Varanasi – Parfum - Ambergris, Cardamom and Leather

Meo Fusciuni – VARANASI – Parfum

VARANASI – opulence, contrast, and the soul of India

VARANASI is an oriental unisex perfume by Meo Fusciuni, and one of the most radical, polarizing creations of the house. Rich, sumptuous, exotic, warm, irreverent—VARANASI refuses the middle ground. You either love it forever or can never wear it. Some adore it like an idol, others reject it outright; some believe it opens a door to nirvana. VARANASI is an insatiable personality. A niche fragrance that demands commitment and transforms perception.

Meo Fusciuni and India – the sacred and the profane

VARANASI distills a journey to India in 2017 into scent. For Meo Fusciuni, the city is both place and non-place: sacred and profane, life and death, ritual and daily reality. The perfume tells what remained in his heart, mind, soul, and nose—shaped by a visceral moment holding the sacred water of the Ganges. VARANASI is not representation; it is concentration. Perfume becomes ritual, observation, and presence.

An olfactory mandala – the ritual begins

At the opening, VARANASI ignites with warm, red spices. Saffron, nutmeg, and cardamom set the ritual in motion, intense and dizzying. Aquatic–animalic nuances of ambergris cradle the senses, forming an olfactory mandala—circular, hypnotic, deep. You enter without certainty of the path ahead.

Flowers, dust, and body – the heart of VARANASI

As it unfolds, VARANASI approaches a floral core. Rose and jasmine appear like amulets—sacred rather than romantic. Ambrette seed and cypriol (nagarmotha) add a dry, dusty woodiness that grounds and densifies the composition. Soft and animalic, sensual and austere, the fragrance remains magnetic and elusive.

Smoke, leather, and night – the depth of experience

Toward the base, VARANASI darkens and intensifies. Like a sadhu covered in white ash, the ritual takes shape with Himalayan nard (jatamansi), incense, and gurjun balsam, joined by oud, vetiver, and a mystical leather accord. A swirling chant rises in the night; shadows move, unfamiliar instruments sound. The scent envelops the body—warm, animalic, spiritually charged.

Dawn and acceptance

With the slow river comes dawn. VARANASI grows quieter but never tame, remaining present like a certainty. Here spirituality sublimates the human being; souls seek refuge. VARANASI does not conclude—it abides as experience, memory, and state.

The role of VARANASI within the house

Within Meo Fusciuni’s oeuvre, VARANASI stands among the most opulent and uncompromising fragrances. Designed for those who embrace extremes and seek introspective scents with spiritual depth, it is not a daily companion but an initiation—intense, exotic, irrevocable.

Olfactory family: Oriental
Facets: Opulent, Animalic, Smoky
Gender: Unisex

VARANASI is not a fragrance you wear.
It is a journey—deep into the soul of India.

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