Sacred Water The Harmonist for women and men

I really am not a fan of this. The citron and magnolia is really overpowering on my skin, and the seaweed scent is just not a favorite of mine at all. The salty marine vibe is also not something I normally gravitate towards, and I think it's done particularly noxiously in this scent. There's kind of a chemically, lab coat quality that gives me a horrible headache upon first spray. The worst part is, the longevity is actually really impressive.

I'm genuinely surprised by the number of reviewers who don't like this fragrance. I guess my nose isn't as trained as I thought. Just spraying the scent on my wrist was an experience in itself—it's very lovely. It settles into a subtle white floral note, which is surprising since I usually dislike white florals (my mom wore J'adore for +10 years). There's a delicate magnolia scent with a hint of honey, and the presence of ambergris gives it a musky-marine quality that elevates the overall aroma. The name of this fragrance is extremely fitting because it begins to smell like water ? After an hour or so.

After showering, I can still smell the fragrance on my body -- so, pretty great longevity as well !

Based on the notes and reviews here, I blindly purchased this fragrance and was very eagerly waiting for it. I was thinking of a sea breeze with a seaweed essence, like on a boat near the shore. I thought it would be perfect for summer days... BUT. It's just a headache! The only scent I can smell is almost white musk and aldehydes... Very nauseating and very disappointing :(

I have the discovery kit and I’ve been testing em out over the course of 2 months and I couldn’t tell you if I’m underwhelmed or overwhelmed that they all smell pretty much the same

First impression: This is compared to Montale Sand Flowers which is very very similar to Comptoir Sud De Pacific, and I can confirm it has nothing to do with either of those. I haven't tried the issey miyake so I can't speak for that comparison. It smells nothing like Nicolai Perfumer Patchouli Intense either.

Opening I get an ozonic vibe along with with a bit of seaweed before the ambergris arrives. Suprisingly, the fragrance itself is not salty, but carries an herbal quality. The ambergris material doesn't smell like the real ambergris I have in my other fragrances or genuine ambergris I've smelled. It has an animalic quality to it that may be off-putting up close as it slightly resembles halitosis. Overall, I'd say it's okay. Not bad, but also not great. I'll update my thoughts after further testing.

The old formulation of this fragrance was a 10/10 for me and one of my most worn scents. It was a very unique aquatic that captured the essence of water, not in a bright or marine way, but in more of a deep, humid, spa-like way. Nothing added or taken away. No sense of florals, citruses, or synthetics - just zen. Very sadly, the new formulation isn't even a distant cousin of the original. I really enjoy The Harmonist as a brand, but I haven't been this disappointed in a reformulation - well, ever.

As for the new formulation, it's just meh. You can easily get a similar designer aquatic for a third of price. Not as much bad as hugely disappointing compared to the original.

I had high hopes for this one. Based on the notes, I was expecting something dark and a little salty, yet still fresh. But at least to my nose this just smells like cheap fruity shampoo. It's also incredibly tenacious, I washed the spot where I applied it multiple times, and it's still overpowering the other scents I'm currently testing.

My experience of this is so different from the other reviews that I'm starting to wonder if my sample was mislabeled. I don't think it came directly from The Harmonist (it was in one of the forum traveling sample boxes), so maaaybe?

Calm marine aquatic. Caramelized seaweed. Nicely done. Appreciate the touch of minty ginger. On par with Guiding Water but more airy with less fruit.

Doesn’t resonate very well and would be better if it did.

Not a safe blind buy unless you want to smell like a wet gust of wind brushing up against crystallized amber 🌬️

Lasts 1-2 hours, until it turns into a fresh, clean aquatic skin scent.

Green, airy, and wet. Reminiscent of fog or mist on the grass, not rainy or petrichor but more like damp earth with a hint of crisp air. Leans slightly masculine with the earthy plant tones, but still fairly clean and non offensive. Not my favorite but it’s nice for what it is.

I'd been curious about this fragrance for a while, having read wildly disparate impressions. It exceeded my expectations. It's water redolent with minerals - rock and salt with traces of weedy plant life. I typically avoid fragrances described as smelling like "fresh air" since it usually indicates a highly artificial, dryer-sheet-adjacent mess of aromachemicals. This, however, really does evoke brisk air by a body of water. It would be easy enough to break down its components - some florals, lots of ambergris, a large does of mint - but that minimizes the magic of this composition. I think it achieves a kind of alchemy. This smells like something La Curie would make if they waded into aquatic territories - just an uncanny evocation of nature.

Harmonist fragrances are pricy, and that can be fine, but here’s my tip: I like to buy the refills and decant them into my own bottles. Harmonist’s presentation is beautiful, but I personally don't love their bulbous bottles enough to spend the extra money on them when I can transfer the juice into a slimmer profile that better suits both my aesthetic and budget.

Something in this reminds me of a yellow/white but more yellow floral in the opening with the marine ozonix note. The first 2-4 minutes smell feminine to me, for some reason. This, strangely, gives me similar vibes, of the Fragrancenet exclusive, Monet's Palette, perfumed by Natalie Lorson, Chanel's Gardenia and Montblanc's, take on Invictus Acqua 2016, without the sweetness. Definitely not the best out of the Yang collection because Golden Wood and Velvet Fire are sooooooo much better.... 3.5 out of 5, IMO

This is a seaweed scent done well. "Calm" is the right word to describe what feeling it evokes. When I smell it, I picture a cloudy day at the seaside. Marine aromatic. Wearable to the office. Unisex.
One of my top 4 fragrances from this brand.

