What do you like to spritz when the weather gets balmy and summer is approaching?
I can think of several fragrance types.
Florals as crisp as sheets washed in Marseille soap; ambers that create a warm, honeyed glow on the skin; resin and spice blends that evoke sandy dunes; herbs and aromatics that cool and evoke Mediterranean memories; citruses that shimmer; aquatics that reinvigorate. Occasionally, I will also reach for beachy scents that suggest suntan lotions.
There is also a category I tend to enjoy less: tropical scents that feature exotic fruits and syrupy cocktails, perhaps because I think of them as being too sweet and not as complex.
One particular fragrance broke the mold for me. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried Ryukyu, a limited edition by the Malaysian house Auphorie. The fragrance features lush tropical fruits and exotic flowers balanced by the juxtaposition of earthy and marine nuances.
Created by Eugene and Emrys Au, brand owners and perfumers, Ryukyu is a homage to the landscapes, flora, and geodiversity of Okinawa, the Japanese island once known as the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Ryukyu fizzes with sparkling citruses that lace a sweet mango or other tropical fruit notes I cannot quite identify (I do not clearly detect pineapple). I didn’t see any familiar citrusy notes listed, so I looked up shikwasa (Citrus depressa). Also known as Okinawa limes, shikuwasa, shiquasa, and flat lemons, these citrus fruits are small and green and grow in Okinawa, Japan, and Taiwan. They are sour and are used to make juices and jams. However, I could not find much about their use in perfumery.
Despite being previously unfamiliar with this note in perfumery, the shikwasa opening is one of my favorite aspects in the fragrance. Then, Ryukyu’s sparkling and exotic fruitiness seamlessly transitions to plumeria, better known as frangipani, the rich and sticky floral note that smells a little like peaches and cream.
Among the listed notes by the brand, a few others besides pineapple don’t register to my nose. I don’t detect any tea and hibiscus notes along with Gajumaru Banyan. This is a tree in the fig family and I’m not sure whether it’s supposed to confer green or additional sweet vibes to the composition. Nevertheless, the fragrance overall remains sweet with salty hints on my skin.
The unique touches in this creation are the saline and mineral notes that subtly surround the tropical fruits and flowers, offsetting the mango’s natural sweetness and the plumeria’s milky headiness.
Indeed, as the scent of the juicy fruits and opulent flowers subsides, I detect gentle wafts of humid, briny air and the smell of rocks and crushed shells bathed by the seawater.
Sunny and evocative, this is a fragrance that transports me to the beauty of a dreamy faraway land and almost reconnects me with the environment’s unseen world (terrestrial, mineral, microbial), one that is often too tiny and hidden for us to notice.
Notes: Pineapple, Mango, Shikwasa, Roselle, Hibiscus, Okinawan Sanpin Tea, Plumeria, Okinawan Brown Sugar, Tropical Petrichor, Coral Limestone Cave, Okinawan Gajumaru Banyan, Sea Salt, Sea Breeze, Musk.
Ryukyu has now been discontinued and vaulted.
I reviewed the fragrance from a 40ml bottle I purchased personally (mixed media; 33% concentration extrait).
Photo is my own.
Auphorie is named after “Au” combined with the French word “Euphorie” (euphoria) and produces all fragrances in small batches. Because of the precious raw materials used, each creation is released as a limited edition.
Read my full review of Miyako, a favorite release by Auphorie.
