Essencial Mirra by Natura

The resin in this perfume, combined with citrus touches, reminded me of the drydown of Eau des Merveilles. They smell very alike. The Hermès one is fresher. Here, instead, there’s an added touch of balsamic patchouli, myrrh and white flowers. It’s quite strong and the myrrh gives it a vibe that can recall 80s chypres (e.g. Magie Noire). It’s advisable to try before you buy.

Look, this perfume isn’t for someone who wants something “simple” or sweet, it’s for lovers of resins and balsamic profiles. It has a “vintage” vibe in the resins and woods, but with the spices and pepper it becomes more modern in the amber profile, but it’s not a profile I’d gift to my family or friends who aren’t into perfume. That said, if you’re growing your collection or want to get into “niche” resin scents I recommend it. For layering it’s beautiful, as a base with a fruity one it looks gorgeous. I would have added a bit more rose and would wear it daily, but sometimes ambers feel dull to me after a few hours. 8/10.

I’ve had this perfume since 2023 and since then I’ve barely used it, it lasts a great many hours on skin and projects steadily; I still can’t decide whether I like it or not. And as I smell it so much on myself, it ends up overwhelming me; I prefer perfumes that become a second skin. The thing is, yesterday I put it on in the morning, I smelt it all day, in the evening, when I got back home… My husband asked me if I had been smoking marijuana!! I don’t do it nor am I near anyone who smokes, so I concluded it was the Essencial Mirra that gave him that impression. And thinking back, my mum has complimented it every time I’ve worn it; and she likes the smell of marijuana. So: I don’t know if I’ll wear it again, as I don’t like at all being associated with the aroma of that substance 🙁

What an amazing amber, balsamic perfume. Very spicy, feminine. It’s a perfume that leaves a trail. It doesn’t smell like anything else. I’d prefer to wear it on a date and in autumn winter. I think three perfumers joined together to design this beauty that I still haven’t fully worked out. It’s sweet and not for blind buys.

This fragrance reminds me of an air freshener. I found it very mature, dry and spicy, almost unisex. It conveys seriousness and I prefer what is cheerful, feminine and joyful. I don’t recommend it for a blind buy

Luckily I was gifted this fragrance. I like spicy perfumes, but this one didn’t work with my skin, strong myrrh and myrrh all the time, it ended up overwhelming me. I gave it away and that person was very happy because it suits her brilliantly. On her you can smell a perfume with warm, cosy aromas and a soft myrrh (what I was hoping would happen on me, haha) well… A matter of pH 😉

It’s exquisite, it lasts without becoming cloying. It’s very similar to Coco by Chanel when it dries down.

I didn’t click with this fragrance, luckily I didn’t buy it without trying it first… It’s not unpleasant, it feels creamy and spiced. It’s heavy, balsamic and lasts almost 8 hours, I get a smell like shampoo scent…

I don’t know where to start, since I found it a super striking fragrance in many aspects of its evolution. The opening is masterful, absolutely unisex with a mandarin that is not fresh but spicy, fully spiced and a herbal feeling at the same time which is what makes it so lovely. Then it settles and changes, its balsamic floral part emerges, I can’t quite distinguish but it is a spicy woody side that accompanies them. You feel until it dries down close to the skin that the floral side disappears, feeling almost exclusively a sweet incense in which for me the myrrh is not distinguished, but it gives that sensation. I loved it, but I felt it very heavy for my olfactory taste, it is sweet but at the same time not, special for trying new scents that escape the typical. Paper: I don’t know elemi, but others from this line that have it give it that sweet and fresh honeyed background, which I don’t like much, however in the opening I feel pink pepper but making it piquant, it is not very prominent, it feels piquant warm and at the same time fresh and honeyed in its opening, I felt it more citrusy trying it on my skin which is more pleasant, although I don’t distinguish any note above the others. It fades and the rose emerges, a cheerful rose due to the balsamic background, something like a fresh rose that cannot be fully appreciated because of what accompanies it and which gives it a vintage touch, as it dries it fades and the sweet incense appears, which is much more noticeable on my skin than on paper. Pleasantly surprised by this scent.

