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Ok, let’s be honest. When it comes to perfumery, Scandinavian, specifically Finnish brand might not be the first thing that comes to your mind. You know, I actually struggled to even think of one, until now! When I heard of this new Nordic brand, I was very intrigued!
“Nakuna” means “naked” or “nude” in Finnish. Nakuna Helsinki was founded in Finland in 2020 by Anu Igoni and Jaakko Veijola, who are both entrepreneurs and creative directors. They are responsible for the design and concept of the brand. Five unique fragrances are created in collaboration with master perfumers from Givaudan – Yann Vassnier, Nadège Legarlantezec, Fernandez Jorge and Olivier Pescheux. Ralli is one of them.
To help us endure the cold and darkness of our endless nights and endless days, we need our escapes. In the summer, we travel to our summer cottages to hear the whisper of the crops in the wind and feel the earth under our feet. We travel and explore the world to hear the noise and see the chaos because that’s how life is. We explore the scents, tastes and colours of the South and bring them back home to help us endure the bleak winter months. We dream, we imagine, and we create. We love it here but simultaneously dream of being somewhere else. That is what Nakuna Helsinki is all about.
Nakuna Helsinki
Let’s start
Packaging
The perfume came in a beautifully illustrated cardboard box, it’s very elegant. The drawings for the packaging come from illustrator Matti Pikkujämsä. The bottle has a very clean line silhouette with a colour-coded label. The golden cap is weighted and holds the weight of the bottle very well, so you won’t need to worry about dropping the bottle by accident. The whole branding feels luxurious but in a well-considered and sophisticated Scandi way.
The spritzer is good, it dispenses the perfume evenly, not too light nor too harsh. All their perfumes are packaged in the same bottle design with different labels. All packaging is fully recyclable.
Concept
Ralli is inspired by Finnish rally drivers of the past. It stands for adventure and trips to beautiful exotic places. The oriental scent of a nomad who longs for the thrill of expeditions!
Scent
Tangy rose and exotic oud wood fuse with sweet amber to yield an affectionate and voluptuous aroma.
Top: Rose, cedarwood
Mid: Sandalwood, oud wood, patchouli
Dry: Amber, musk, vanilla
Perfumer Jorge Fernandez
Ok, rose and oud perfume I hear you say. It is indeed but somehow it presents itself with a bit of uniqueness. On the opening, the cedarwood comes through very clearly, as much as oud. It might appear as quite masculine because of this prominent woody note, but after 30mins or so, this settles and then the rose comes through along with the musk and vanilla which brings out the softer feminine side of the blend. In a way, this perfume is doing something opposite to what a typical rose and oud fragrance does in how it develops to the dry down. The longer it stays on the skin, the more I like it on me. I think there’s a bit of animalic quality to this but not in skanky ways. To me, this is an unisex perfume opens with a slight masculine tone but balance itself over time with the feminine notes.
In terms of longevity, it stays on for a good 8+ hours on the skin and even longer on clothes with 4 sprays. As for sillage and projection, I’d put this in the moderate category, someone closeby can definitely smell this on you but not in a way that’s loud or obnoxious. I imagine if you like oud but sometimes a bit self-conscious if others might not like it, this one is not offensive after the dry down.
Final thoughts? I like this perfume a lot. I’ve also tested out the others in the range which are also beautiful and I might even get a full bottle on one of them. 💕
Available: £138/50ml