Oriental SaffronSpicy Woody Eau de Parfum

Oriental Saffron by Bohoboco is a spicy, woody, and amber niche eau de parfum, unisex, created by Michał Gilbert Lach. It is an oriental bazaar in a bottle.

A house that names its fragrances after their ingredients

Bohoboco is a Polish house based in Warsaw. It was born in 2009 as a fashion brand, founded by designers Michał Gilbert Lach and Kamil Owczarek. A first fragrance was released in 2012, before the collection was launched in 2016 — a project in which Lach, having worked in hairdressing, makeup, and then fashion design, says he found his true calling. The house's signature lies in its naming convention: each fragrance is simply named after two or three of its ingredients, without a story or character. Sea Salt Caramel, Vanilla Black Pepper, Wild Carrot Oud — and even provocative ones like Magic Mushrooms or Polish Potatoes. The first compositions were created in Grasse, and the house has been awarded by the Fragrance Foundation UK, Vogue Beauty, and Elle Style. Everything is available as a 50 ml eau de parfum, unisex.

An opening of eight spices

Saffron leads the way, accompanied by coriander, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, ginger, clove, and anise seeds. Eight spices at once: the house describes it as an aromatic kaleidoscope.

A heart of Thai oud, labdanum, and tamboti wood

Thai oud establishes its animalic depth, labdanum its leathery resin, and ylang-ylang its rich floral note. Tamboti wood, a fragrant essence from Southern Africa, adds a dryness rarely found in perfumery.

A base of vanilla, musk, patchouli, and honey

Vanilla and honey finally soften the structure, musk envelops it, and patchouli gives it its earthy foundation. The sillage and longevity are above average.

The house's approach

A spice merchant's stall as a top note. Eight spices in the opening is a radical choice: perfumery usually aligns one or two to avoid a muddled result. Here, excess is the theme. Lach says he wanted to take people into the heart of an oriental bazaar, where every breath opens up unexplored worlds. And all these spices are culinary spices, not perfumer's materials: turmeric, cumin, ginger. You don't compose a fragrance with half a spice rack — except to say exactly that. The fragrance also forms a duo with Polish Potatoes: two markets, one oriental, the other Polish, which the house presents as two sides of the same coin.

For whom, and for what occasions?

Spicy, woody, and amber, this eau de parfum is for those who love unapologetic oriental fragrances and are not afraid of cumin. It gives its best from autumn to winter, in the evening, regardless of gender.

With Oriental Saffron Bohoboco, Michał Gilbert Lach opens a portal to a distant olfactory world.