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ylj447elipseskism – :
Absolute scrubber! I feel like a skunk has sprayed me…ugh! Animalic, pungent, ammonia, with hints of florals. Torturee is pretty accurate for me, sorry lovers!
valiev9933 – :
omg. there should be a new category for fragrances like this, which is PRIMAL.
Animalic, raw…like Conan the barbarian crouching in a wet forest, smelling of tree barks, moss, soil and undergrowth.
The fragrance is unrelenting like this, for an hour. It softens slightly and turns sweeter and slightly more tamed. Not domesticated tho.
I can imagine that it would be an absolute jaw drapper, conversation stopper if worn in public.
Taste aside – smells of quality and extra brownie points for uniqueness and edge.
Probably men will find it more wearable
naumov1994 – :
like a sweet fruity perfume oil, this is about the benzoin and olibanum
Maximusss – :
Oh, so strange. Beautiful bizarrerie. A wonderful weirdo, an opulent oddball, a sensuous smoke bomb, a gorgeous grotesque … all in all an eerie experience but an excellent one. Huge tip of the brushed-velvet, crow-feather-trimmed top hat to UK Fragrantian @corkscrewcurly for sending me a decant of this, and a delicate Lolicon-style curtsey on top of that because she reminded me to give it another go.
First time around it just weirded me out, because of the disorienting strangeness of the florals on top of the smoke, and a resins mix which in the very first burst does have a freaky tang of – what? clay, plasticine, vinyl? – and an incense like nothing I’d smelled before – velvety-silky, yet sharp and airy, all at once. And on me, at least, there is one note, not sure which one, which juuuuuuuuust teeters on the edge of smelling like something not just dusty, but moldy. Not rankly rotten, but that sort of fuzzy-grey-mildewy sort of smell. Just a tinge. And that turned me off a bit.
This time around, months later, after smelling scores of other things that were much more conventional and left me feeling ‘well yeah, meh, it’s fine’ … going back to Ame Torturee was a trip again – but this time just a blast and an adventure. All that oddness just made it more interesting, rather than “what fresh quirk is this, now?”. I was convinced the floral was a darkened, dusted-up, Gothicised honeysuckle, but then again I couldn’t sniff out a honeysuckle from wisteria anyway. Second time around it was just all lovely and sweet and authentic, the resins all rich and gummy rather than plasticinelike, the incense shimmering and strange in a good way, and the dusty-mold note really receding, so far in the background it did nothing worse than shade in some extra detail. It now makes me think of an ELDO Rien that’s classier and more off-the-wall.
It’s still an insidiously creepy, if beautiful, smell – I hadn’t even looked at the label’s website before beginning to write this, and already had “dusty attic, old leather travelling trunks of dressing up clothes, mothballs, very slightly scary Victorian doll” down on my list of scent impressions. And guess what – the website is a gothic/Lolicon/surrealist extravaganza too – all totally in keeping. Extraordinary stuff; Ame Torturee surely won’t please everyone; some may dislike the whimsy, others may feel some initial repulsion like I did, yet there is no arguing whatsoever, this is the work of a total artist with a vision (and an imagined smellscape) all his own.
To get back down to earth for a second: Ame Torturee may be odd but it delivers the goods and does the biz nose-wise – it’s not cheap, but reasonably priced for the sheer individualism it shows, it has compelling modulation as it wander arounds all over the place, and absolutely stonking (not stinking) performance and projection. The bottle too is fascinating and beautiful – just another part of the gesamtkunstwerk.
This would absolutely be worn by Siouxsie Sioux on a particularly uncompromising day and she’d absolutely rock it. But it is not cliched or stereotypical – you don’t have to be a punk / goth / arthouse kid to like it (I’m certainly not) and its undoubted artistry and integrity deserve your time. Ikiryo is not easy to get hold of (especially not in the UK where I live) but if you want your horizons truly expanded, you should rush to sample some of its scents.
miniopcom – :
I have been incredibly lucky to lay my hands on a full bottle of this.
When sprayed, rather than dabbed – the sillage of Ame Torturee is far greater and is beyond arms-length when first applied and – incredibly for me – remains so for hours. Ame Torturee seems to waft around me. I keep getting wonderful whiffs of the smokey drydown, which seems almost like a gentle non-churchy incense to me.
And it lasts… and lasts… On my skin (which is dry and eats perfumes whole), AT is still discernible as a skin scent well over 12 hours after first applying. Absolutely stunning perfume. Love it.
vika84 – :
Testing from a dab on sample, which Vincent (founder of Ikiryo) kindly sent me all the way from the US. He is an absolute pleasure to deal with and an extremely talented man.
This is an absolutely beautiful smokey bouquet of flowers. I love the smell of fresh wisteria blossom and the note in AT is astonishingly accurate.
There’s a rich woody undertone to the flowers, which has a smokey bonfire aspect to it; this is a very gentle smoke though and doesn’t overpower the florals at all. It comes across (to me) almost as incense, although that’s not in the listed notes.
Stunning fragrance. As I have dabbed rather than sprayed, the sillage is soft-moderate, but I have no doubt that this would be far greater when applied through an atomiser. This is a truly unisex perfume – I think it would smell amazing on a man.
Now I just have to work out how to lay my hands on a bottle, as it definitely requires more wearing – this could easily become one of my absolute favourite fragrances.
Sokyarrorkege – :
Exquisite.
