New Notes A.K.M.: What Happened to Akigala Mandarino?
New Notes A.K.M. caught my attention because I’d already tried a few fragrances from the house at Esxence. I remember being intrigued enough to want to spend more time with the brand. As usual, I filed that thought under “something to explore later”, which is a remarkably effective way of convincing myself that curiosity has no financial consequences. My bank account, by now mostly decorative, may remember things differently.
A.K.M. gives me a reason to pick up where I left off. New Notes is featuring it as a new arrival, although anyone who remembers Akigala Mandarino will recognise the brief. This is a first look at the release. My encounter with New Notes at Esxence explains my curiosity, and a wear of A.K.M. is still on my list.
From Akigala Mandarino to New Notes A.K.M.
Akigala Mandarino first appeared in 2024. The clearest link between the two names is on the brand’s own website. The current A.K.M. product page still has akigala-mandarino in the address, and the published note pyramid matches the earlier one. So if you’ve been looking for Akigala Mandarino, that’s the page to look at. The listings establish continuity in the way the fragrance is described. Whether anything changed in the formula remains open.
The packaging is where the new name makes more sense to me. The gold initials sit against dark red glass, and the carton puts them right across a citrus fruit held in someone’s hands. The old name did the work in words. Now you have to look at the images to get that first hint of peel. I like that the campaign lets the wood take up almost as much space as the fruit. That gives me a better idea of why the composition might be interesting than the three initials do on their own.
The useful clue in the old name
Akigala Mandarino pointed towards Akigalawood, which Ottaviano names in its description of A.K.M. The current New Notes pyramid simply lists woods and amber at the base. Givaudan describes Akigalawood as a material made from upcycled patchouli oil, with a peppery character and facets reminiscent of patchouli and agarwood. That’s an interesting clue to the sort of wood the old name evokes. It’s also a good example of how much interpretation can sit behind a single line in a perfume note pyramid.
New Notes lists mandarin, passion fruit, raspberry and apple at the top. Freesia, jasmine and lily of the valley make up the floral heart. I’d be most interested in the point where that fruit begins to give way to the woods. Mandarin peel can suggest something brighter and more bitter than the flesh, while passion fruit and raspberry make me imagine a juicier opening. If the peppery edge holds against that, the perfume could have the sort of tension that keeps me coming back to my wrist. That’s the part I’d want to follow through a full wear.
A.K.M. prices and bottle sizes
| Extrait de Parfum | Price on the New Notes shop |
|---|---|
| 15 ml | €50 |
| 50 ml | €160 |
| 100 ml Gran Flacone | €240 |
The 15 ml is the format that caught my attention. It brings the upfront cost down by €110 compared with the 50 ml, and it would give me plenty of time to see whether I keep reaching for A.K.M. The Gran Flacone is the better price per millilitre if you already know you go through the stuff. I’m at the stage where I’m still curious about the mandarin peel. Buying a hundred millilitres on that basis would be getting a little ahead of myself, even by my standards.
What I remember from Esxence is wanting to go back to New Notes. A.K.M. gives me a specific place to start, and the 15 ml means the first step can stay fairly small. I’d call that restraint. My bank account is waiting to see what happens when I get to the rest of the collection.
| A closer look at the launches, relaunches and bottles that keep sending me back to the perfume counter. Explore New Releases |
