Joya has been a premiere home fragrance producer and it seems like a logical outgrowth for them to enter the personal fragrance game. This comes on the heels of adding personal care and accessories to the Joya brand. Joya founder Frederick Bouchardy labels the personal fragrance collaboration between the nose Rayda Vega and the ceramic artist Sarah Cihat a “thoughtful labor of love”. The two fragrances created by this team are Composition No. 1 and Composition No. 6. Ms. Cihat has created hand cast ceramic bottles in white for Composition No. and black for Composition No. 6. The stopper is a 22K gold dipped wand that is used to apply these fragrances. Ms. Vega has created two fragrances which embody the colors of the beautiful ceramic containers created by Ms. Cihat. (for the original announcement , list of notes and imagery http://tinyurl.com/25jqh87)

 

 

 

Composition No. 1

For the bright Composition No. 1 Ms. Vega starts with a fruity opening. One of the notes, orange, is fairly common. It is Ms. Vega’s choice for the other fruity note that sets the beginning of Composition No. 1 apart, quince.

 

 

During my travels in Argentina I encountered a red paste called “dulce de membrillo” which is made of quince. It had a lovely tart and sweet nature to it and in Composition No. 1 Ms. Vega re-creates this rich concentrated form of quince in fragrant form. It lends an exotic air to the opening stages of Composition No. 1. The heart stays concentrated as a number of intense floral notes appear. Led by heliotrope and tuberose followed by jasmine and rose the heart is a well-balanced grouping. The base uses a light application of sandalwood and musk which finishes Composition No. 1 as brightly as it was started.

Composition No. 6

 

 

Composition No. 6 goes for the darker side of things and is a much deeper fragrance overall than Composition No. 1. The opening of Composition No. 6 is a juniper berry note which gives a lovely gin accord which is joined by a lightly woody cypress and tart yuzu. These opening stages feel like the fragrant feel of a new yuzu martini served in a cypress paneled bar. If one was to continue that analogy the Composition No. 6 bar is located near a lotus grove through which a breeze is blowing as, in the heart, an aquatic lotus accord combines with an ozonic accord. These go along with the lingering juniper and yuzu quite well and create a nicely subtle interplay throughout the middle aspect of the development. The base is a dark, deep amber and it finishes Composition No. 6 in an intense place that matches the depth of its black ceramic container.

I found that Composition No. 1 had much more longevity than Composition No. 6, which is odd for a citrus focused fragrance like Composition No. 1. Both fragrances have a slightly below average sillage which is normal for a fragrance at parfum strength. Both compositions are also available as soaps.

Joya has made a joyful entry into the personal fragrance arena and I look forward to more from them in this area.

Disclosure: This review was based on preview samples provided by Joya Studios.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

 

WIN  Thank you Frederick !

 

Write a comment and receive a travel size EDP of your choice . Just specify  No. 1  or No. 6