I am perplexed by Memo Paris Perfumes. 
Their output is huge – around 70 fragrances that I can see – and around 11 of those are leather based.
It’s a brand I wasn’t particularly aware of, and it was one of the last houses I smelled with Portia during our smella day a while ago in London.
The brand was launched by John and Clara Malloy in 2007, and it was named for Clara’s memories from her travels.
I threw in a couple of samples to my last sample order at some point in Autumn 2024. I did it by name as I couldn’t get the things I wanted (ie, out of stock – how are samples out of stock? Just open another bottle). The ones I wanted were a leather and a country named fragrance – can’t recall which ones now.
There are around three reviews of Memo fragrance on Posse (that I can find) all of which are written by Portia (eg, Tiger’s Nest from November 2024).
I vaguely recall what we smelled being fine.
But, the two perfume samples I have are not thumbs up from me. In fact, the first one is a scrubber.
Cappadocia was released in 2023 and has a notes list full of love: saffron, jasmine, iris butter, rose absolute, sandalwood, olibanum, myrrh, benzoin and vanilla. Per marketing stuff, Cappadocia is “at the heart of Türkiye…” and thus to my mind should not smell like it does.
On me? Horrible. All I get is a sickly caramel iris. No clue how that came to be. But, it had to come off quite quickly. With isopropyl alcohol. I am now really curious if anyone else has this or has tried it and it works better on them.
The other sample is Lyra Peach. It too was released in 2023. Notes list includes bergamot, bitter orange, cinnamon bark, curcuma essence, ginger, jasmine, tuberose, peach alcoholate, sandalwood, vetiver and vanilla.
This was bearable but that isn’t saying much. Another really good list but on me this is peach sucking candy, like those pear drop things … but peach. It is one-dimensional – seriously, no development. Pretty long-lived. Was still there when I went to bed.
Both of these are EdP and available in very pretty (Memo does good bottle decoration) 75ml bottles for … wait for it … an insane £235. Way beyond (bar Guerlain) my upper price band (when I am buying full bottles).
I am willing to give other things by the house a go – maybe some of the leathers. But as I’m not buying samples this year that would have to be in-store somewhere.
Given Portia is positive about some of these, I would think maybe I just ended up with a couple of duds. What say you?
Pics: Pexels and mine
I don’t remember trying any of these, but peach is always iffy for me. The only scent I ever liked it in is Mitsouko..
I do like peach but this was way too sweet and chemical.
I tried a bunch of MEMO samples years ago and they were all Meh to me. I tried samples later with similar results, except for Lalibela. That one stayed with me. I can’t seem to get enough of it! If I were doing signature perfumes, Lalibela would be it.
I want to try the 3 MEMO Étoiles Filantes – Lyra Peach, Honey Dragon, and (mainly) Cassiopeia Rose. They’re all constellations. I haven’t found any samples and MEMO says the bottles are “available exclusively online, at Selfridges London, and at our Boutique Cambon in Paris.”
I am still curious about the house but wouldn’t buy samples.
So weird Cinnamon,
I loved Cappadocia. Can’t remember exactly how it smells but it is on the To Buy List. What a bummer. Now I’m going to have to go back and retry it.
Never smelled Lyra Peach.
Shame these weren’t good fits.
Portia xx
I’m still interested in the Tiger fragrance you reviewed. But sampling would have to be in-store somewhere.
I haven’t tried them. Thanks for the reviews. Cappadocia is a place full of marvelous desert topography, carved by erosion into “fairy castle” shapes. The stone is easy to carve, and early Christians actually carved out an underground city and hid out there during times of persecution. Frescoes on the ceilings, scratched up by the Ottomans, still exist. It’s a shame the scent doesn’t more accurately reflect the place.
I’m sure I’ve seen pics of Cappadocia in the past but was still astonished by the one I found to use on the post. One day I’ll manage to visit.
March reviewed Memo’s Manoa back in 2011. Based on that, I got a decant and vaguely recall enjoying it, but with the absurd amount of perfume I had then and still have, once the decant was empty, so was my mind of anything regarding why I liked it.
This is an issue, isn’t it… I don’t need more. I’m just generally curious.
I bought a discovery set some years ago & was gifted a different one. These covered most of their then output. I got bored. Other than Luxor Oud, a pretty medicinal rose/oud, the ones I tried were all meh! I haven’t tried any since.
Oh my memory tells me all meh is not true. I hated Lalibela.
Yup, this is the problem with companies with huge output. It gets too tiring to go through much of it and if the initial things aren’t up to much boredom.
I have tried about a dozen Memo scents and with the exception of Tiger’s Nest and Manoa (now discontinued of course) find the house lackluster except for the pretty bottles. I don’t even bother trying to smell their new releases as I find them uniformly bad.
Tiger’s Nest does sound worth a smell and I’m curious about some of the leathers. But, quite pricey and if I’m going to throw £235 at something it’s going to be a Guerlain Parfum.