was™ – Eau de Parfum - Woody and spicy notes enveloped in powdery iris

Neandertal – was™ – Eau de Parfum

Neandertal was™: the past as presence on skin

Neandertal was™ Eau de Parfum is part of a deliberately unsettling duo: is™ and was™ were developed from the same brief—one by human perfumery, the other by artificial intelligence. And this is where the concept truly begins. Not “pretty AI versus real human,” but a test of perception. Neandertal intentionally refuses to reveal which scent is which. You are meant to smell, judge, doubt—and realise how quickly projection is mistaken for truth.

When was™ turns warm, without becoming pleasing

From the first moment, Neandertal was™ opts for tension rather than charm. Yerba mate introduces a bitter, herbaceous dryness; bergamot briefly lifts the horizon before cardamom and nutmeg sharpen the edges. This is not freshness in the conventional sense, but clear breath in cold air—immediate, lucid, free of perfume theatrics.

Then comes the unexpected shift. The fragrance opens into a soft, almost iris-like texture built around a contemporary material: Diviniris. Its iris–wood impression is not powdery or cosmetic, but controlled and smooth, as if mineral dust were warming on skin. In the heart, geranium, clove, and cistus redraw the contours—aromatic, spicy, resinous—like a memory rendered without nostalgia, precise rather than sentimental.

Depth that does not explain itself—it remains

In the base, Neandertal was™ reveals its full weight. Vanilla appears not as sweetness, but as a creamy shadow binding everything together. Cedarwood, vetiver, patchouli, and sandalwood construct a dry wooden framework, while styrax and amber add a resinous warmth that glows like embers. Musk lies beneath it all, skin-like—neither clean nor dirty, simply alive. This is a niche fragrance that does not aim to please, but to assert a position: the past is not a filter, it is material.

A unisex fragrance with quiet projection and long breath

As a unisex fragrance, Neandertal was™ does not rely on roles or codes. To label it a men’s fragrance is habit; to read it as a women’s fragrance is the same. It is a niche perfume that works close to the body—soft projection, yet enduring presence. That is precisely why it feels so contemporary: it does not occupy the room, it stays with you.

Perfumer: deliberate ambiguity as part of the concept

With Neandertal was™, authorship itself becomes part of the staging. Officially, the credit reads “artificial intelligence or a team consisting of Isaac Sinclair, Fanny Grau, and Nicolaj Koralewicz.” This ambiguity is not a flaw—it is the experiment. You are not meant to believe in names, but in your nose. Yes, the project was communicated in collaboration with Symrise and its AI system Philyra®, which is what makes the “AI versus human” framework tangible in the first place.

Copyright by scent amor © 2025 (grw)

© 2026 by scent amor