Eau DadàSpicy Woody Eau de Parfum

Eau Dadà by Santi Burgas is a spicy, woody, vanilla eau de parfum, unisex, co-signed by Rosendo Mateu and Santiago Burgas. Eight ingredients, not a single citrus note, and an oud named after its region.

A house born in an ant farm

SANTI BURGAS describes itself as "an avant-garde, alternative niche perfume brand, born in the heart of the Mediterranean in 2008". The formulas are created in Torroella de Montgrí, in Empordà, in a former building where the region's rice was dried — now an artisan perfumery workshop that the house calls its "ant colony". The three letters A, N, T are "at the heart of the brand's name (S-ANT-I) and reflect the ant as the house's symbol and logo". Its founder and creative director, Santiago Burgas Bou, says he "solidified his training in classic and modern perfumery under the guidance of master perfumers Rosendo Mateu, Chris Maurice, and Rodrigo Flores-Roux". Eau Dadà is the only creation he co-signs with one of them.

An opening of orange blossom, Spanish saffron, and labdanum

The orange blossom opens with a honeyed, sun-drenched character. The Spanish saffron cuts through with a leathery, slightly metallic note — an ingredient that is almost always placed in the heart, never at the opening. The labdanum brings its warm, slightly animalic resin. Three noble ingredients, and not a single citrus note: the perfume goes straight to the heart of the matter.

A heart of tonka bean, Indonesian patchouli, and Bourbon vanilla

The tonka bean brings almond and cut hay, the Indonesian patchouli damp, camphorous earth, and the Bourbon vanilla a woody rather than sugary sweetness. Each ingredient carries its terroir — this is the house's signature style.

A base of incense and Trai Pratchin oud

The base rests on two ingredients. The incense brings its dry, resinous smoke, and the Trai Pratchin oud — the house names the Thai province it comes from — its leathery, almost medicinal depth. Naming the region of origin of a precious wood is rare, and says everything about the sourcing claimed here.

The house's approach

The house links Eau Dadà to the Eighth Dadaist Manifesto and Tristan Tzara, and tells the story of the perfume's starting point: "a handwritten letter, with an old perfume bottle, deteriorated by the passage of time". The composition follows this program to the letter — no fresh opening, no introductory pleasantries: the perfume begins where others end.

For whom, for what occasions?

For those who like dense, carefully sourced compositions. Evenings, cold season. A 100 ml unisex eau de parfum. The house declares its perfumes vegan and not tested on animals, and specifies that they are "99% made between Empordà and Barcelona, from A to Z: the cap, the juice, the pump, the collar, and the packaging", the bottle being made in France.