GRIGIA by Maqueda Perfume

Dark and profound elegance emanating from the sea 🐋🌊. I first heard of this perfume in early 2025 but didn’t pay it much attention; it seemed like an overly artistic and convoluted offering, reminiscent of many Italian niche houses, such as Filippo Sorcinelli with his ‘Fear of Clowns’ fragrance. Finally, I tried Grigia, and here is my verdict. 💡 Grigia (grey in Italian) refers to ambergris, that waxy substance produced by the sperm whale which floats on the ocean. The squid is the catalyst. This is the perfumer’s inspiration. The fragrance features three DOMINANT elements: ➡️ AMBERGRIS: It smells animalic but not excessive. It’s right at the limit of what I can tolerate. It has a slightly sweaty (sharp) and salty character. That’s what makes it marine rather than aquatic; the salt makes all the difference. I researched but couldn’t find information on whether it’s genuine. It smells very real, though I can’t be certain. It could be a tincture blended with other molecules (cetalox, ambroxan) since it is the most expensive in the collection. ➡️ RESINOUS: Quite resinous and it emits a plastic-like vibe (without actually smelling of plastic, nor does it contain ylang-ylang). It is dense, and I detect a smoky nuance. It evokes a VERY deep and cold sensation, like the sea. ➡️ INK: Too much fountain pen ink, hence it is very dark and mysterious. Animal + resinous + ink = Grigia. So, what’s the result? A marine, animalic, highly resinous, dense, smoky, deep, dark, complex, artistic, enigmatic, original fragrance that feels ‘cold’. While there are warm/cozy perfumes, this composition by Maqueda is cold and provocative to me. I don’t detect the cocoa, though it’s surely present but secondary. I could smell the jasmine, but I cheated. I detected it only after seeing the notes an hour later. An indolic jasmine. Why didn’t I smell it sooner? It’s one of my favourite notes, but the perfume is so complex that my mind was distracted analysing the composition. It gave me a ‘wow’ on first sniff, and no, I haven’t smelled anything similar. Masculine, in extrait de parfum concentration, and just due to the amount of raw materials, the brand suggests not wearing it on skin to avoid allergies. Performance? Potent for the first two hours before settling into a small bubble around you. Longevity is extremely high; after 12 hours it was still on my skin, though I had to bury my nose in it. Limited use, and genuinely, I think it’s elegant. For nightwear, this is where it shines because of its darkness and character. I like the ambergris in Encens Mytique (the best in designer) by Guerlain. I like the kindness of Cubalibre by Mallo. Disappointed with Creme de la Creme by Areej Le Doré, and without regret for not buying Atlantic Ambergris 2 (pleasant) from the same house, but this offering from Maqueda took me back to my beginnings when I started discovering niche perfumery, and that same feeling of surprise and satisfaction. It made me feel Grigia. An unexpected reset. 10 🌟

You can perfectly detect the ambergris in this perfume, something rare that only trained noses can catch; as a collector, I only have one reference to compare it to: Silence the Sea by Strangelove NYC, and this is the closest match. The price is high, but relative; in the end, it’s a matter of pockets. Would I buy a full bottle? No, because I’m more of an oud person, but I must say it’s an ideal olfactory experience for training your nose.