Shuhrah pour Homme
Rasasi (2015)

Shuhrah pour Homme by Rasasi (2015) is pretty unique. I'm sure nothing else comes close to this, especially at the prices it sells. Shuhrah also disproves the oft-stated "clone house" nature of many brands from the Middle East, who shamelessly mix in value-oriented recreations of popular niche fragrances for a fraction of their usual retail into their own lines of original products. Problem is, most dumb-dumbs in the Western world never venture beyond the various takes on Creed Aventus (2010) or Tom Ford Tuscan Leather (2007) these brands make in order to each the lunch of overpriced luxury brands based in Europe or the US, and the often vast catalogs of fragrances these brands offer home markets (but also allow for export) never reach the noses of anyone with online reach. Such is the fate of a Shuhrah pour Homme, a virtual unknown in the world of influencer-lead "frag armies" and minion-minded troglodytes bathed in their favorite YouTuber's top ten list suggestions.

The super unique part of this fragrance comes from its somewhat aquatic interaction with rose and tomato leaf, neither of which usually exist in an aquatic context. Mind you, these sort of west-meets-arab-culture mashups also have to hold up to the punishing heat of the Persian Gulf; so not only must the scents be thick and oily, but the accords themselves potent and extroverted not to burn off into anonymity in the high heat. Rose, tomato leaf, aquatic ozone elements, and the odd choice of freesia do just that; any other materials beyond this point just base out these main elements. A dry leather and woodiness permeate the dry down to this effect, with cedarwood, sandalwood, jasmine hedione, incense, and a touch of medicinal agar punching through the musk choices, which straddle clean and a bit sour; yet on the same token I would not claim this as animalic in any meaningful way. Performance is absolutely bananas, so really be careful with this one, and expect people to notice you; I don't think it's possible not to notice something simultaneously green and leafy, floral and aquatic, woody and musky, yet clean all at once.

Shuhrah certainly has hallmarks of traditional Arab perfumery all over it, with the prerequisite oud and rose notes being major players, while the modern occidental elements are not to be overlooked either, as this thing is jam-packed with all the buzzword aromachems you can likely think of, be they boogeymen to avoid, or innovations to praise. Another fatty, phenolic, syrupy, or churchy exercise in rose, oud, incense, amber, or patchouli this is not; so if you're looking for that sort of "rockin' the casbah" sort of vibe, better stick to the attars, or various products from Al Rehab and Montale which present that theme in a spray format. Here we have modern designer-adjacent Arab perfumery using both technology and reverence to cultural authenticity, yet also worldly enough that even a milquetoast shmuck from a sleepy suburb in Indiana whose favorite flavor is mayonnaise can get behind this. For the price asked, I don't really see why more people don't take the plunge. Thumbs up

Shurah proves to be surprisingly impressive, especially considering its price and being from Rasasi. This fragrance offers a captivating blend of tomato leaf, rose, and leather. The unexpected combination of tomato leaf and leather is executed well, striking a balance between fresh, spicy florals and the deeper elements of leather and oud. While it doesn't provide a photorealistic representation of tomato leaf like Eris Parfums' Green Spell, it offers a commendable interpretation. The rose introduces a subtle sourness that harmonizes effectively with the leather, which, in this case, leans towards a smooth suede rather than a thick texture. With commendable performance, Shurah is worth trying if you're seeking a slightly lighter, green fragrance with soft leathery undertones.

This is a great fragrance and is a good representative of how Rasasi is continuing to push the boundaries in fragrance especially in this fresh category. The opening is a light juicy green, slightly oceanic opening that achieves this complexity with bright green tomato leaf and roses. Interesting combo. The base is a dry, slightly woody and ashen in contrast with the green fresh opening top notes. The similarity to the structure used in Aventus is obvious, but the notes are different enough that it is clearly not a copy, but an addition to the growing contemporary chypre fragrance stye. Green fresh opening coupled with dry labdanum + cool woods base. Rating: 8/10 stars.