Maai is a stunning accomplishment in modern perfumery as it marries the very best of old-school chypre glamour and bold animalics with a refined elegance and smoothness. It opens with a burst of incredibly mossy greenness, fused with roses, jasmine, and green tuberose, all sprinkled with a transparent veil of golden, glittering aldehydes. The plush bouquet is mesmerizing in its depth, and harkens back to a time before IFRA/EU regulations, but it's truly heart-stopping when combined with the animalic elements.

Musky, leathered, and skanky, they cast a mighty roar that transforms the delicate swirl of feminine florals into something more unisex with a masculine touch that will appeal to fans of the legendary Kouros or Muscs Koublai Khan. As Maai unfolds, balsamic resins awaken in the base to add subtle streaks of smokiness and honeyed sweetness. At the same time, the amber slowly turns the whole fragrance deeper, richer, and softer, coating the musky leather in its warmth and taming its skanky cry. In its drydown, Maai transforms into golden velvet with a smooth, plush mix of amber, musk, and oakmoss.

We found Maai to be one of the boldest, most sophisticated chypres we've encountered in a while. A symphonic masterpiece in the vein of Jubilation 25 and Kouros, it is not a fragrance for the faint of heart but for those who have mourned the loss of vintage glamour with an animalic edge. Black-tie galas seem like a perfect occasion for this incredibly opulent, concentrated scent, but so are moments when you want to seduce with naked sensuality. Maai's unconventional heart beats with such wildness and passion, it feel almost alive. Yet, at the end of the day, everything pales before that luxurious oakmoss which is piled on in such lavish layers that it took our breath away. Maai is the epitome of sophistication in the grandest tradition of haute perfumery, and we're sure its timeless beauty will impress even the most jaded connoisseur.

Maai Fragrance Notes

tuberose, rose, jasmine, ylang ylang, civet, castoreum, hyraceum, dried fruits, sandalwood, oakmoss.

Maai Sizes Available:

50ml

$210

0.7ml sample

If you like Maai Eau de Parfum, we recommend you try:

Chypre Palatin by Parfums MDCI

Iris 39 by Le Labo

Chypre Mousse by Oriza L. Legrand

MEM by Bogue Profumo

Salome by Papillon Artisan Perfumes

Anubis by Papillon Artisan Perfumes

Here's what other people are saying about Maai...

A growling floral wood chypre with animalic notes, this is a very beautiful throwback to the vintage days of furs and minks and perfumes that used real animalic musks. The perfume contains notes of tuberose, rose, jasmine, woody resins, aldehydes, oakmoss, labdanum and synthetic animal notes of civet, musk and castoreum. Perfectly unisex with moderate to strong sillage, this is a masterpiece of modern perfumery, because it takes you beautifully to a different place and time of royal noble grandeur. All the hype about this is warranted. What is amazing about this creation is that it takes modern synthetic elements and creates a very real old worldly charm, which is a true rarity these days. Bravo!

By Rajesh Balkrishnan - Professor and Perfumer from Charlottesville on 2/20/2019

Brilliant aromatics atop an earthy, dark chypre base, with a lovely, subtle and darkly floral component. MAAI is bold and concentrated. Not "perfumey" and in no way department store-like. Smells like a very high proportion of natural oils. Smells oily, bark-y, intense and opulent. Not a musk, strictly speaking; the animalics are crowned with wood and botanical essences. I'd say it leans towards the masculine, reminding one almost of a Victorian macassar, like the handsomely pomaded hair of a British military officer.

By david lincoln brooks - artist from boerne, TX on 8/10/2018

First off, I would call this a masculine more than a feminine scent which means I would tend to describe this more as a fougere if I remember correctly rather than a Chypre. I think this perfume is well put together and yes, pretty animalic/skanky. To me it smells like a much stronger version of Aramis but they are VERY much alike. I don't love it but I give it points for being unique and bold. Not sure why the comparison to Jubilation XXV as it smells nothing at all like it. it might be the civet but overall, this is not one of my favorites.

By Michele - Consultant from Weybridge on 3/22/2018

Medieval potency, lovely balance. There was a head shoppe in the 80's my mother used to visit, a hold-over from the 70's L.A. mystical-holistic living, eco-spiritualism, women and men dressed in their interpretations of Renaissance fashions. All the floral, spice, and tree-sap scented perfume oils mixed with the perfumed incense in the air culminated in an atmosphere which quietly submerged the visitor when one entered. Time slowed down a little, suspended. You can hear the little bells tinkling when you open the door and brush aside the velvet curtain to enter. Captures another time, but it's fresh after the dry down, not old. Fascinating! Warmly draws one in, man or woman. Can't wait to get the full size. Top marks.

