Orto Parisi Megamare (U) Parfum 50ml

Orto Parisi Megamare is not a gentle beach fragrance. Alessandro Gualtieri, the nose behind Nasomatto, built it around the sea as a force rather than a holiday: cold, mineral, iodine-sharp, the smell of salt drying on skin and seaweed on wet rock. It opens bracing and ozonic, with a flash of bergamot and lemon, then turns darker and saltier as the marine accord takes hold.

Underneath the salt sits a deep, slightly metallic warmth, seaweed and marine notes over ambroxan, musk and cedar, which is what gives it that push and pull between fresh and almost animalic. Gualtieri deliberately does not publish a note pyramid, preferring people to interpret it for themselves, so the notes usually cited for Megamare are those the fragrance community has identified rather than an official list.

Its performance is the stuff of legend. Megamare is famous for projecting for hours and clinging to clothing long after wearing, so it needs very few sprays. It is fully unisex and wears well year round, though it comes into its own in warm weather and by the coast. This is the 50ml bottle, the only size Orto Parisi produces it in. At Konesseur, fragrances sit alongside the watches and leather goods, all stocked in Dubai. Explore more perfumes to compare.

• Fragrance and family: Orto Parisi Megamare, 50ml, aromatic aquatic (2019, Alessandro Gualtieri) — confirm concentration
• Notes (commonly identified): top bergamot, lemon; heart seaweed, calone, hedione; base musk, ambroxan, cedar
• Best for: unisex, year round with a warm-weather lean, exceptional longevity and projection, apply sparingly