Behind the Rain

Behind the Rain is a green, resinous vetiver built around one memory: a sudden storm on an Aegean island, and the smell that rises from sun-warmed conifers as the rain stops. It is an artist's perfume, made by the artist, photographer and composer Paul Schütze, and it smells more like a place than a bouquet. It opens cool and bitter-bright, with grapefruit and black pepper over a sharp, aromatic fennel that some wearers love and a few cannot get past. Vetiver is the spine of the whole scent, dry and green, and it carries the resinous bite of mastic and olibanum and the needled freshness of conifer. Moss and a little patchouli sit underneath, and linden adds a faint, soft sweetness at the edge. Nothing here is sugary. As it dries down the scent turns woody and quietly smoky-green, closer to a forest floor after rain than to a cologne. It lasts a decent day on most skin and projects at a moderate to good level. It is at its best in cool, damp weather, in autumn and spring, and it works for the office or a weekend as easily as an evening. It reads slightly masculine, though the house treats it as unisex. Wearers who like vetiver, fennel and green woods rate it highly, while those who want sweetness or comfort will find it austere. Its nearest relatives are the dry, resin-led woody fragrances made by small niche houses rather than designer fresh scents, and it rewards a tester before a blind buy, because the fennel decides whether it is a favourite or a pass.