Quick answers
History
Oshiso belongs to Pierre Guillaume’s White Collection and keeps its DNA: a genderless, immediately captivating style. The perfumer borrows the architecture of Aqaysos, one of the house’s best-sellers, to execute a crystalline spicy-woody note. Beneath a biting freshness lies a powdery, enveloping nature the house calls a “shiso flake”.
At its heart is shiso, the Japanese name for perilla, an aromatic plant grown in Asia since antiquity and in Japan since the third century. Its essence is powerful and complex: green, powdery facets close to mimosa, crossed by a spicy wave that recalls cinnamon within a mentholated halo. A rarity in perfumery, shiso lights the composition, set off by a trio of bergamot, apple blossom and heliotrope wood.
The name spells out the scent. To the word shiso Pierre Guillaume adds the letter “O”: its sound evokes “eau” (water), it opens the word “ode”, and its shape recalls a flake. Unexpected and highly desirable.
Launched in summer 2022 alongside Dialogue with Venus and Intime.Extime, Oshiso drew attention for its duality. The Sniff called it a two-headed scent, at once powdery and floaty yet carrying a darker presence; the shiso, intriguing and full of contradictions, only emerges once the fragrance warms on the skin, where its longevity was judged good, around six hours.
Olfactory pyramid
Oshiso is built in three movements around the shiso leaf.
The contrast between the biting opening and the powdery base gives the scent its crystalline grain.
Olfactory profile
Oshiso plays on contrast: the cool, spicy bite of shiso and bergamot, then the powdery roundness of apple blossom and heliotrope wood. It is a luminous spice, never heavy, and its signature lies in that green, mentholated shiso note, a rarity in perfumery.
True to the White Collection, the scent stays clear and airy, without the ambered depth of the house’s darker lines. Genderless by design, it is worn either way, and its crystalline freshness makes it especially comfortable in mild weather.
A two-headed scent which on the one hand is all powdery and light and floaty, but on the other has this presence, this darker side too.The Sniff
Key characteristics
When and where to wear
Oshiso is a scent of clarity, at ease in daytime and mild weather. Its spicy freshness suits spring and summer, while the powdery base gives it enough hold for mid-season. A clean, bright trail, never excessive.
Usage guidance
Seasonal fit
| Season | Fit | Critical notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | ★★★★ | Ideal season. |
| Summer | ★★★★ | The spicy freshness blooms. |
| Autumn | ★★★☆ | The powdery wood takes over. |
| Winter | ★★☆☆ | A little cool in the cold. |
Setting fit
| Setting | Fit | Recommended use |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday | ★★★★ | Reference use. |
| Office | ★★★★ | Fresh and clean. |
| Outings | ★★★★ | Bright and original. |
| Evening | ★★★☆ | In mild weather. |
| Sport | ★★★☆ | Light and bracing. |
Similar perfumes
The luminous, powdery spice meets other crystalline, fresh compositions.
| Perfume | House · year | Why it is close |
|---|---|---|
| Aqaysos | Pierre Guillaume Paris | The house best-seller whose spicy-woody architecture Oshiso reuses. |
| Après l’Ondée | Guerlain · 1906 | A powdery heliotrope classic, the same crystalline softness in the drydown. |
Common questions
See also
Sources
- Official press kit, Oshiso, White Collection · Pierre Guillaume Paris
- Pierre Guillaume Paris, official Oshiso page
- The Sniff, “Oshiso by Pierre Guillaume” (July 2022)
- Now Smell This, Oshiso launch (June 2022)