Sillage.art
Penhaligon'S · Est. 2013

Vaara

Vaara opens with saffron's leathery warmth, an unusual introduction that feels more exotic pantry than traditional floral bouquet.

ConcentrationFragrance
Forunisex
Released2013
Statusenriched
Vaara — Penhaligon'S
2013 · Fragrance
san·ros·ton·mus
Rating
4.0
1.1k reviews
Fig. 01

The scent fingerprint

Visualization — constellation
basehearttopcitrusfloralfruitygourmandpowderyamberywoodysmokychyprearomaticgreenaquaticspicy

Weighted by intensity across 15 accords.

Every perfume in Sillage is represented as a distribution across canonical accord slugs — a lingua franca for scent. Two fragrances with overlapping fingerprints are scent-twins, even if they share no literal note.

  • Sandalwood
    75
  • Rose
    75
  • Tonka
    65
  • Musk
    50
  • Iris
    45

By the editors · 2 min readVaara opens with saffron's leathery warmth, an unusual introduction that feels more exotic pantry than traditional floral bouquet. The spice doesn't shout—it smolders quietly beneath what unfolds next, a procession of white and pink petals led by magnolia's creamy opacity and rose in several registers, from Bulgarian oil's honeyed depth to softer, powdered iterations. Freesia adds transparency; iris contributes a faintly rooty coolness that keeps the florals from turning saccharine.

The base brings sandalwood and tonka into the foreground, their combined effect almost edible—smooth, slightly sweet, grounding. Benzoin's vanilla-like resin and a whisper of honey reinforce this comforting direction, while white musk keeps everything soft-focused rather than heavy. Cedar provides just enough structure to prevent the whole from dissolving into pure abstraction.

This suits someone drawn to florals but wary of anything too bright or overtly feminine. Vaara feels composed, neither young nor old, with that saffron note lending it an unconventional edge that lingers in memory.

Filed: Penhaligon'SSillage · vol. I
Fig. 02

Scent twins

Computed via accord overlap