D'ORSAY Holy Berry Extrait de Parfum

What it smells like

D'ORSAY Holy Berry is a fruity-woody Extrait de Parfum built on an unusual idea: a strawberry milk accord. It opens with exactly that, ripe strawberry softened by a milky, lactonic creaminess, with cardamom cutting through to keep it from reading as a dessert. The effect is juicy and radiant, but the spice gives it a savoury edge from the start.

The heart brings iris concrete and jasmine absolute, two costly materials used in their richest forms. Iris concrete is powdery, cool and slightly earthy; jasmine absolute is warm, indolic and full. Behind the fruit they add structure and a sense of luxury, turning the opening's sweetness into something more composed.

The base is a white oud accord with vanilla and sandalwood. White oud reads cleaner and less animalic than traditional oud, woody and slightly smoky without the barnyard facets, and together with creamy sandalwood and soft vanilla it gives a warm, milky-woody drydown. As an extrait above 30%, it lasts for many hours and stays close after the first hour.

Who made it

Holy Berry was composed by Tanguy Guesnet, a French perfumer at IFF who has spent more than a decade developing his signature and has worked alongside master perfumer Anne Flipo. His approach favours risk, combining materials with strong personalities rather than smoothing them into agreement, which is exactly what a strawberry-and-oud composition requires.

Released in 2025, the fragrance is presented by the house as a ritual of temptation, where an explosion of red berries opens under a milky veil.

Who it’s for

This is for people who enjoy fruity gourmand fragrances but want them grown-up. If you like milky, creamy scents, or fruit paired with woods rather than sugar, Holy Berry is an unusual and rewarding choice. It is unisex, and the oud and iris keep the strawberry from reading as juvenile.

If you dislike sweet or fruity fragrances altogether, this is not the D'ORSAY to start with; Incense Crush or Dandy or Not will suit you better.

When to wear it

Holy Berry works well in autumn and winter, and on cool spring days. It is a good evening fragrance, particularly for dates and relaxed dinners, and its comfort factor makes it easy to wear casually in cold weather.

In hot weather the milk and vanilla can feel rich, so one light spray is enough. As with all the house's extraits, a little goes a long way.

About the house

D'ORSAY is a Parisian perfume house founded on an 1830 story: Count Alfred d'Orsay, dandy and artist, composed a fragrance as a tribute to his love for Marguerite, Countess of Blessington, and it is remembered as one of the first worn by women and men alike. Every D'ORSAY fragrance today is unisex. Alongside the Eaux de Parfum, which carry a person's initials in their names, the house produces a line of Extraits de Parfum concentrated above 30%: bolder, longer-lasting single ideas such as Tonka Hysteria, Rose Blaze, Holy Berry and Flower Lust. Fragrances are made in France, and the house's Paris boutique is at 44 rue du Bac. Holy Berry Extrait de Parfum is available at Redolia Perfumery as a full 90 ml bottle.