fresh and foody - delish!!! At first, a touch herbally - lemon verbena and a touch of mint? I feel refreshed! About 15 minutes later, my man smelt it on my neck and said, “Mmmmm! What is that? Sugary…foody…” I mentioned lemon and he said, “That’s it, lemon sherbert!” And he was right, the bright sweetness of lemon sherbert, with fresh coconut shavings starting to emerge. I took another sniff and my mouth was watering! Another comment in the office was that it was like coconut lemon cheesecake…he sits a few metres from me, so I think the sillage must be good - at first anyway, it does seem to soften quite a bit after an hour or so. Finally, it becomes a cakey lemon coconut tart like I used to get from a Chinese bakery, which brings back lovely comforting memories for me. Gorgeously invigorating and comforting!
Red Lantern
In the bottle: Rum and coconut…WHOA! That’s some strong stuff. On my skin, it's really boozy caramel liqueur at first. Very gourmand, and almost a little too strong for me. Strong enough that I was sniffing it while drinking coffee and I felt like I was drinking a liqueur coffee! A little later, could this be? Yes! Caramel fudge smothered in desiccated coconut! And then, about a half hour later - wow, such a drastic change - a delicious muskiness and sweet tobacco dryness comes out. The un-foody notes of amber, delphinium, blonde tobacco and opium become a little more apparent and mix in. It has wonderful throw, but I still keep going in for little up-close sniffs, where it seems more foody.
There's other perfumes that mix gourmand and perfumey musky tobacco notes, though I don't think I've known of one with such a sharp contrast as with Red Lantern; and it works, in a deliciously good way.
PS. Red Lantern reminds me of Elegba, but less black coconut and there's more of that liqueur and a musky note in Red Lantern. The black coconut doesn't bother me by becoming an odd woodiness like it sometimes can, it's just softly there.
Description: Lupercalia 2006 Limited Edition ~ A tribute to the opium den cum bawdyhouses of Shanghai in the 1930’s. Golden amber, blonde tobacco, Sudanese black coconut, rich caramel, black currant, white opium and delphinium laced with a sensual blend of Asian spice.
Black Pearl
Black Pearl is a very elegant and soft musky floral, though not floral as in bouquet of flowers, just a gentle one. The Florentine Iris adds the most refined and soft powdery violet note, the kind of powdery note that works wonderfully on my skin. There is just the barest hint of shredded coconut but it adds a warmth, along with the pearlescent musk. I wear Black Pearl with DFB Orleans Truffle - one on each hand, they complement each other very well.
Description: Bewitching Brews ~ Evocative of the sea's unplumbed mysteries. Gentle and lovely, but menacing and profound. Coconut, Florentine iris, hazelnut and opalescent white musk.
Arcana Soaps
Caramelized Coconut
Perfect to wear alone or to add to other scents, Caramelized Coconut, is a simple black coconut note with a swirl of fudgy caramel.
Ganesh
Ganesh is scrumptious. There is a definite toasted coconut in here and I think it’s the most realistic toasted coconut I’ve smelt so far. Freshly toasted! With a drop or two of vanilla. On me, it is just like the Chinese coconut biscuits my nana used to treat us with as kids. A little later, black coconut comes out a little more and even a smidgen of coconut water too. Delightful.
Description: Sri Ganesh is the dessert-loving Hindu god who brings joy and removes obstacles. His namesake scent is a happy blend of coconut milk and toasted coconut cakes sweetened with vanilla and spiced with a touch of Indonesian clove.
Heaven & Earth Designs
Rhiw
I’d not smelt a perfume smell the way Rhiw does on me. I’ve smelt coconut and lime fragrances, but this is different. I think it’s the ginger that does it. The lime really freshens it, as does the ginger, but it also adds a very warm and earthy spiced note.
Notes ~ Fruity Scents ~ Coconut, Lime and Ginger Essential Oils
Sparkle Fairy
Dusty black coconut, cinnamon, and rich, warm vanilla bourbon. At first, it really doesn’t seem to work on me but it soon becomes a lovely creamy coconut, with a milk chocolate feel. Very comfoting.
Description: A Tropical drink that meets a night time coffee drink - Vanilla Bourbon, Coconut and a dash of Madagascar Cinnamon
And for some tasty lotions to layer with…
Inecto ~ Pure Coconut Oil ~ Moisture Miracle Body Lotion
If you can get a hold of this, do. Smells divine: a light toffee with a hint of watery coconut. Goes wonderfully with BPAL Obatala. As for the lotion, it is emollient, but not at all greasy. Leaves me very soft and smooth.
Description: Rich and moisturizing. Contains 100% pure coconut oil to replenish moisture, leaving dry skin soft, smooth and conditioned.
Bath & Body Works ~ Coconut Lime Verbena ~ Body Lotion
Zippy, creamy and fresh! Lime and lemon verbena are the strongest notes, but the coconut, melon, sandalwood and musk sweeten and mellow it out. I love it, and the lotion is wonderful to wear just on it’s own. It reminds me just a little of La Perla Eclix.
Description: Be whisked away to your very own paradise with this luscious blend of fresh coconut, lime and fragrant
verbena, warmed by vanilla and musk.
Top Notes: Zesty Lime, Tart Lemon Verbena, Ozone, Kumquat Peel
Mid Notes: Melon, Sheer Muguet, Mandarin, Jasmine
Base Notes: Sheer Coconut Water, Sandalwood, Musk
MMU Cosmetics ~ Tahitian Vanilla ~ Babe-Cakes Body Icing
I have had this Body Icing scented at ‘strong intensity’ since 2003 and it is still delicious in smell and texture! Since I have had it a while though, I hope the Babe Cakes nor Tahitian Vanilla formula have changed. Mine though, is heavenly luscious vanilla tempered with buttered rum and coconut...no note outshines the other, it’s all just smoothly blended. And the Babe-Cakes leaves my skin satiny smooth with a lingering scent.
Description: This is not your ordinary Vanilla sniff and boy is it outstanding! Sweet, rich, and sultry, with notes of Rum, Creamy Coconut, and a slight hint of Tiare! A very aromatic vanilla!
There are many more I could mention, but I think it's time that I stopped here!