The perfume opens with a perfectly captured wisteria note, lovely as a spring morning breaking free from winter’s chill. It warms up as the dappled amber sunlight emerges. An enveloping golden amber fragrance wafting up through the delicate wisteria blossoms. It’s beautifully grounded by the resins, wood and a touch of coriander. A light sprinkling of neroli teases the senses.
Tortured Soul? Possibly. If the torture is the complexity of this fragrance…the teasing effect of it, causing you to constantly return to your wrist to catch one more sniff.
This fragrance is exquisite in every detail. Bravo.
vladimir15v – :
Strong smokey floral. Like, real strong. My roommates could smell it from across the house when I first put it on (from the little sample jar). Hard to pin down any exact notes besides what I assume is the wisteria. Though projection is huge the actual smell is ethereal and shifting. My favorite Ikiryō so far.
RLoikqP – :
‘Ame Torturee’ means “tortured soul” in French and while the name is intriguing and represents what the Perfumer had in mind when creating it, there’s nothing Torturous about the smell. I’ve never smelled a scent like this is my life. It’s so unique and so captivating. I am really falling for the smell every time I spray it. Which has been a lot. It challenges me in a good way and I think that is the main reason I find myself drawn to it…One of the main players in ‘Ame Torturee’ is Wisteria a very unique floral note. I can detect a floral aspect of the fragrance which I assume to be Wysteria but it doesn’t come across overtly feminine on a man’s skin and smells very unisex. It is blended with Vanilla, Olibanum and dries to a very sensual, slightly sweet amber and wood smell…There is a tinge of a resinous nature to the smell from the Amber and while it is sweet, ‘Ame Torturee’ is tamed by its woodiness and the spice, Coriander. The sweetness doesn’t run amok.
The quality of the scent is very impressive. There isn’t any offensive blasts of Alcohol whatsoever. U are greeted to a very smooth almost spiced vanilla/amber in the background (the amber and vanilla combo grows more intense as the scent evolves), with the floral note of Wisteria and a hint of neroli and benzoin dominating the top. I believe the Benzoin and vanilla account for the sweetness of the scent while a resinous amber, woods and olibanum support the drydown. The drydown is very heavy on amber and woods…It’s not linear at all and comes across during its stages as a complex scent. It’s not entirely smoky as it is balmy but there is an incense vibe to the smell coming from the combo of Woody notes, benzoin and Olibanum…
The scent lasts in a notable fashion on my skin for 6-8 hours or more with a subtle, but noticeable scent cloud through 3 hours. It will stick to cloth and waft even longer. The oil concentration is high so it won’t project like old bottles of Joop after house 3-4 but it will linger. Fragrances like this however, from a male perspective held by many guys, doesn’t need to be too loud. The Perfumer Vincent Dreamhouse was very smart to focus on longevity over sillage with this particular scent. It allows it to be a lot more versatile.
Using my P.A.G.E. Rating system, if i were unbiased and honest based on the total makeup of this scent I’d have to say ‘Ame Torture” is a strong G or Good fragrance…It’s very well blended, very natural smelling, very alluring and sensual, equally good on both men and women, can be worn yearly due to the fact that it won’t cloy in heat (tho I’d prefer to wear this during evenings in hot weather) has the strength to handle the cold, is very unique and is a scent people will remember. Many Indies are really restoring my hope for the fragrance industry. I highly recommend smelling this. Some may be thrown off at first sniff, only because the smell isn’t typical to what most people are used to but these are the types of fragrances that make the most memorable impressions. You may find yourself returning to sniff it again and again and again…
Ikiryo is certainly one of the most interesting and unique new Indie Houses with smells that are challenging, evocative of the theme of the house (dreams), and wearable while being distinctive and captivating. ‘Ame Torturee’ is a great smell that deserves more attention. The same can also be said for the Ikiryo House. There are a lot of amazing brands that don’t receive nearly the exposure that their product quality and their scent’s craftsmanship would indicate. I feel more inspired than ever to investigate these small houses more often. Ikiryo gets the lady…lol
Disclaimer: While I met the Perfumer and was given a free sample of Torturee to test and experience, my feelings as described here are completely genuine and from the heart. If I didn’t like this scent I’d not discuss it. Being that they are a small house, I’d not bash a scent from them that may not work for me or go with my skin chemistry…My integrity and credibility are more important than free samples.
YouTube Channel- SIMPLY PUT SCENTS
IIoPoxoBou – :
I smell a hint of floral which gives way to a dusky smokey wood. There is throughout a balmy deep resinous smell that concludes with a light incense and vanilla. It is not a fragrance I’d normally choose for myself. I’m usually a light fruity floral fan which he offers in his other fragrance Oneirogen a beautiful fragrance in its own right. This one is haunting and surprisingly enchanting. I’d definitely recommend it.
zaya7 – :
Not sure if i have ever smelled wisteria. So it’s going to be difficult to say too much on that part of the scent.
There is a fragrant floral on top of this pyramid of aromas that is for sure. I do pick up on the coriander and neroli. Those are fairly easy. And it adds some oomph to the scent as to not make it overly floral.
Lastly it fades away into a happy vanilla that is ever so pleasant that lays on top of a resinous benzoin base.
As with most the line thus far. They all have this shape shifting trick. Your olfactory gland will be pleased to sample such artsy and easily wearable perfumes.
I hope these reviews help out anyone who is interested in something new and intriguing.
This concludes my reviews for the ikiryo brand at the moment.
Take care and be blessed.
Kind regards, Lj