By Summer - Curator from Los Angeles on 3/1/2018

Don't know why but this is nothing but soapy floral on me, no civet, no animal, no resin, no wood. It reminds me of yardley's soap.

By Seline - Teacher from Chi on 12/9/2017

Love this one!! Opens like a perfume-y turpentine, fades thru paint thinner to a beautiful resiny wood. I don't get any of the floral, but it must be there because this all actually smells really nice. It hangs together - you don't really get a progression of individual notes, more like the whole thing just sits in a beautiful place.

By jerseymaiden - writer from saratoga springs ny on 3/22/2017

The hype regarding this one is completely overrated. Its a wonderful idea of a growling animalic but executed in too much of a blunt, crude way. The moss while impressive in the face of IFRA regulation is admirable but suffocates the florals within the composition to really turn this into a stunner. Test before you buy.

By SuzanneS - Fragrance Concierge from Arizona on 2/14/2017

Wow... This is so skanky and bold - aldehydic and animallic.. I'm at a loss for words other than to plainly state that this smells like a vintage hotel room in Europe after sex... I'm sorry to sound crass, but I've been sniffing this scent as it develops for hours and I'm blushing with mild embarrassment..!! It is so well-constructed... The aldehydes and florals remind me of Calèche by Hermès, and even a nod to the underrated Aromatics Elixir from Clinique.. But also a civet like I've never been able to purchase in MY lifetime.. Hint of Dzing! By L'Artisan Parfumeur... Is it possible this has some ACTUAL civet/castoreum going on? (I won't tell).. Love it, but truthfully, can't imagine a time/place I could ever wear it. Dirty ;)

By Steven - Teacher from Taiwan on 9/29/2016

Intense! I can imagine being chased through a zoo by all the wild cats with this powerhouse on. For me and on me, the rose and (especially) tuberose are initially far too strong. That's in the first hour. On the dry-down, the greener scents blend beautifully with the sandalwood and oak moss. A original creation, but not an everyday scent for me. As chypres go, I think I prefer Papillon's Anubis.

By A - Perfume Addict from Denver, CO on 4/28/2016

It's very nice, to be sure, but I don't find it particularly compelling or worthy of these reviews. I like my perfumes to be multi-faceted, changing over time, with layers. I find this to be kind of just like dried rose with some civet (hopefully not real!!), and doesn't evolve past that. Nice, but not worthy of the praise.

By Antoinette - Mommy from San Francisco on 2/19/2016

Wonderful! Who would have thought we might see a ballsy chypre in this day and age? For me it occupies a similar space to the original (pre-EU/IFRA'ed) AdP Profumo - deep, resonant, alive . . . beguiling stuff. For grown-ups :)

By Morton Wilson - Music Producer from Hong Kong on 2/12/2016

First response to this perfume: yikes, it's really strong! Second response, as it dried down: OMG I love this -- green, floral, chypre, so many layers! Lesson learned: wear in small doses, but am completely enraptured by Maai. It smells divine. Characterization: modern interpretation of a great chypre of the past. Someone said in an interview that they could imagine Cate Blanchett wearing this, and I would second that, and add Tilda Swinton, too.

By Sara Gann - Records Manager and Wine Server from Fairfax, VA on 2/5/2016

Wonderful! Tried a sample, and after the first try I was sure I needed a full bottle. It is not an everyday wear for me, and reminds me of a cross between vintage Bal a Versailles and vintage Diva. A true classic chypre with a heady, classic scent, sublimely sexy and obsessive.

By Catherine on 2/21/2015

Having heard raves about from online friends, I was most keen to try Maai. Sample obtained, I confess at first blush this fragrance was very challenging for me. Commencing with fortissimo blasts of animalic and white floral accords, the composition was soon tempered by a glory of resins, to bewitching effect. This would be at home on Cate Blanchet in bespoke tweed haberdashery, or on Fred Astaire at his very height, silk tux with tails and top-hat. Grand and bold, this fragrance is not for the faint of heart. With modest application, the longevity is impressive, but you will not bludgeon folks from across the room. To my nose, Maai seems a nod to classic perfumery, yet utterly modern in its sophistication and refinement. This is high on my list for upcoming full bottle purchases. My congratulations to the perfumer, and many thanks to Lucky Scent for carrying this raving beauty.

By Rita - Nursing Student from Greater Redneckia, Texas on 11/29/2014

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