Les Trésors de Sriwijaya
Auphorie (2017)

What one thinks of Les Trésors de Sriwijaya seems to depend on one's expectations. Auphorie has a reputation as a challenging house, and so those expecting something more "difficult" have voiced some disappointment at LTdS' approachability. But it would be a mistake to conflate this deceptive approachability with a any lack of sophistication or invention. While it could be classified as a fruity floral—not generally my style—the complexity of the composition is so much more than that sobriquet implies.

The two things that impress me most about LTdS are balance and texture. The notes are woven together so intricately that no one overwhelms the others, and together they become something altogether new; and the weight is so light—though never weak—that it's positively diaphanous.

The simultaneity of lusciousness and clarity evokes a classicism that hearkens back to the golden age of Guerlain, and yet nothing about this feels old. It's just my bad luck—and yours—that it's a unicorn. If there were a bottle out there, it would likely set you back a king's ransom.

Unless I found it first.

Auphorie Les Trésors De Sriwijaya (2017) literally translates as "The Treasures of Sriwijaya", and in this 2017 semi-bespoke fragrance (since discontinued like the majority of single-run artisanal fragrances), brother perfumers Eugene and Emrys Au explore and ancient civilization through scent. The Sriwijaya Kingdom once expanded across what is now modern Malaysia and Indonesia, and housed rare sought after herbs, essences, spices, and other materials that became indulgence fodder for elite socialites of other civilizations that traded with them. Since this perfume is meant to capture some of that, you can expect all the usual suspects in their natural form making an appearance here, namely extracts of oud, styrax, ambergris, sandalwood, and your garden variety of oriental flower types. Les Trésors De Sriwijaya is a melting pot of animalic and oriental goodness, but it is not the massive barnyard stinkfest you might thing something like this could be, and comes across quite wearable in spite of itself. Of course, if challenging fragrances that demand your undivided contemplation for the entirety of the wear is what you're after in this rarest-of-the-rare segment known as the indie artisanal perfume market, something like Les Trésors De Sriwijaya might be a bit too easy-going. However, for the rest of us less-cultured and discerning noses, there is certainly enough challenge in the heady nature of the composition, and the fact that it all wears so smoothly is a plus, not something to deduct points for, at least in my opinion.

The opening of Les Trésors De Sriwijaya is frangipani, peach lactone, passionfruit, and mandarin orange, juicy and very chypre-like. The fruity floral stage commences shortly thereafter, with ylang-ylang providing indoles between the composite orchid note, gardenia, and the frangipani above. Bits of the animalic oud come and go, as does the sweet skank of a proper civet note, mixing down with the fruits, florals, and spices of the whole shebang. Star anise, ginger, and galanga (both Asia-centric notes), come into the heart last, but beyond them there is little of the Malaysian flair for which this house is known, which can perhaps be basis for complaint if one was to nitpick. There is a really classical French perfume structure underpinning it all, which is part of the problem for those used to stuff like Eau de Nyonya (2016), but I think it adds harmony to what could otherwise be cacophonous ingredients. The base is jam-packed Guerlain-style, and very blended, with the oud and animalics joined by benzoin, vanilla, sandalwood, oakmoss, ambergris, musk, and cacao. When the dust settles, this a proper "floriental" chypre much like something women favored in the mid 20th century, virile but full of come-hither smoothness. In modern contexts Les Trésors De Sriwijaya reads rather unisex, and is sexy enough that I wouldn't dare wear it to the office. Projection is good and sillage is eternal, so a little goes a long way, which is well enough considering if you own a bottle, it is likely the only bottle you'll ever have.

I like Les Trésors De Sriwijaya a lot, and if its only crime is taking ancient historical Asian themes and strapping them to a conventional Western framework, then haul me off along with Eugene and Emyrs Au to perfume snob jail because this kind of cultural blender is the sort of thing I live for. A spiritual successor to Bal à Versailles by Jean Desprez (1962) with a southeast Asian twist? Yes please! I really don't think I need to say more on it than that. Besides, it isn't like some of the most important noses in perfume history haven't done the exact thing, which is how houses like Caron, Guerlain, Lanvin, and Patou got so esteemed in the first place. This kind of perfume can't live in its original form within the confines of modern-day IFRA regulations anyway, and how artisanal stuff like this so effortlessly recreates what was so lush and lovely with them is proof positive of what we are being robbed of with this regulation, so Les Trésors De Sriwijaya is important if for no other reason than to just be a reminder of that. There are definitely more important scents in the Auphorie canon in relation to their own growth and development as a brand, and it certainly isn't terribly exotic despite the market copy that came with it, but Les Trésors De Sriwijaya is one of the more outright enjoyable scents Auphorie has ever produced. If you ever get a chance to sample this or the brand decides to bring it back with another batch, I highly recommend giving it a spin, especially for lovers of animalic notes used with class rather than for shock value. Thumbs up.

A finely blended oriental comprising of smoky resins, warm spices and lush tropical flowers shot through with the house's note(?) of caramelised Malaccan brown sugar molasses. Lurking underneath it all is a faintly musky leathery animalic presence that rears its nose every once in a while. 3 hours in drydown beckons, an abstract harmony of warm spices and incensy resins.

I'm not blown away by this composition as it stays on the safe side throughout but it wears well and the ingredient quality feels top notch as usual. The fragrance evolution is far from linear with sections of the symphony taking turns to play up their solos.

This is probably not the best Auphorie has to offer but it is easily one of their most wearable. What I appreciate most is the fragrance's agility and balance, carrying its substantial heft well from start to finish. At no time did I feel overwhelmed despite the oppressive tropical humidity of my locale.

The chance to try a new Auphorie creation is something that causes me great anticipation. This is a house that offers novelties and challenges to intrigue the most jaded nose, and even when one of their extraits isn't quite my thing it still seems to glimmer with enough olfactory jewels to command admiration.
Les Trésors de Sriwijaya is at first glance as ambitious as anything they've done, and pulled off with the same sure hand, though the later stages are somewhat more conventional. The opening – which speeds by far too soon – is mouth-wateringly fruity floral, but in a purely tropical interpretation, bursting with sunshine and the lovely golden accents of frangipane and ylang paired with luscious yellow fruit.
The transition starts almost immediately, with the florals taking on a glassy transparency and lightness, which seems to be an Auphorie signature, dancing at the front of stage, while in the background a whole orchestra of woody musky tones plays – but with extreme gentleness and subtlety. The declared notes list may contain a string of smoky and resinous heavy hitters, but they don't present themselves in any overtly discernible way to my nose.
In its middle phase Trésors is, strangely enough, probably the most conventional perfume Auphorie has released – a sophisticated mixed floral with a quiet woody backing, its antecedents are in classical perfumery. The whole thing is sheer and in the drydown, as the notes merge, verging on the abstract. This is not to discredit it, as it definitely has the seemingly effortless class that this style of perfume lives or dies by. It just doesn't open up new realms in the way other Auphorie offerings have done.
But the drydown a good three or four hours into the wear disappoints. The perfume undergoes a kind of condensation and reads like a mix of candied peel and essential oils. Still pleasant to wear, but ducking below the high bar set by this house.