Meo Fusciuni Varanasi Parfum

Description

Varanasi is incense and spice over oud and leather, dark, ritual and completely unlike a fresh fragrance. Released in 2020 by Giuseppe Imprezzabile of Meo Fusciuni, it is named for the holy city on the Ganges, and the house describes it as coming out of his 2017 journey to India. It opens on incense, saffron, nutmeg and cardamom. The heart is warm and skin-like, with ambergris, cypriol, rose, ambrette and jasmine, and the base goes deep: animalic notes, agarwood, leather, gurjan balsam, Himalayan jatamansi and vetiver. It is intense and polarizing, and the people who love it tend to love it precisely for that.

Fragrance Pyramid

• Top: Incense, Saffron, Nutmeg, Cardamom
• Heart: Ambergris, Cypriol (Nagarmotha), Rose, Ambrette, Jasmine
• Base: Animalic Notes, Agarwood (Oud), Leather, Gurjan Balsam, Himalayan Jatamansi (Spikenard), Vetiver

Performance

Longevity: Long. Plan on 8 hours or more on skin, and far longer on fabric.
Sillage: Moderate to strong in the first hours.
Projection: Around arm's length or a little more early on, then a dense, close aura.

An honest note: the animalic and leather notes are real, not decorative. If you dislike barnyard or smoky facets, sample it before committing.

Best Occasions & Season

A Fall and Winter fragrance, best for Evening and Night wear, quiet contemplative moments and anywhere a dark, resinous scent feels right. Unisex. Skip it for the office, hot weather or anyone who prefers clean, fresh scents.

Concentration & Provenance

Concentration: Parfum
Perfumer: Giuseppe Imprezzabile
House: Meo Fusciuni, Italy
Launched: 2020, with no reformulation on record

Try Before You Commit

A fragrance this dark deserves a full day of wear before a full bottle. A hand-poured 1mL decant is $5.99. Our 1mL samples come in a 2mL vial filled halfway, so the vial will look half full. That is the correct amount.

100% Authentic

Retail bottles ship factory-sealed, and every Venba sample is decanted from a factory-sealed bottle, never diluted, never mixed. We have filled 200,000+ orders and hold a 4.9★ Trustpilot rating. Free U.S. shipping on orders $100+, with hassle-free returns.

FAQ

Does Varanasi contain real oud?
Yes. Agarwood is listed in the base alongside leather, gurjan balsam and jatamansi.

What does it smell like?
Temple incense and warm spices at first, then a skin-like heart of ambergris and ambrette, and finally smoky woods, oud and leather with an animalic edge.

Is it men's or women's?
Unisex. It is heavy and dark, but nothing in it is gendered.

How does it compare to Little Song?
Both are by Meo Fusciuni, but Little Song is a softer coffee, rose and tobacco scent. Varanasi is far more intense, built on incense, oud and leather.