Keiko Mecheri Loukhoum

I actually have no idea how Turkish delight smells like, but if it's anything like Keiko Mecheri's Loukhoum, I'd probably never be able to stop huffing a piece like an absolute weirdo. This perfume is one of the most delicious scents I've ever experienced.

Like others have mentioned, this is quite heavy on the powder, and I can imagine it being overwhelming for those with skin that loves to amp up that "baby powder" sort of deal. Fortunately for me, I rarely have an issue with powdery perfumes. In fact, I think it works so beautifully alongside the cherry-like almond and sweet honey notes, which would otherwise be cloying without the rose and powdery musk softening the entire composition. My favorite part is actually the drydown, which smells like melting rose and vanilla ice cream... but in like the least trashy way possible. Think ice cream made with only the most premium ingredients - nothing cheap or fake here.

Sillage is above average but not too strong, and I wouldn't want it any other way because this is the type of scent that can definitely bother people around you, unlike a friendly fruity floral or whatnot. However, the longevity is crazy: I can still smell it on my wrists over 10 hours later!

Although I've kind of grown out of gourmands for the most part, Loukhoum will always remain a part of my scent roster. And at a hefty $120 for a 50 ml bottle, that's dedication!

When I don't know what to wear, I would reach for this. It is very comforting to me. It reminds me of my grandmother, but I am not saying it smells like old women. What's old? Who can say. I would have bought a ton of it before they re-packaged it. I haven't tried the new, some say it's the same juice, some say it's changed. I will eventually get another bottle. I have Montale Sweet Oriental Dream, which is very similar, but there is something "lovely" missing, but it's close. The other versions of Mecheri Loukhoum's aren't as divine. I kept the pink bottle, and hope to get my hands on another one someday. If not, I'll spring for the new "loukhoum packaging" (I guess that is how the candy is wrapped in Turkey)bottle. It's just so lovely, so soft, so feminine, so beautiful....like a beautiful woman (not rich), but beautiful would smell like, soft and the most gorgeous woman in the room. Either Elizabeth Taylor, Farrah Fawcett or Whitney Houston. Although Whitney has a big loud voice, whew. The best there ever was.......but I digress. Love it, try it!

I am addicted to this scent! Its intoxicating.
It smells like a grown up version of vanilla whipped cream and gets better as the day goes on (for me).
After using up samples, I finally splurged on the full bottle. I recommend it.

I felt like something soft & cuddly last night, and I pulled out & considered one after the other -- Emporio Armani Elle (beautiful), Cashmere Mist (fresher than Elle), Pure by DKNY (eh), EL Pure White Linen (eh), Dream Angels Heavenly Mist by Victoria's Secret (nice, a good light spray), Kenzo Amour (light vanilla, but a bit papery) ...

And then I thought -- KM Loukhoum EDP!! and I scrambled to pull it out of my box -- and I sprayed it on -- ahhhh! YES, Loukhoum did the trick! It's comforting, soft, cuddly, and very richly delicious at the same time -- lots of vanilla -- it smells like dessert.

Notes, per Luckyscent: hawthorn blossom, bulgarian rose absolute, precious woods, vanilla, Comores flowers, white almond, musk.

Notes, per Parfumo.net: Top Notes: Hawthorn, Heart Notes: Blossoms, Almond, Rose,
Base Notes: Woods, Musk, Vanilla

The first ones I considered (in first paragraph) are softly lotiony/powdery -- very inoffensive & cuddly, they have a little vanilla -- but they're somehow boring to me, and I get restless for more "flavor" shortly after spraying -- and that's why I seldom wear them. They're polite and just "nice" to me, nothing more -- not interesting & engaging enough, not enough vanilla for me, not enough oomph.

But KM Loukhoum is dense, with tons of flavor, a lot of vanilla + some almond, and I find it much more satisfying than the other "powder/lotion" scents I mentioned. It's a soft powdery *gourmand* -- and yes, I agree it smells a lot like baby powder, for sure -- but with a big dose of white vanilla and also almond flavoring added (no fruit that I notice, thankfully) -- and it transforms into a rich vanilla-almond desserty scent, almost like a pudding or milkshake -- yet in powder form. Thick & rich & satisfying -- sweet -- and it stays super-powdery. A vanilla-almond dense baby powder.

Warning -- this is deceptively *strong*, and being a soft scent, it's easy to spray too much. It has big sillage, and it lasts very well. If you spray too much, you can feel as though you've inhaled actual talc into your lungs, and it will be uncomfortable for you and everyone else in the room. So spray just a little. When it calms down, it creates an angelic halo of soft innocent deliciousness around the wearer. And it lasts!