GRRRRR I had written a lot and it didn’t save!!!! Well, I paste what I had written in a notepad and another day I’ll come back to report my first impressions – which I already warn are very favourable!! In 2010 Natura had several fragrances that are no longer available in the Ekos line (priprioca, capitiú, cupuaçú, breu branco and I may be forgetting another). A company photo from that time says about breu branco: In the Amazon rainforest are found the Breu Branco trees. Breu Branco is a mild resin, with a naturally pleasant and fresh smell, which has several uses in the local cabocla culture, all of indigenous heritage. Its main use is as smudge and incense in religious rituals. It is also used as fuel for fire, to help light the wood stove and as an ingredient to caulk canoes. This fragrant resin is born from the trunk of the trees and delicately scents the forest. Today Natura says: Breu Branco resin has powerful, woody and spicy aromatic notes, which make it an unusual and valuable ingredient, especially appreciated for making body products and perfumes. In the products of the Breu Branco range, the aroma of Breu Branco is combined with the creamiest and most comfortable notes of sandalwood and Brazilian Cumarú, offering a truly unique and typically Brazilian fragrant composition. I’ve seen it also called Brazilian frankincense because it is recognised as having ritual uses similar to those of Western incense. Its botanical name is Protium Heptaphyllum, and I understand that both resins belong to the same botanical family. A Brazilian raw materials website gives the following composition sheet for the solid resin: The solid resin of the tree is composed of a large amount of monoterpenes, such as α-pyrene (10.5%), limonene (16.9%), α-phellandrene (16.7%) and terpinolene (28.5%). Limonene, present in breu-branco resin, is a common component in fragrances and essences.

The feminine version opens with a resinous and spicy freshness, the mandarin added to these notes makes it feel like a velvety perfume. Rose and jasmine bloom from the heart and are wonderful, they go hand in hand with the pepper which is soft and with myrrh, with resins as the stars. Natura’s Essencial Mirra is a marvellous fragrance, which manages to be powerful yet fresh, it has a warmth that makes it fascinating for an oriental, spicy but very soft and very comforting with a fresh and slightly sweet balsamic side. I loved this creation, where a resinous floral myrrh makes it divine, just as the masculine ones are marvellous creations. Congratulations Natura, what boldness to create fragrances that carry history, cultures, plus great quality. I loved it. It has excellent performance on my skin with more than 3h projection and lasting more than 8h. Quite resinous, myrrh, Tolu balsam and elemi stand out on my skin, helped by amber, which adds a sweetness not too strong but very seductive.

GGGRRRRR I had written a lot and it didn’t save!!!! Well, I’m pasting what I had written in a notepad and another day I’ll come back to report my first impressions – which I already warn are very favourable!! In 2010 Natura had several fragrances that are no longer available in the Ekos line (priprioca, capitiu, cupuacu, breu branco and I may be forgetting another one). A photo from the company at that time says about breu branco: “In the Amazon rainforest are found the ‘Breu Branco’ trees. Breu Branco is a mild resin, with a naturally pleasant and fresh smell, which has several uses in the local ‘cabocla’ culture, all of indigenous heritage. Its main use is as smudge and incense in religious rituals. It is also used as fuel for fire, to help light the wood stove and as an ingredient to caulk canoes. This fragrant resin is born from the trunk of trees and delicately scents the forest.” Today Natura says: “Breu Branco resin has powerful, woody and spicy aromatic notes, which make it an unusual and valuable ingredient, especially appreciated for making body products and perfumes. In the products of the Breu Branco range, the aroma of Breu Branco is combined with the creamiest and cosiest notes of sandalwood and Brazilian Cumaru, offering a truly unique and typically Brazilian perfumed composition”. I have seen that it is also called “Brazilian frankincense” because similar ritual uses are recognised as those of “Western incense”. Its botanical name is Protium Heptaphyllum, and I understand that both resins belong to the same botanical family. A Brazilian raw materials website gives the following composition sheet for the solid resin: “The solid resin of the tree is composed of a large amount of monoterpenes, such as α-pinene (10.5%), limonene (16.9%), α-phellandrene (16.7%) and terpinolene (28.5%). Limonene, present in breu-branco resin, is a common component in fragrances and essences.”

This fragrance reminds me of an air freshener. I found it very matronly, dry and spicy, even unisex. It conveys seriousness and I prefer what is youthful, feminine and cheerful. I don’t recommend it for a blind buy.

It is quite unisex and projects strongly, so I recommend applying a little to truly enjoy the fragrance.

Do not buy this blindly. It is a mature, warm, slightly earthy, dusty, and sweet fragrance. I am 30, but I feel it’s not for me yet; it’s almost unisex and a matter of taste, so I won’t be purchasing it.