Hey Crew, I might have blind bought myself a bottle of Tabac Sahara when I grabbed L’Heure Bleue 2026. It was a good deal from overseas and I think I got free shipping for spending that amount. They arrived about a week later. I’ve been looking at the boxes and a few days ago it was Opening Ceremony time.I feel like, no matter how badly LVMH treats Guerlain I still hold out hope. When they get it right, they get it so right. Delphine Jelk has signed off on it so I’m very interested to smell where she has taken the idea. To be honest, the note list gave me pause, BUT I was very excited to try.
Before you spritz for the first time. This is a multi wear love story. The more often I wear it, the more deeply I fall in love. Sometimes the initial heft overtakes a balanced viewpoint. Please give Tabac Sahara a few wears before you fully judge it.
Tabac Sahara by Guerlain Absolus Allegoria 2026
Top: Raspberry, Citrus
Heart: Tobacco, Red Berries, Rose Oil
Base: Woodsy Notes, Amber, Ambergris, Vanilla
WHOA! That opening smells like cherry cough mixture. It’s hilarious and slightly toxic. Raspberries? No, not really.Then the first minute smells like children’s hospital disinfectant. An extremely combative cross between medicinal, cleaning, confectionary and hairspray.
Then Tabac Sahara takes a few calming steps back.
The fragrance seems to coalesce into a syrupy version of Attir, the honeyed rose sugar in middle eastern cooking and perfumes. Even with the funky backdraught that I smell in so many of the fragrant oils. Personally I find this combination of super sweet gourmand roses and funky vanilla rich amber be overwhelming. It needs some serious cooling off time before I start to really enjoy the ride.
Then we get to ten minutes later…
The early stages of dry down happen and then Tabac Sahara becomes a linear rose/amber with very light funk and a quiet nod to the salty fetidness of ambergris. This is where I fall deeply in love. Still sweet, but so much more than that. There is depth and breadth and interest. I think the melding with my own scent makes it feel less other, and it becomes fabulously delightful. One thing I wish there was is a dark, woodsy, barnyard oudh to ground the scent even more and give it some gravitas.
Imagine if Creed Carmina, Estée Lauder Modern Muse Le Rouge Gloss and an attar melded and you’ll understand what Sahara Tabac smells like to me.
Not for the faint of heart and definitely not something for close working, dinner or movies. Unless it’s the back end of the day and you’ve not topped up.
Surrender To Chance has samples
In Feb 2026 I talked about Cuir Intense, also from the Guerlain Absolus Allegoria line.
Are you lemming yet?
Portia xx
I don’t even know what to say about this. Cherry cough mixture … Hospital disinfectant…
actually what this makes me think is that I need backups of Mitsouko and Shalimar perfume before someone at LVMH decides they are surplus to requirements.