Nishane Nanshe

Nanshe Extrait de Parfum by Nishane

Nanshe is the ancient Sumerian goddess of water, dreams, and social justice a deity associated with the sea, with prophecy, and with the protection of the vulnerable. It's an unusual reference point for a fragrance, and Nishane uses it well. This is not a simple floral. It's something older and stranger than that.

Created in 2020 by perfumer Cécile Zarokian, Nanshe is an Oriental Floral Extrait de Parfum for women and men. Zarokian is known for building fragrances with real structural complexity, and Nanshe is one of her more layered compositions.

The opening is unexpected: carrot seed leads, earthy and slightly rooty, cut through by the brightness of yuzu and bergamot and the warm spice of cardamom. It's a combination that reads as both fresh and grounded at the same time not the usual citrus-and-pepper opener you find in most Oriental fragrances.

The heart is lush and aquatic-floral. Rose, jasmine sambac, ylang-ylang, and a water fruit accord create something that feels humid and alive flowers near water, not flowers in a vase. The ylang-ylang adds a creamy, slightly narcotic quality that keeps the heart from feeling too clean.

The base is where the Extrait concentration does its work. Orris, powdery notes, sandalwood, musk, and patchouli settle into a soft, skin-close finish that's warm without being heavy. The orris in particular gives it a cool, violet-like depth that ties the whole composition together.

Nanshe is the kind of fragrance that changes on your skin over the course of a day worth wearing somewhere you'll actually notice it.

Fragrance Notes

Top: Carrot Seeds, Cardamom, Yuzu, Bergamot
Heart: Rose, Jasmine Sambac, Ylang-Ylang, Water Fruit, Floral Notes
Base: Orris, Powdery Notes, Sandalwood, Musk, Patchouli

Details

House: Nishane
Perfumer: Cécile Zarokian
Year: 2020
Concentration: Extrait de Parfum
Fragrance Family: Oriental Floral
Gender: Unisex