Smell-alikes are Etro Heloptrope (d/c'd?) and NewOrleansPerfume.com's Lady Evangeline (in their Bourbon French line). These two have the "loukhoum" scent, but although more expensive, I think Keiko Mecheri's Loukhoum smells better, is a much higher quality blend, is much stronger, and the lasting power is far superior -- thereby making it a good value and a lot of bang for your buck.

PS -- they've changed the bottle. I have the old clear rectangle, and if you notice your juice darkening (as mine has), don't worry about it -- it's just the vanilla -- the scent remains unchanged. I like the old bottle much better than the new one.

This is the absolute best! Insane lasting power, creates a veil around you all day. Expensive but worth it to have such a unique scent. Get endless compliments from men and women on this and defo trans-seasonal. I have quite an arsenal, but this will always be 'my' scent.

Loukhoum is the sweetest fragrance I have ever smelt. I expected something milder and fresh or citrus notes to cut through sugary haze. However, woodsy and honey notes suffocate this perfume making it impossible to wear for me. It comes across too cloying and may give a strong headache.

Keiko Mecheri has a wierd symbiosis with Serge Lutens. She seems to re-do his fragrances, or re-interpret them. He did his Rahat Loukhoum in 1998, and KM produced her Loukhoum in 2004. Of the two, KM's is the more accurate version of the confection. For those who haven't tried it, actual loukhoum (or the Turkish delight from the Narnia books) is a sort of more solid jelly composed of rosewater, pistachio, sugar, and various flavorings. The overall gestalt is a lightly sweet, flowery, light version of jelly beans.


SL's RL is cherry, all cherry, all the time, with spice, and amber. It's beautiful, wearable, and lovely. KM's Loukhoum is powder - the powderiness of the rose, and the interior powdery notes of pistachio, together with the powderiness of powdered sugar, and the kind of icky/musky powdery-sweet of honey. It reminds me a great deal of Montale's Sweet Oriental Dream - both have that moment when they teeter on overload, and both fall. SOD goes into too much tobacco for me, KM's Loukhoum ends up with too much of that musky off-note of honey and too much powder. There are wafts of unlit tobacco from this as well, which are also problematic for me as I loathe that note.


Still, her Loukhoum is beautifully composed and probably works on skin other than mine. And she captures the notes of Loukhoum beautifully, just not, for me, wearably. The lasting power is phenomenal - a LOT of sillage on this too. The packaging, in either the new or old iteration, is lovely. This was a daring interpretation, and I wish it worked on me.

I’ve tested about four or five fragrances based on the Turkish delight concept, and in my mind, this one is unquestionably the best. Loukhoum EDP doesn’t go over the top with gooey sweetness, nor does it get unbalanced in its handling of its several dynamic floral and fruit notes. Loukhoum presents its refined rose / honey / almond accord in a way that features the sweetness and lusciousness, but with the perfect timbre for wearing as a fragrance. The musk, woods, and vanilla of the base are beautifully presented, discreet, and long lasting-- 9-10 hrs. I love this one.

I LOVE this fragrance. I wear Loukoum "Perfum de soir" the small dark bottle. Nothing but compliments! Very unusual. To the haters below. Please do your research. There are THREE versions of Loukoum by Keiko Mecheri. 1. Loukoum "eau de parfum" 2. Loukoum "eau poudree" 3. Loukoum "parfum du soir".
1. is the original. 2. Is a lighter "powdery" version and 3. is a more concentrated version.
Those of you who say it is too powder probably bought the eau poudree... They all have different notes and for those who are not sure which is best for them, you can buy a Loukoum sampler. http://www.keikomecheri.com/

Notes: hawthorn blossom, bulgarian rose absolute, precious woods, vanilla, Comores flowers, white almond, musk

I ordered a sample of the EDP from Luckyscent, and, unfortunately, can only describe this as powder, powder, and . . . some more powder. Upon application, there's the all-permeating scent of baby powder. While not unpleasant, this isn't necessarily how I like either my perfume or myself to smell. After several hours, it becomes just a touch softer and more floral, with a soft white musk and creamy woods emerging. I don't have much experience with powdery fragrances. The drydown is similar to Le Labo Labdanum 18, although Loukhoum is far more feminine, softer, and heavier on the powder. Just like Labdanum, however, the powder reminds me of the scent of cooked cabbage in the drydown, which, as you can imagine, is even less how I'd like my perfume and myself to smell. Overall, powder lovers should love this. I'd describe it as a sweet, feminine powder fragrance. I don't have much experience with Turkish delight / lokum, except for the Liberty Orchards variety, which I find quite tasty but don't recall as having any particular scent, so I can't comment on how well this lives up to its dessert inspiration. With that in mind, I personally wouldn't regard this as a gourmand fragrance.