I'm testing the Harmonist discovery set blind. I haven't looked up anything about them: names, notes, etc. Starting with the white caps, this is the fourth one.

In the air I get fresh wet greens, sweet rose, other florals, and maybe oxidizing tea. On my skin I'm getting a more musky rose, but initially a little crisp, like walking into the cooler at the florist. I get bubble gum here and there, but it's hit or miss, and I assume it's my own limit of familiarity with slightly sweet powdery notes. After a few minutes a more prominent rose dominates, like a rosy powder. This seems to reflect the heart of this fragrance. A few hours later it reads as a warmer, muskier rose. While it was long lasting, it lost most of its rosiness, but retained its musky shadow. If this doesn't have rose as a main note, I'm going to majorly scoff! At times I felt there's something mixed in, almost like cocoa or light chocolate. Looking at the name and notes now I'm perplexed once again. What? No rose, seriously. I'm confused. I get the ozonic and spicy mint that keep the fragrance cool and fresh, and the amber and woody notes providing a warm base (and explains the oily musky ending), but the sea notes and seaweed is lost on me. I have seahorse by Zoologist, and some other tropical sea fragrances to compare, and I'm just not getting the sea all that much at all. Nothing in the way of seaweed. I wonder what the notes would be if everyone voted blind. The fragrance came off quite feminine to me, whether you're a man or a woman, but others suggest differently. It's a nice fragrance whatever your interpretation. Will have to return to it after some time with a fresh nose for another take.

Sacred Water was the perfume The Harmonist website found as my element. I love this line - the Feng shui elements, the beautiful bottles... unfortunately I don't love this perfume.

I wish they specified what notes are in this - their website describes it as a citrus, marine, floral scent.

Upon application I believe there is some Tuberose on the top, and on me it's a pungent one with a really unpleasant bitterness to it. Tuberose is my nemesis. It overshadows anything else I might have smelled. There wasn't a hint of citrus. The marine was more noticeable after about 15 minutes in and was pleasant, but not even close to being worth the dreadful opening.

If not for that, I really would have liked this one. For some reason a lot of reviews I've read about some of my all time favorite perfumes use the word melancholy in their description. I find that interesting, as it's not a word I've ever thought to describe a fragrance. But on the right person, this would be fitting to that in a most divine way.

An arctic fragrance. True seal skin leather scent with ozone and a slight woody backbone. These aromas strengthen in the drydown. Not overpowering, relatively restrained.

Most often, marketing and branding agencies stretch the imagination with fantastical descriptions of fragrances. Not The Harmonists - their description of this is spot-on: “A contrasting fragrance that both invigorates and calms...fresh marine notes collide with the mineral strength of granite and limestone, while peppermint, aquatic mosses and grey amber provide a calming undercurrent. Confident and comforting, a scent that both stimulates and settles.”
Unique, calming and almost melancholic. Like a a house of worship perched on a seaside cliff under cloudy skies.

Edit March 2022: This is written re: the original formula, which has been discontinued. Sacred Water has been changed to a completely new formula, and it’s nothing like the original. (The new formula includes floral notes and ginger)

Aquatic and aldehydes are some of my least least favorite notes, so I am surprised how much I like this. Right off the bat this reminds me of Squid by Zoologist and Tom Ford Oud Minerale, but I like this better. This is an ambergris fragrance that hints of fresh air, wet beach wood, cloudy skies and sea spray. Cold and clinical this somewhat fresh smelling but ambergris keeps this earthy, like how a beach would smell on a cold overcast morning. Clean but a little dank too, i would not try this in hot weather as it might turn gross if mixed with sweat. I get very little mint. Unisex as you really can't assign a gender to this. Somber and serious, I wouldn't call this frilly or fun to wear. Not pretty but beautifully made and well put together. My first experience with Harmonist and I am intrigued

Not nearly as terrible as I thought it would be looking at the nightmare notes (in my mind).

It smells like minty salty ocean air on a base of soft leather. It's okay.

I wouldn't claim to like or enjoy it, and I wouldn't wear it, but it's nice to smell something so different from my usual taste. It's nice.

Worth a test if you like ambergris and mint.

This scent is supposed to be oceanic, but rather than open sea this smells to me like a small pool of water in a forest. There is some nice cooling water, but the pool has been stagnant and it's got algae in it and it's just starting to smell. I must be picking up the seaweed more than anything.

Ozonic, aquatic, sensuous perfume. It has a calming effect on me. I often apply before going to bed. Performance is weak to moderate. Sillage is moderate at best. I really enjoy it, but you should sample it first because it’s very unique and not for everyone.

Aquatic, best for warmer months. Skin scent after an hour. Reminds me of Nautilus with the acqautic. This is not one I would wear.

Sacred Water is a very strong perfume. It has fresh aquatic notes but they are very intense. This smells like a typical masculine fragrance. It is isn't terrible but it's not anything special either. I thought that I would give it a go on a 98 degree humid summer day. However, the ambergris and seaweed notes were way too overpowering in the heat. I much prefer The Harmonist Guiding Water over this one.

2/10