Each summer, I’m fortunate enough to vacation to the beautiful (and party) island of Ibiza. With my mind constantly obsessing about perfume, I thought it would interesting to explore perfume brands from Ibiza. The two most famous ones are Hierbas de Ibiza and Campos de Ibiza. Both brands are native to the island. Hierbas de Ibiza has been around forever and is a staple in hotels around Ibiza, whilst Campos de Ibiza is more modern.
There aren’t that many brands from Ibiza outside of the two I mentioned above. I found a brand called Mar de Ibiza as well as Beso Beach fragrances. These four brands exclusively carry fragrances, however I found the best fragrances yet in a jewellery store called Silver Shop. They carry two perfumes one called Black Onyx, an ambery scent, and the other is Hash, a fragrance similar to Nasomatto’s Black Afgano. Unfortunately both perfumes were out of stock so I can’t do a proper review on them. However, when they’re back in stock I will purchase these and will share my thoughts. Stay tuned…
For today’s post, I will be reviewing Hierbas de Ibiza, two fragrances from Campos de Ibiza and one from Beso Beach club.
Hierbas de Ibiza Agua de Colonia Fresca
I can’t think of a better fragrance than Agua de Colonia Fresca by Hierbas de Ibiza to kick start this travel series. Out of all the brands I found, this is the only one that actually produces its fragrances in Ibiza. Agua de Colonia is everything you can expect from an eau de cologne. Yes, it’s a classic eau de cologne, nothing out of the ordinary, but it’s done very well. It’s refreshing, clean and great for hot weather.
The fragrance is a burst of citrus and aromatic herbs. Lemon is intertwined with lavender and you definitely get a herbal feel during the drydown. There’s also a subtle sweetness, which softens the sharpness of the citruses. It’s like a cold shower after a day in the sun, or that euphoric feeling that you get when you put your head under water in the sea.
Key Notes
Notes: Orange, lemon, thyme, sage, lavender, rosemary, jasmine, bitter orange
Olfactive Classification: Cologne
Campos de Ibiza Esencia de Higo
With all the fig trees on the island, it’s only fitting that Campos de Ibiza capture their scent through Esencia de Higo. This fragrance leans towards a sweet fig scent, with notes of strawberry and mandarin interlaced with coconut. This gives an impression of fruit pulp rather than highlighting the greeness of fig. The coconut note, which is so often used to evoke the scent of fig, isn’t too overpowering in this fragrance. However, I must say that the strawberry note persists for a while and unfortunately smells quite synthetic. Overall, the general structure of this fragrance is quite flat, and has poor longevity (approx. 2-3h) and projection.
Esencia de Higo is definitely more of daytime fragrance. It’s fruity character has a touch of playfulness so I decided to pair it with an airy and colourful dress.
Key Notes
Top: Strawberry, mandarin, grapefruit, coconut
Heart: Fig leaves, cedar, lavender
Base: Musk, sandalwood, amber
Olfactive Classification: Fruity
Campos de Ibiza Cedro
Generally speaking, I really, really, want to love Campos de Ibiza fragrances as much as I love the packaging. I find the fragrances a little too simple and synthetic to my taste, and would prefer to use them as room sprays. A little harsh, I know, but I’m just giving you my honest opinion. That being said, Cedro is by far the most elaborate fragrance carried by the brand. It’s certainly a woody cedar wood scent and is the most unisex in the line. To me, it has a light pine character, which reminds me of the pine trees in Ibiza.
Whilst Esencia de Higo doesn’t have great longevity, Cedro stays on the skin for up to 4 hours, which is rather decent for an eau de toilette. This fragrance is also quite versatile and can be worn both during the day and night, as well as throughout the year.
Key Notes
Top: Basil, grapefruit, bergamot, lemon, lime
Heart: Ginger, cinnamon
Base: Sandalwood, cedar, white musk
Olfactive Classification: Woody Aromatic
Beso Beach Beso Negro
The first I heard of Beso Beach fragrances was at Esxence in Milan earlier this year. This newly launched perfume trio is inspired by the atmosphere of Beso Beach, a famous beach club located in Ibiza, Formentera and Tulum. What caught my attention is the fact that Carner Barcelona, a fantastic Spanish niche brand, worked on the development of the scents. These fragrances certainly don’t disappoint and are great quality scents.
My favourite fragrance out of the three is Beso Negro. Probably because it’s a very close replica of Le Labo’s Santal 33. A Christophe Raynaud creation, Beso Negro is a wonderful laid back leather fragrance. Be prepared though – the leather comes on strong but not in a car seat type of way. It’s at first spicy, with cardamom adding warmth to the bare leather canvas. Violet deepens the composition, adding a hint of darkness, which is lightened up again by ambrox. I can very clearly smell this clean, transparent ambroxan note, which makes this fragrance so smooth and sexy.
Beso Negro immediately brings me to Las Dalias, the hippie market in Ibiza. It reminds me of the leather satchels, boots adorned with fringes and woven belts hanging off the walls of market stalls. This bohemian leather scent can be worn during the day (but preferably not on a very hot day) and at night. It has a phenomenal projection and fantastic longevity (+8 hours).
Key Notes
Top: Violet leaves, cardamom, green accord
Heart: Violet, orris concrete, cypriol, patchouli
Base: Cedarwood, ambrox, sandalwood, leather
Olfactive Classification: Leather
Disclaimer
Sample and images are my own.
Well done Josephine – great reviews and pics 🥰