SHK IV

SHK IV opens with a sun-drenched citrus accord - bergamot and mandarin brightened by pink pepper and warmed with nutmeg, elemi and a drizzle of honey - a noticeably richer, sweeter top than its SHK III sibling. The heart moves into fuller oriental territory: jasmine and orange blossom in creamy bloom, threaded with cinnamon, cashmere wood, saffron and patchouli. The base is where SHK IV distinguishes itself within the SHK Collection - an unusual fruity-leather combination of pear and raspberry sitting against violet's powdered elegance, before leather, musk, oakmoss, amber, oud and vetiver take over for a dark, resinous, addictive drydown. It is a denser, more maximalist composition than SHK III's chypre restraint. As with the rest of the SHK Collection - Armaf's celebrity collaboration with Middle Eastern actor and TV presenter Saoud Al Kaabi - SHK IV sits at the Extrait de Parfum tier, positioned as a niche-adjacent step up from the house's mainstream ranges. The house markets it unisex, and the honeyed-fruit-to-leather-oud arc reads well across genders, best suited to cooler weather and evening wear where the base has room to develop.