2024.04.11 2025.11.16

CRI DU KALAHARI（Ella K Parfums）

Perfume Geek K

CRI DU KALAHARI

ELLA K PARFUMS

SONIA CONSTANT

2019

Green Pepper Orris

Baobab Cedarwood

Sandalwood Patchouli

CONCEPT

Despite being the largest sandy desert on earth, the Kalahari is home to a lush flora thanks to the omiramba – ancient riverbeds that are still rich in moisture. In the evening, as the sun is setting and the stars are coming out, you can hear the stars crying out, as Bushman legend has it. Inspired by the ancestral symbol of the majestic baobab tree, whose thousand-year-old wood contains the entire history of Africa, this fragrance, with its overdosed woody notes, is almost palpable as the ribbed texture carved into this massive trunk unfolds beneath your fingers. A meticulous blend of sandalwood, cedarwood and a hint of patchouli, punctuated by a sprinkling of green pepper like stardust, this powerful fragrance is an enchanting invitation to the arid lands of the Kalahari.

“The story of a time suspended in the Makgadikgadi Pans, this fragrance bursts forth like a cry. With a very simple vertical structure, it is composed of explosive notes. Green pepper leads into a blend of sandalwood and cedar, to which I’ve added a touch of patchouli, revealing the scents of the emblematic Adansonia tree.”
Ella K Parfums Official Website: https://www.ellakparfums.com/en/products/cri-du-kalahari

THOUGHTS

Cri du Kalahari was the first fragrance I ever purchased from Ella K Parfums—and fittingly, my very first true woody scent. Even now, I think of it as an underrated gem, a quiet treasure shaped by sun, dust, and wind.

The opening greets you with the vivid green snap of fresh pepper, a bright, herbaceous tension that tightens the powdery dryness of orris beneath it. It’s a sensation like the desert air at dawn—cool, sharp, momentarily catching your breath before the heat rises.

As the fragrance softens, the Baobab accord and cedarwood emerge, unfolding like dry wooden branches casting slender shadows across the sand. There is a gentle sweetness to them, subtle and sun-warmed, a woody breeze unlike the dense, resinous weight common in many woody fragrances. Here, the woods feel lighter—almost illuminated from within.

In the base, sandalwood and patchouli lend a creamy, smooth depth, the scent settling like fine grains of pale desert sand slipping through your fingers. It remains soft, steady, and comforting—never heavy, never overwhelming.

Despite being built around unmistakably woody notes—cedarwood, sandalwood, baobab—Cri du Kalahari wears with an unexpected airiness, as if the desert wind had swept through the composition and carried away anything superfluous. I catch myself raising my wrist again and again; there is something quietly restorative in its gentle warmth, almost like a personal desert oasis.

It leans slightly feminine and keeps its tone light, so those seeking dramatic, imposing woods may find it too subdued. But for lovers of airy woody scents, or for anyone drawn to the creamy serenity of sandalwood, Cri du Kalahari offers a beautifully woven landscape—soft, sunlit, and endlessly soothing.