A house that names its fragrances after its own story
As the house tells it, Antoine Soradora was born in 1902 in Loulé, in southern Portugal, and at eighteen he left to work in the French mines. After settling in Gréasque, in Provence, he became head gardener of a jasmine plantation in Grasse and began experimenting with perfume alongside the owner, Étienne. Many of the fragrances carry names from that story. Jany is one of Antoine's three daughters and Gréasque the village where he arrived, Gladiator is tied to his grandson Éric, and Kamel Oud to the friend who revealed the secrets of oriental perfumery to Antoine. Red, finally, is linked to the night of the house's first anniversary.
The Sora Dora fragrances in the range
Almond, vanilla and dessert gourmands
Among the gourmands is Mandorle, which opens with a burst of almond, moves on to an iced cherry and finishes on a leather accord. The house's notes also list cocoa and tonka. Orchidée Rouge has almond too, in the form of almond milk, but it is built on black vanilla extracts and a heliotrope accord, with cinnamon and benzoin. Jany recalls the smell of a tarte tatin, with baked apple, peach and cinnamon, puff pastry and a caramel base. Mallow is the floral candy of the collection: a sweet that melts into a violet powder, with a soft, gentle character.
Fresh and fruity
Gladiator brings together grapefruit, pineapple and Italian bergamot, with peppermint at the heart and patchouli in the base. Gréasque is a fruity scent the house associates with a Provençal garden; it starts with blackcurrant and bergamot, with basil, galbanum and peppermint. According to the house's description, Ylop pairs the velvety softness of apricot with the scent of skin, with osmanthus and black sesame.
Woody, spicy and chypre
Vanuatu is built on sandalwood, the base note you smell throughout the composition, with fig leaves that give the sandalwood a character the house calls volcanic. Brocéliande has a citrus opening, then ginger and cinnamon, and finally the oak of the barrels, which gives an impression of whisky, together with caramel. With Kamel Oud the house pays tribute to oriental perfumery, with rose, raspberry, saffron, Laotian oud and labdanum, while Red is inspired by the image of a bar counter at night and has bergamot, jasmine and sandalwood. Then there is Lü Bu, named after the man the description calls "once the most feared in the Empire," a dense, dark perfume with clove and iris, and Raphael, dedicated to a miner, which opens with violet, moves on to iris and ends on musk. Finally, 7 is a fougère the house describes as distinctly masculine, with bergamot, mandarin, nutmeg, white thyme and oud.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of perfumes does Sora Dora make?
Sora Dora makes French niche perfumes, and every fragrance in the range is an extrait de parfum. Many scents are tied to the story of Antoine Soradora and belong to different families, from gourmands like Mandorle and Jany to the violet of Mallow, to fresh scents like Gladiator, woody ones like Vanuatu and Brocéliande, and the oriental Kamel Oud.
Who founded Sora Dora?
Sora Dora was founded by Quentin Dorado, the great-grandson of Antoine Soradora, who had emigrated from Portugal. Antoine arrived in Provence in 1920 and worked on a jasmine plantation in Grasse, where he began composing perfumes.
What does Sora Dora Mandorle smell like?
Mandorle smells of almond in the opening, has an iced cherry at its heart and leather in the base, with gourmand notes. The house's description also lists cocoa and tonka, and the house presents it as a story of brazen seduction.
What is Sora Dora Mallow like?
Mallow is a fragrance with a soft, gentle character, built around a floral candy that bursts into a violet powder. The house describes it as a singular contradiction, the illusion of a harmonious vision in opposition, and says it is a perfume you do more than just smell.
What does Sora Dora Jany remind you of?
Jany recalls a tarte tatin, and the house describes it as a summer kitchen with melted butter, brown sugar and baked apple, after the calm of a siesta in the garden. The name is that of one of Antoine Soradora's daughters.
What is the difference between Mandorle and Orchidée Rouge?
Mandorle and Orchidée Rouge both have almond, but they are built differently. In Mandorle the almond comes in the opening and is followed by iced cherry and leather, while Orchidée Rouge uses almond milk and rests on black vanilla extracts and a heliotrope accord.
Which Sora Dora perfumes have violet?
Violet is at the center of Mallow and Raphael. In Mallow there is a violet powder in which a floral candy bursts, with a soft, gentle character, while in Raphael violet opens the fragrance and is followed by iris and musk, with vetiver and cedar.
Which Sora Dora perfumes are spicy?
Spicy notes are found mainly in Lü Bu, Brocéliande and Kamel Oud. Lü Bu is a dense, dark fragrance with clove and iris; Brocéliande combines ginger, coriander, cinnamon and caramel with barrel oak, giving an impression of whisky. Kamel Oud, the house's tribute to oriental perfumery, has saffron and Laotian oud.
